Reading News Online

NARRATOR: Knowing
what's going on in the world

is awesome.

But reading the news online
can be tricky.

What you see can be
distracting, confusing,

or even completely false.

So, if you're reading
a news article online,

it's important
to know your way around.

The U.R.L. is
a one-of-a-kind address

for every web page.

Always double-check

to make sure you're actually
on the page you're looking for.

Headlines tell us
what the story is all about,

but sometimes
they can exaggerate

or say something different
from the article

to get you to click on them.

Most news sites
have different sections

to tell you what type of article
you are reading.

If you want the facts,

just be sure you're not
on an opinion article.

The byline is
the writer's name,

and the date is
when it was published.

No byline, no date?

The article might not be
trustworthy.

Images or videos help
introduce the story

and show details
that words can't,

but pictures that seem
too crazy to be true

or ads before a video

could be misleading.

Related articles can be useful,

but keep an eye out for pieces
that don't report just the news.

Sponsored content is links
to things on other websites.

But watch out for clickbait.

Don't let shocking headlines
or wild images

trick you into clicking.

Advertisements link
to other websites

that are usually
selling something,

but some ads are disguised
to look like news.

The comments section

has thoughts and opinions
from readers,

but remember that anyone can
post just about anything there,

even if it's mean
or completely untrue.

It's a lot to keep in mind,

but if you know what to look for
and what to look out for,

you'll be the first
to get the story.