A well-known journalism motto is, “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.” In other words, don’t assume anything about anybody.

This isn’t bragging (I don’t think), but we work hard to keep fake news out of our newspapers or expose it when we find it.

I like to think that has gained the community’s confidence in what we publish.

Due to that confidence and our diligence in posting breaking news every day, our web site visitors grew from 8,514 in Jan. last year to 24,020 in Jan. this year.

THOSE WHO COOK up fake news do it maliciously to gain unfair advantages and ruin reputations in politics and business.

Not surprisingly, many people, not all of them journalists, are fighting back.

For example, among fake news fighters is actress Angelina Jolie’s BBC program to teach children to spot fraud and fiction.

Not all of the misinformation online is complete fiction, though some is, say Eugene Kiely and Lori Robertson of FactCheck. org . Many viral claims aren’t “news” but fiction, satire and efforts to fool you.

How do you spot a fake?

1. CHECK SOURCES. A made-up What-DoesItMean.com claim was the Obamas were buying a vacation home in Dubai.

2. CHECK FACTS. Snopes.com maintains a list of known fake news websites.

3. CHECK BYLINES. A story on abcnews. com was supposedly written by “Jimmy Rustling” who claims he won 14 Peabody awards and Pulitzer Prizes.

Not true. No one with that name has won a Pulitzer or Peabody award.

4. CHECK SUPPORT. Much fake news cites official-sounding sources. When you look into it, the source doesn’t back up the claim. The Boston Tribune site wrongly claimed

The Boston Tribune site wrongly claimed President Obama’s mother-in-law would get a lifetime pension for baby sitting her grandchildren in the White House. A government website doesn’t support the claim.

Another viral claim was a graphic purporting to show crime statistics on the percentage of whites killed by blacks. Almost every statistic was inaccurate, the FBI said.

A fake news story on Nevada County Scooper claimed Vice President Mike Pence, in a “surprise announcement,” credited gay conversion therapy for saving his marriage.

A legitimate “surprise announcement” would have gained wide media attention.

5. CHECK DATES Some false stories aren’t completely fake, but rather distortions of real events. These claims can take a legitimate news story and twist what it says. Nobody fact-checks anything anymore.”

6. CHECK BIASES. Confirmation bias leads people to believe what they want,

Try this simple test: What other stories have been posted to the “news” website that is the source of the story that just popped up in your Facebook feed?

If you see a claim you’d like investigated, email editor@factcheck.org.

I’LL MAKE YOU an offer hard to refuse. If you spot anything inaccurate in the Chronicle, please call me at 359-7633.

We aim to be not only accurate but fair.

We make our share of unintentional mistakes and we correct them prominently when readers find them for us.

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