You do not need to be a subject expert to evaluate material you find on the open web. You just have to examine it carefully.
First, is your article, video, or image from a news site that you recognize? This includes: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, MSNBC, WSBTV etc… If so, your article is probably credible. Well-known news sites have editors and fact checkers.
If your article is NOT from a source you recognize, look at the author. Is there an author? Do they have both a first and last name?
Click on the author's name. Is it linked to a biography? If so, read the biography and decide if the author is someone you trust for information about you topic?
Below is an image of a link to Dan Rankin's biography. Dan Rankin wrote an article on RSS feeds. You can visit these links and decide whether you would trust Mr. Rankin.
By contrast Dimitri writes a Substack called Russia Simplified. Though he provides a biography, his lack of a last name should make you ask: Is Dimitri real?
If there is NO AUTHOR LINK or no author with a last name, find your way to the parent site, look for an About, About Us, or Contact Us, link. These links are usually at the top, bottom, or corners of the page. Be prepared to scroll. Read about the organization, which publishes the page, and decide if you can trust it. Here is the beginning of Read Write's About page.
