EIGHT WAYS TO SPOT MISINFORMATION
Source suspicion: Vague, untraceable sources, such as ‘a doctor friend of a friend’ or ‘scientists say’ without further details, should ring alarm bells.
Bad language: Most trustworthy sources are regular communicators, so poor spelling, grammar or punctuation are grounds for suspicion.
Emotional contagion: If something makes you angry or overjoyed, be on your guard. Miscreants know that messages that trigger strong emotions get shared the most.
News gold or fool’s gold? Genuine scoops are rare. If information is reported by only one source, beware — especially if it suggests that something is being hidden from you.
False accounting: Use of fake social-media accounts, such as @BBCNewsTonight, is a classic trick. Look out for misleading images and bogus web addresses, too.
Oversharing: If someone urges you to share their sensational news, they might just want a share of the resulting advertising revenue.
Follow the money: Think about who stands to gain from you believing extraordinary claims.
Fact-check check: Go past the headlines and read a story to the end. If it sounds dubious, search fact-checking websites to see whether it has already been debunked.
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11 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.They are a politician, and their lips are moving.
They are an evangelist and their lips are moving.
They dress themselves up will all kinds of trinkets and over-the-top crazy shit.
Archeus_Lore
Level 7
July 21, 2020
0
That’s a pretty good list, though I don’t agree with it all. I DO see a huge factor being people trying to “think” with their emotions, so wanting to believe whatever makes them feel good. Most advertising tries to manipulate this weakness, and I see many, very intelligent people using their brains to rationalize essentially emotionally satisfying positions.
As an occasional journalist, however, I see information as a commodity. As with all commodities, I believe in “caveat emptor,” — “buyer beware.” The best protections against bad info include wide life experience, a good working knowledge of the world around us, and a healthy skepticism.
The-Krzyz
Level 8
July 20, 2020
1
We need an entire series of courses that teach this sort of critical thinking in way that can be practically applied.
MakeItGood
Level 7
July 20, 2020
0
I agree with this mostly. Sometimes individuals who say fuck are more honest and less censored and sometimes not. There is a difference between news and individuals communicating their own views and emotions for sure. Word of mouth can lead us down some kind of trail, but we never know if we will find what we thought we would. If I say that I heard, it isnt to say it is true but something we are wondering. Not every event is in the news. People lie and people get confused and people generally speak from their own limited perspective. I would say even with reputable sources, there is always more information and other sides that can be shown
thinkwithme
Level 7
July 20, 2020
0
A related problem is the blind sharing of links and news stories that some one sees the headline and think i like that shares it to all his friends without reading it or looking where the info comes from.A couple of years ago i got a lot of stuff about treating pensioners better and more along the same lines things that i would broadly agree wuth. That is untill you look at the source. Often right wing groups anti imigration and racsist. I did challenge someone and asked why he agreed with these morons he claimed he didnt why post there stuff then he blocked me because i was being confrontational
raymetcalfe
Level 6
July 20, 2020
0
@jorj I confronted him for supporting right wing racist nutters. I blocked him because he was unable or unwilling to see the kind of groups he was promoting.
The Venn diagram of people who need this information and people who won't use it is a circle. We live in a post-fact, post-truth world, and there really isn't a way to go back.
ChestRockfield
Level 8
July 20, 2020
0
From my observation, some people are not concerned about validity. They accept whatever because that is what they want to believe. They are not inclined to use any particular guidelines to evaluated their news. On the rare occasion that I have directed people to a fact-checking resource, they have declared that the fact-checking resource is fake or working for whoever it is that they disagree with. We have a serious problem with critical thinking and trust in the US.
itsmedammit
Level 8
July 20, 2020
0
I think we have a problem with critical thinking in the west as a whole.
@raymetcalfe Certainly not limited to the West either.
@itsmedammit True, its world wide problem. There are people who say they don't listen to the news as its always negative or lies then will go into a long rant about some crackpot conspiracy theory
I am surprised and disappointed at some folks on this website who seem very 'cavalier' about choice(s) of sources.
I encourage everyone to call-out these lapses in Critical Thinking.
FearlessFly
Level 9
July 20, 2020
0
Also, it came from CNN, Fox, the young turks, msnbc, or similar govt and govt sympathizer outlets.
SCal
Level 7
July 20, 2020
0
not necessarily it may be slanted but its not fake Sinclair group and fox are outright lies
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