Evaluating Charity Groups and Websites


 

 

Why do we need to evaluate our resources?

Some examples:

Dihydrogen Monoxide Warnings

Reaction by a CA city council:  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/24/usa.worlddispatch

 

17 Times 'The Onion' Fooled People Who Should Know Better 

 

Longest Running Wikipedia Hoax

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/

2015/04/15/the-great-wikipedia-hoax/

 

Watch this BrainPop

 

Use the skills you've just seen in the video to evaluate one of these three charities:

Defeat Diabetes Foundation: http://www.defeatdiabetes.org/

Kids Wish Network: http://kidswishnetwork.org/

Children's Aid Society: http://www.childrensaidsociety.org/

 

 

To check the rating of your selected Charity Group, visit

Charity Navigator: http://www.charitynavigator.org/

Or Charity Watch: https://www.charitywatch.org/home

Or check with the Better Business Institute's Charity oversight: http://give.org/

 

Fact Checking Social Media Stories

Snopes

http://www.snopes.com

The snopes.com website was founded by Barbara and David Mikkelson, who live and work in theLos Angeles area. What they began in 1995 as an expression of their shared interest in researching urban legends has since grown into what is widely regarded by folklorists, journalists, and laypersons alike as one of the World Wide Web's essential resources. Snopes.com is routinely included in annual "Best of the Web" lists and has been the recipient of two Webby awards. The Mikkelsons have made multiple appearances as guests on national news programs such as 20/20ABC World NewsCNN Sunday Morning, and NPR's All Things Considered, and they and their work have been profiled in numerous major news publications, including The New York Times, the Los Angeles TimesThe Washington Post,The Wall Street Journal, and an April 2009 Reader's Digest feature ("The Rumor Detectives") published as part of that magazine's "Your America: Inspiring People and Stories" series.

 

Just for Fun

Explore these hoax websites:

Bonus Challenge:  Test your skills on one of these pages: