How to find reliable information

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts ."

Verifiable and accurate information is vital for informed conversations, serves as the foundation for evidence-based policymaking, reduces the influence of harmful myths, and ensures the protection of fundamental human rights and community cohesion. A lack thereof is a precondition for hostility, fosters negative attitudes, and leads to an environment of mistrust between citizens and authorities, and even toward the rule of law. 

In a domain where misinformation is pervasive, accurate information is needed to prevent the polarisation of public opinion, counter scapegoating, and ensure that conversations reflect and respect the complex reality of human mobility. Only once that foundation is set can we progress with our aims and objectives as a partnership. 

Use the toggle below to work through techniques, definitions and principles that we use to find and define reliable information.

We endorse two specific codes of conduct developed focused on ethical reporting and fact-finding on migration, which inform our own work and reflect what we prioritise when researching: 

Italy’s Charter of Rome 

  • Adopt appropriate terminology which reflects national and international law so as to provide readers and viewers with the greatest adherence to the truth as regards all events which are the subject of media coverage, avoiding the use of inappropriate terms 
  • Avoid spreading inaccurate, simplified or distorted information as regards asylum seekers, refugees, victims of trafficking and migrants 
  • Safeguard those asylum seekers, refugees, victims of trafficking and migrants who choose to speak with the media by adopting solutions as regards their identity and image so as to ensure that they are not identifiable 
  • Whenever possible, consult experts and organisations with a specific expertise on the subject so as to provide the public with information which is clear, comprehensive and also analyses the underlying roots of phenomena 

Ethical Journalism Network’s Guidelines for Migration Reporting 

  • Facts not bias 
  • Challenge Hate 
  • Know the law 
  • Show humanity
  • Speak for all
  • Are we accurate and have we been impartial, inclusive and fact-based in our reporting?
  • Are we acting independently from narratives that stem from politics and emotion rather than facts?
  • Are we fairly and transparently reporting the impact of migration on communities? 
  • Do we understand and use migrant definitions correctly and do we articulate to our audience the rights migrants are due under international, regional and national law? 
  • Do we have migrant voices? Are we listening to the communities they are passing through or joining?
  • Have we taken the time to judge whether inflammatory content can lead to hatred? 

Many in Scotland do not regularly interact meaningfully with migrants. Given this, the media, particularly social media, plays an outsized role in shaping the ideas many hold about migrants and their presumed identities. 

Longitudinal research by Reuters focusing on consumption habits paints a clear picture: social media is a key source of news and is set to outpace traditional media like print or digital journalism. In response, media outlets, politicians and citizens have adjusted with breaking news and political debates as the centre-piece on platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Although social media platforms allow organisations like ours and individuals like our lived experience group to speak directly to potentially billions, it is also home to misinformation and disinformation, with genuine human interaction increasingly cornered by AI slop, evidencing the “dead internet theory”. Lacking the traditional, albeit eroding, checks and balances that legitimise newspapers, stories that are not factual can become truth; for a local example, we use in our training material, read the Press & Journal’s 2025 article investigating false claims that people seeking asylum were being transported to accommodation in Boddam, Aberdeenshire. 

Though often used interchangeably, mis- and disinformation are distinct. 

Misinformation is false or inaccurate information shared by people who believe it to be true. Someone might pass on a misleading headline, a misunderstood statistic, or a rumour from a friend without realising it is wrong. As UNICEF explains, the harm here often comes from honest mistakes, as opposed to pure malice. People may spread misinformation because it confirms what they already think, or because it sparks an emotion they want to share. 

Disinformation, by contrast, is deliberately created to deceive. It is fabricated to manipulate public opinion, discredit opponents, create chaos, or serve a political or commercial agenda. Research from the European Commission suggests that populist movements often use disinformation to frame migration as a crisis, employing language like “invasion” or “replacement” to provoke fear. The European Parliament identifies common tactics: emotionally charged content designed to bypass critical thinking, flooding public spaces with contradictory stories to create confusion, and manipulating context, for example, using real images or quotes in misleading ways. 

Understanding the difference between the two and the origin matters: one is a symptom of a polluted information environment; the other is the source of the pollution. Both thrive on the same vulnerabilities. As UNICEF notes, we are more likely to trust information that confirms our existing beliefs (confirmation bias).  

When a post, article, or message lands in front of you, whether on social media, in print, or forwarded by someone you know, you need practical steps to assess it. Our guidance provides a starting point.

Check the Source

Start with what is in front of you. Knowing who posted something also allows you to assess their reputation and associations and determine whether they are trustworthy or have any conflicts of interest.

  • Who created this? Look for a byline, an organisation name, or the account that shared it. 
  • Have you heard of this outlet before? If not, visit their “About” page. Do they explain who they are and what they stand for? 
  • Does the web address look right? Disinformation sites often mimic real ones by using slight variations, like “.co” instead of “.com” and cite sources like “The Gaurdian” instead of “The Guardian”.
  • If the source is an individual, what are their credentials? Do they have relevant expertise, or are they just someone with an opinion

Look for Corroboration

Individual sources can be compelling and based in truth; however, strength in numbers is preferred. See if others are reporting the same thing.  UNICEF‘s experts advise that if multiple reliable sources carry the same story, it is more likely to be true. If only one source reports it, especially an unknown one, you should be sceptical and wait to see if others pick up the story. 

Lean on verified fact-finding resources like Full Fact and BBC Verify, should you not be confident in your own skills. 

Check the Context

Misinformation often rips things out of their original setting. 

  • Is the image or video current? Use reverse image search (Google Images or TinEye) to find out when it first appeared online. 
  • Is the quote complete? Search for key phrases to find the original interview or document. context matters: a statistic may come from a study that reaches a different conclusion, or a quote may be partial. 
  • Does the headline match the article? Sensational headlines often bear little relation to the actual story, and that by extension, relying solely on the headline and/or skimming stories helps misinformation grow. 

Trace the Claim to Its Origin

CILIP recommends thinking like a detective. Do not just accept information as it appears. Ask: 

  • Where did this claim first come from? 
  • Who benefits if I believe it? 
  • Is this based on evidence, or is it just repeated often enough to feel true? 

When in Doubt, Consult Experts

Professional fact-checkers and journalists exist for a reason. If you have doubts about the validity of anything you have read regarding No Recourse to Public Funds, you can contact us; we can try our best to provide clarity where possible. 

The inclusion of lived-experience voices in media and reporting is crucial for providing accurate, nuanced, and empathetic coverage of topics deemed complex or taboo, and for helping readers engage with their peers in ways that technocratic second-hand accounts and analysis cannot. By prioritising these accounts and individuals, those involved in the discussion around migration can better challenge stigma, counter stereotypes, and ensure that messaging and reporting are rooted in the actual needs and experiences of affected communities rather than assumptions formed in office spaces and chambers. 

As a partnership, we provide a dedicated space for this. For more information, please visit our Lived Experience Group’s page.

We publish a monthly bulletin filled with short and long articles, podcasts and videos that we deem relevant to our work. We share these with our mailing list, on our social media channels and on our news page. 

Should you come across mis and disinformation, especially locally in the North East we would encourage you to share it with us. Beyond that there are several organisations dedicated to reporting to this end; a list of many is below.

You can also contact the police. The Home Office Library’s recent guidance on misinformation makes this clear:

“The Online Safety Act 2023 established a new offence of sending information known to be false with the intent of causing ‘non-trivial psychological or physical harm to a likely audience’ without a reasonable excuse.

Misinformation would count as illegal content if it amounts to an offence where “the victim or intended victim is an individual (or individuals)”. The act also requires category 1 services (social media platforms with large numbers of UK users) to remove content, including misinformation, that violates their own terms of service.”

Safety Exit