Includes index.

Americans are bombarded daily with mixed messages, half truths, misleading statements, and out and out fabrications masquerading as facts. The news media, once the vaunted watchdogs of our republic, are often too timid or distracted to identify these deceptions. This book is the secret decoder ring for the twenty-first-century world of disinformation. Written by the founders of the website FactCheck.org, it reveals the secrets of separating facts from disinformation, such as: the warning signs of spin, hype, and bogus news; common tricks used to deceive us; how to find trustworthy and objective sources of information. Telling fact from fiction should not be a difficult task. This book helps readers cut through the haze of biased media reportage to be a savvier consumer and a better-informed citizen. A practical guide to identifying bunk from fact twisting political ads and dubious infomercials to corporate PR and false e-mails; it explains how and where to pick out the truth from the masses of misleading messages and fake resources.

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