What can we do about "Fake News"?
At our fingertips, we have access to a world of information. We can type in a question and a list of resources appear with potential answers that relate. It's easy and it's interesting. There are research centers, fact checkers, analysis sources, government information sites, and endless amounts of information both reliable and not so reliable. You can even find out what sources are deemed the most reliable.
If you care about truth, take the time to explore. It's easy to get snookered by catchy memes and commentators with an agenda.
Here are some sites that I often go to when trying to understand greater context.
https://www.pewresearch.org/ - This site is rich with facts. Recently I saw a meme that suggested Muslim immigrants were preparing to take over the US. I went here to see how many Muslims now live in the US (1% of our population) and the projected number of Muslims in 2050 (6% of our population).
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https://www.snopes.com/ - This site has been around a long time and is a great resource for checking all kinds of things - political and non-political rumors.
https://www.factcheck.org/ - This site is primarily focused on political accuracy. They also provide links to their source data so you can check for yourself. These links provide further resources for you to check relating to a wide array of topics.
https://www.politifact.com/ - Another site for checking political information and links to source data.
The better informed we are, the better our decision making. Before picking up the mantel and crying "fake news," check it out. Truth is not fake. You might wish it wasn't in the news but then it's just news you wish wasn't being talked about.
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