Fact-Checking Tips

Below is from my email feed:  

- - - - - - - - -

In Critikid's latest media literacy interview, I asked Peter Adams from the News Literacy Project:

How can we judge the reliability of a website or news outlet?

He answered:

Well, first I think everyone needs to really reflect on the concept of “credibility” and think through what really makes a piece of information or a source of information credible. Is it perfection? Sources that have never made an error of fact? No, of course not – that’s such a high standard that you’d wind up being unable to trust every single information source on the planet. Is it sources that only publish things that feel good and confirm your biases? Sources that cater to and confirm your existing ideas and beliefs about the world? No, of course not.

Okay so what does credibility look like, then? What are its characteristics? Well, two of those characteristics are certainly accuracy and fairness.

Credible sources don’t:

• make things up.
• take people’s words out of context.
• misrepresent photos.
• use loaded language.
• exclude important voices and perspectives.

Credible sources are:

• transparent. Sources you trust should explain exactly how they verified what they’re reporting.
• committed to independence, honesty and the public’s interest. Credible sources strive to ensure that the information they provide is not influenced by the interests of third parties like advertisers or political parties.
• accountable. Accountability demonstrates their commitment to the truth. They acknowledge lapses in standards and ethics, and seek to address them: they correct errors when they happen; they update headlines that miss the mark; they take steps to explain their decisions to the public.

The more of these kinds of things you see from a source, the more credible you should consider it.

In the interview, Peter also walked through how to verify a claim, shared fact-checking websites, and discussed the role of AI in countering misinformation. You can read the full interview here.

Our Brains EASILY Can Deceive Us

 

The Norm In The USA

 

It doesn't have to be this way.
The cure is universal critical/science-based thinking
education.

Civil Servants: The Under-Appreciated Heros Of Government

"Michael Lewis, acclaimed author of The Big Short, Moneyball, and The Fifth Risk joins Lovett to discuss his most recent book, Who is Government? Lewis and his coauthors profile the civil servants whose thankless and unglamorous work prevents mines from collapsing, castaways from drowning, and rare diseases from killing people. He and Jon talk about why it’s so important to break down the 'bureaucrat' stereotype right now, why Lewis is convinced Elon Musk has no idea how to run DOGE, and what leads the people he writes about to stand up to Trump or succumb to their personal ambition."

Click on the link below for an enlightening podcast regarding the truth about the role of government in society:

Bravery in Politics 

Rockefeller: The Source Of The USA's Education Problems?

"The American educational system, a cornerstone of societal development, has undergone numerous transformations over the years. One influential figure in shaping the landscape of education was John D. Rockefeller, a name often associated with wealth and industrial prowess. However, as I delve into the annals of history, a disconcerting truth emerges — one that raises questions about the true motives behind Rockefeller’s educational endeavors."

Click here, and on the link below, for an enlightening view of a basic problem with USA education.

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1412003936836149

If you think that there is no problem with US education after partaking of the above, the link below will help you to understand how sheepish humans are without critical thinking skills:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?mibextid=wwXIfr&v=630867306389189&rdid=ERcLkK6IRiEJmNYq

How To Know Your Media Is Trustworthy

"How can we determine which news sources are trustworthy?

"There's a general rubric I like to follow. Basically, it's a five-step system that the folks at the News Literacy Project came up with.

"First, you have to figure out what other (credible) sources say about the outlet or news source — you need to get off-platform to do this and check out sources like fact-checking websites.

"If the source seems to check out, second, you find out what their editorial standards are. Any credible media organization will have these and they should be easily discoverable somewhere on their website. If they don't have them, that's a red flag.

"Third, find out who funds and creates the content — again, at any legit outlet, this should be transparently stated somewhere on the website. There also shouldn't just be transparency around who funds the whole organization, but around which articles are sponsored and which aren't. If this isn't obvious, that's a problem.

"Fourth, look at how they handle errors. Seeing a "correction" appended to an article, for example, isn't a bad thing — everyone makes mistakes, and it's way more of a red flag when these aren't transparently corrected.

"Fifth, ask yourself about the quality of the coverage in general. For example, is the language inflammatory? Are headlines click-baity? Is the journalism original, or just parroting content from other sources? Is it clear when something is opinion, vs fact-based? And how does the coverage of a particular topic compare to that on other, legitimate sites?

"None of this is a guarantee of trustworthiness, but if a source fails to meet these standards, it's for sure a sign you SHOULDN'T trust that source."

Click on the link below for the rest of the interview:

Examining the Media: an interview with Amanda Ruggeri

The Underlying Problem With MAGA: Childish/Magical Thinking

One major trait of Trumpers/MAGA is childish/magical thinking. Everything is black and white. There is no room for understanding that reality can be much more than good or bad/right or wrong in many serious topics/circumstances. Unsupported certainty can be the enemy of nuance, humility, and understanding

There is a reason why fear works so well on them: they are easily blocked from considering that they may be incorrect in their opinions. The majority probably were raised within a religion and that religion poisoned their brains from challenging the dogma to which they were exposed.

Below is an emblematic of this problem: 

• "I am afraid of the 'other' that I was taught to hate. Those immigrants will harm me and take my job. I must support deporting them as fast as we can, to Hell with due process/the Rule of Law."

