Reliability Research

Tools and datasets for identifying unreliable news sources, for researchers, reporters, and readers.

Tools for mis/disinfo research

Iffy.news tools were used in 50+ research papers and are part of 20+ mis/disinfo resources and health/media guides.

Latest reliability reports

PolitiFact-check scores

PolitiFact Scores 2024

Every four years Iffy.news compiles PolitiFact-checks to rate the veracity of political people. We convert their fact-checks into credibility scores, comparing pols, pundits, PACs, and parties.

William Jennings Bryan campaign poster, "Shall the People Rule?" (circa 1900)

PolitiFact 2020: Voters Face Facts

Using PolitiFact-checks, we can compare the credibility of candidates and determine, from past elections, if voters tend to pick the more truthful candidate.

William Jennings Bryan campaign poster, "Shall the People Rule?" (circa 1900)

PolitiFact: All the Presidents’ Peeps

Part two of the series that turns PolitiFact-checks into credibility scores, calculates the truth ratings of people in the past three presidential administrations.

William Jennings Bryan campaign poster, "Shall the People Rule?" (circa 1900)

PolitiFact: Pols, Pundits, and Pant Fires

This last of a three-parter compares the PolitiFact credibility of groups making political claims. The most truthful: comedians. The least: social media.dential administrations.

William Jennings Bryan campaign poster, "Shall the People Rule?" (circa 1900)

Consider the Source

Anatomy of an anti-vax fact-check: Consider the Source, Check the Site, Confirm the Content. Who made the claim, who published it, where’s the evidence?

1802 caricature of Jenner vaccinating patients who feared it would make them sprout cowlike appendages (painting: James Gillray)

MSM and fake news

Mainstream media spreads fake news

Mainstream media contributes significantly to the infectious spread of conspiracy fantasies. But it could also hold the cure.

Breaking News: Do Mail-in Ballots Cause COVID?

(Assume) Everything on Social Media Is Wrong

Social media’s malgorithms spread lies and hate. The platforms are unwilling and probably unable to change.

Facebook thumbs down, with label: Fake

The United States of Conspiracy

Americans will believe almost anything. Two decades of polling prove that. No matter how insane the claim, at least 10% and up to 40% of people will say it’s true.

Fantasy illustration of pizzagate conspiracy, by David Dees

Mainstream media funds fake news

When debunkers link to fake-news stories, they do more harm than good. There’s a right way and wrong way to cite unreliable sources. Most publishers use the latter.

Faroese fishing hooks (1898): Snatch hook and Cod hook with tin bait

Pandemic and party

Vax vs. Vote

A side-by-side, state-by-state comparison showing vaccination rates closely correlated with Biden-vote percentages.

USA Map, states colored by vaccination percentage (2021-06)

Congress’ COVID-Positive Party

When debunkers link to fake-news stories, they do more harm than good. There’s a right way and wrong way to cite unreliable sources. Most publishers use the latter.

Mask-wearing citizens in Mill Valley California (1918-11-03), one with a reading 'Wear a mask or go to jail.'

Your State’s Been Pink-Slimed

Tracking cross-country plink-slime sites that masquerade as local news, with an interactive USA map and a Slime by State table.

Ghostbusters slime ghost in pink, with newspapers in its belly

Bias vs. B.S.

Bias doesn’t get a publisher into Iffy.news, only bullshit does. Iffy is blind to bias. However, when bias becomes B.S., data can help determine which direction bias most often turns.

Bullshit meter (parody of audio volume meter)

Adtech is bad tech

Who Funds Fake News?

Fake news is a for-profit business, funded mostly by advertising, with revenue flowing from the biggest brands and adtech agencies into the coffers of clickbait, hate, and mis/disinfo sites.

Big brand ads next to COVID conspiracy articles on fake-news sites

Brands Behaving Badly

Millions in ad dollars are helping spread COVID conspiracies, mostly without the advertiser’s knowledge.

Bloomberg News ad on fake-news Gateway Pundit article

Iffy Index of Unreliable Sources

Misinformation thrives online, propped up by advertising dollars, political donations, and social media shares.

In scores of studies, researchers have tried to figure out how falsehoods spread. Their research often relies on lists of fake-news sources. However, those lists are out-of-date and full of 404s.

Better data means better results, for researchers, reporters, and readers. So I’ve built a better dataset:

The Iffy Index of Unreliable Sources is a resource for researchers needing a database of untrustworthy online sources, based on factual-reporting ratings by Media Bias/Fact Check, the professional news/info website reviewer.

Most-visited unreliable sources

The full Iffy Index has data on 1,300+ sites that regularly publish unreliable information, including clickbait, fake news, and unproven allegations. The table below lists the Iffy sites with the most web traffic (by Alexa Global Rank).

Loading table: Most-Visited Unreliable Sources…

The Iffy.news Index has details on each domain and the methodology used to interpret the data. To assess the credibility of a particular site or story, try the Fact-check Search tool.

Media Bias/Fact Check factual-reporting level
MBFC factual-reporting level