Hoax-slayer.net
I have just come across this site recently. It is very transparent and run by a Queenslander Brett Christensen. I thought it was worth including their mission statement.

Mission Statement
The goal of the Hoax-Slayer Website is to help make the Internet a safer, more pleasant and more
productive environment by:

• Debunking email and Internet hoaxes
• Thwarting Internet scammers
• Educating web users about email and Internet security issues
• Combating spam

This is a link to one of the latest stories and is very topical as it is related to the theory that the Coronavirus was made deliberately in China. It is a very good example of how conspiracy theorists use experts to spread information.

FAKE-NEWS ALERT: Japanese Professor Tasuku Honjo Did NOT Say That Coronavirus Was Made by China

"In light of recent misleading news purported to represent the views of Distinguished Professor Tasuku Honjo of the Kyoto University Institute of Advanced Study, the University is publishing the following statement from Professor Honjo.

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In the wake of the pain, economic loss, and unprecedented global suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am greatly saddened that my name and that of Kyoto University have been used to spread false accusations and misinformation.

This is a time for all of us, especially those of us devoting our careers to the forefronts of scientific research, to work together to fight this common enemy. We cannot delay one moment in this effort to save the lives of our fellow humans. At this stage, when all of our energies are needed to treat the ill, prevent the further spread of sorrow, and plan for a new beginning, the broadcasting of unsubstantiated claims regarding the origins of the disease is dangerously distracting."

Information Literacy

During the year at Gippsland Grammar each year level has at least two sessions on Information literacy. This is comprised of looking at the resources the libraries provide and also information and activities related to identifying Fake news, Propaganda and Conspiracy theories.

We are arming students with the ability to further develop critical thinking, understand media bias, avoid fake news and stop spreading it, and have access to authentic information and the ability to locate it.

The following article goes through and explains fact checking sites such as Snopes,, Hoaxslayer and Factcheck.org. In Australia we have ABC factcheck which works with the online publication The Conversation. I will write about The Conversation in a further post.

The 8 Best Fact-Checking Sites for Finding Unbiased Truth