Attacking Misinformation With Exposure To It

"Misinformation and logical fallacies lurk in almost every corner of social media, so it can be tempting to shield kids entirely. But new research from UC Berkeley suggests that exposure to misinformation in a supervised environment can help kids become more diligent fact-checkers. Banning social media and other digital platforms might not be the best way to equip children with long-term media literacy.

"I will begin an overview of this study and then offer some suggestions of how educators can use controlled online exposure to strengthen students’ critical thinking and digital literacy skills while minimizing the risk of harm."

Click on the link below for the details of this study:

Turning Misinformation Into Education

Have YOU Taken The "Red Pill?"

 

       (AI Overview)

"Stupid": The Need For Critical Thinking

"Stupidity isn’t just a lack of intelligence—it’s the refusal to think critically, and it’s everywhere. In this video, we dive into The Stupidity Epidemic, exploring why people ignore facts, how social media fuels misinformation, and why Dietrich Bonhoeffer believed stupidity is more dangerous than evil. From blind groupthink to misplaced confidence, we break down how ignorance spreads, why it thrives in positions of power, and what we can do about it. If you've ever wondered why smart people make bad decisions—or why the loudest voices are often the least informed—this video is for you. Let’s talk about it. And if you find this conversation valuable, hit subscribe—it really helps the channel!"

The Stupidity Epidemic: Why Critical Thinking is Dying

^ click to expand ^

^ click to expand ^

Emotional Intellence Education For Children

If you have children, there is NO better time to introduce them to critical thinking than NOW. Below is one example of developing Emotional Intelligence within the context of critical thinking. For more information, here is her web site: https://critikid.com/

https://www.facebook.com/reel/988722160020706

Helping Children Navigate Misinformation

Click here for an article from a great internet source specializing in teaching critical thinking to children.

The New World Order

The USA responded late to non-democratic nations' imperialism in the early 20th century. It made World War I worse. (link)

The USA responded late to non-democratic nations' imperialism in the 1930s. It made World War II worse.

Presently, the USA under President Donald J. Trump is following the same isolationism as above. What can go wrong? Oh, and I am not even addressing the fascist dictatorship that is taking over OUR constitutional representative secular democracy.

The USA And Education: It's Not Great

Click here for a brief video that should embarrass the USA (but won't unless or until anti-science thinking is marginalized.

The Dragon In My Garage

"This is an excerpt from Chapter 10, "The Dragon in My Garage," from Carl Sagan's book, "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark." This excerpt is one of my favorites and a fantastic way to challenge beliefs that seem resistant to being questioned.

Carl Sagan - The Dragon in my garage

Barriers To Public Schools Teaching Critical Thinking

" - - - While teachers do encourage critical thinking, there has never been a way of formally integrating teaching this skill into existing curricula. Apart from a few teachers who do train their students in this art, most teachers do not for one simple reason — there is no time."

There it is. The most important skill that needs to be taught is pushed aside because of time constraints. Click on the link below for the details:

Three Reasons Why Public Schools Don't Teach Critical Thinking

The Key To Political Change: Educating Rural/Working Class Communities In Critical Thinking

"In this episode of the Outrage Overload Podcast, we challenge one of the most dominant narratives of our time: that polarization is the root cause of America’s divisions. But what if it’s not? What if our focus on polarization is actually obscuring deeper, more urgent problems—problems that are solvable?

"Join me as I sit down with Rich Harwood, founder of the Harwood Institute, to explore groundbreaking insights from the Institute’s 2022 report, Civic Virus: Why Polarization Is a Misdiagnosis. Rich shares stories and strategies from his decades of work with communities across the country, offering a fresh perspective on how we can rebuild trust, foster collaboration, and create real change."

Click on the link below for the details:

Fighting Polarization with Local Solutions That Work

The History Of Modern Science

"Modern science is generally considered to have originated in Western Europe between the 15th and 18th centuries. However, there are different views on when exactly it began, including:

• The High Middle Ages: Some say that modern science began in 1277.

• The Italian Renaissance: Others believe that the Italian Renaissance was a rebirth of the sciences.

• The Scientific Revolution: This period is traditionally thought to have begun with the Copernican Revolution in 1543 and ended with Isaac Newton's Principia in 1687.

• The 17th century: Some say that modern science began in the 17th century when the world was examined more closely with instruments like the telescope, microscope, clock, and barometer.

(AI Overview)

- - - - - - - -

  
No matter the EXACT date, it has been within humanity for several centuries and has advanced exponentially since the above. And yet, the majority of humanity has no clue about it.

Conservatives Hate Education

"Last week, West Virginia University (WVU) announced a plan to raze some of its core programs. The public land-grant university intends to eliminate 9 percent of its majors (32 programs total), all of its foreign language programs, and 16 percent of its full-time faculty members (169 in total). The departments targeted for these massive cuts count Truman, Marshall, Fulbright, and Rhodes scholars among their alumni. These cuts were recommended by the consulting firm rpk GROUP, and there’s every reason to believe they’re a trial balloon for doing this elsewhere. Anyone who cares about higher education should be alarmed about what this portends for public universities."

 

Click on the link below for more information reflecting on another target by the anti-education/anti-critical thinking conservative/Republicans/MAGAs:

The Evisceration of a Public University

Herd Mentality: Humanity's Achilles Heel

Herd Mentality: a psychological phenomenon that describes the tendency of people to conform to the beliefs or behaviors of a group they are part of. It can be seen in many aspects of life. (AI Overview)