NewsGuard
NewsGuard is a tool that shows trust ratings for over 7,500 news and information websites. It is embedded in Search Coach to provide ratings right on the students’ results page. Created by journalists, NewsGuard is a tool for assessing website credibility and transparency.
Note: Not all sites are rated by NewGuard – this doesn’t necessarily mean they are bad, just that they have smaller audiences than most news sites. NewsGuard rates the more than 7000 websites responsible for approximately 95% of all news and information shared online in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, and Italy.
Select the NewsGuard rating to open up a checklist that shows how NewsGuard decided on that website's rating:
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Does not repeatedly post false content
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Gathers and presents information responsibly
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Regularly corrects or clarifies errors
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Handles the difference between news and opinion responsibly
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Avoids deceptive headlines
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Website discloses ownership and financing
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Clearly labels advertising
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Reveals who’s in charge, including any possible conflicts of interest
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Provides information about content creators
Select Full NewsGuard Analysis to see more details about the site's rating.
Note: NewsGuard rates entire sites, not each specific article. For example, the Seattle Times gets a 100% NewsGuard rating for its credibility and transparency. However, like most newspapers, it often publishes “op-ed” pieces which are opinion-based by nature. Make sure students understand how to identify opinion pieces.
When NewsGuard ratings aren't available, a Reliability card will help students identify trustworthy sources.
Because .gov and .edu resources are generally trusted and don’t primarily deliver news, NewsGuard usually doesn't rate them. Sites with a .edu or .gov domain will be shown as Likely trustworthy on the Reliability card.
Note: Currently only US educational and government domains are indicated as Likely trustworthy. We are working to expand this rating to international equivalents.
Many sites will have a Reliability card of Unknown. In this case, students will need to use other skills to identify if the source is trustworthy.
NewsGuard will also indicate if a website is a Platform. Platforms publish content that isn't vetted, so need to be used carefully.
NewsGuard is available as a free Edge extension for use with Bing.
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