How to tell the difference between Fake and Real news

Who wrote it?

• Do they have a history writing articles, do they have any conflicts of interest, do they have some experience or training relevant to the subject they are reporting on.

What claims does it make?

• Do they seem to fit your viewpoints perfectly or drawout an emotional response? Look for sources and follow links, do the sources agree with what the article is saying or support its opinion? (If it doesn't have sources it isn't worth sharing as they didn't back up anything they said.) Primary sources are great, an endless loop of sources citing more articles helps no one.

When was it published?

• Breaking news is great, it keeps us on top of developing stories but this comes at a cost. The information reported is often only (in better case scenario) barely verified. There will often be retractions and apologies later as they find out things are wrong. It's better to wait until there is more information than to use unverified facts.

Where was it published?

• Have you heard of them? If you haven't heard of them, dig deeper. Do they have an about page? Do other news sites report the same story? What is the difference in the two stories if they do?

Making fake news less of an issue is only gonna happen if people start thinking critically about news when they read it. If it plays into your emotions or you agree with every word written its either fake news or biased.