Finding Reliable Information
There is a lot of information available to read about the upcoming referendum, and it's important to evaluate this carefully. Not everything you read will be objective and factual. So how do you know what is accurate and trustworthy?
How do I find reliable information?
Select well-respected information outlets to find out news, such as major national or state media services and government websites. Double check information by doing your own web searches. We've given you a framework called SIFT below to help you do this. Look for the facts. Is the story factual, or is it just someone's opinion or personal experience? Do a reverse image search to help you decide if an image is fake – you may find it elsewhere online with a different name or description. You can use Bing, Google Images or another reverse image search site such as TinEye. Think about whether an attention-grabbing headline is ‘clickbait’. This is a link that takes you to information that is misleading or not as interesting as it seemed in the headline. Check your own biases. Consider if your own beliefs could affect your judgement.
Fact Check tools
If you are unsure about the validity of any content that you have read, consider using one of the Fact Check tools below.
Australian Electoral Commission Disinformation register: Referendum process
This register lists prominent pieces of disinformation the AEC has discovered regarding the announced referendum on the Voice to Parliament. It also provides details of actions the AEC has taken in response.
RMIT University CrossCheck Voice to Parliament Referendum
RMIT FactLab CrossCheck rigorously monitors online misinformation, pre-emptively alerts and guides our media and community partners of emerging online narratives and harmful trends. Including 7 common confusions about Voice to Parliament and racial equality in Australia, explained.
RMIT FactLab is a fact-checking, research and training hub based at RMIT University. It is committed to fighting the viral spread of misinformation that can harm people and undermine democratic processes.
Australian Associated Press FactCheck
AAP is committed to the fight against misinformation and is IFCN accredited to fact check social media, political and media information. AAP has a dedicated fact checking team that provides quick, accurate and detailed analysis on a broad range of topics, daily.
The SIFT framework for evaluating resources
Evaluating Content
It is important to evaluate what you read about the referendum to ensure that it is factual, unbiased and trustworthy.
SIFT is a four-step method of evaluating information resources, and is particularly useful for evaluating online sources such as web pages and information shared on social media such as news media.
The SIFT method was created by digital literacy educator Mike Caufield. This resource has been adapted from information from his blog, Hapgood.
Stop:
Note:
Investigate the source before you read/view it:
Find better coverage:
How do the claims in the source you've found compare to trusted sources on the topic?
Does your source represent accepted or contested views?
Is this the best source you can find on the topic? We've provided you with a list of objective resources looking at both angles on the Yes & No Perspectives
Trace information to its original context:
Spotting misinformation and fake news
Includes what is online misinformation, tips to spot misinformation and reporting or making a complaint about online misinformation.
Australian Communications and Media Authority
Includes what is fake news, why does it exist, how to spot it, and troubleshooting fake news issues.
Check the source this upcoming referendum with this factsheet from the Australian Electoral Commission.