The 'Sift' strategy: A four-step method for spotting misinformation (BBC)
Posted by flash on May 20, 2024, 1:23 pm
Sound advice from the BBC:
"...researchers have found there are several simple, concrete strategies that we all can (and should) use, especially before we're tempted to share or repeat a claim, to verify its accuracy first"
Maybe they could try it next time they're about to unquestioningly report an Israeli claim.
Step 1: is it from the BBC? If yes, it's probably a lie.
or from the article:
Who created this post? Get off-platform and do a web search. And because search results can be misleading, make sure you're looking at a reputable website. One that fact-checkers often use as a first port of call might surprise you: Wikipedia.
and then...
If, from the previous step, you find that you still have questions about the source's credibility, now's the time to dig a little further. What you're looking for is whether a more trustworthy source, like a reputable news outlet or fact-checking service, has reported and verified the same claim.
No surprise, but I find Google has some of the best tools for doing this. Obviously, there's Google itself, and if you're specifically looking to see if news outlets have covered something, Google News.
Jesus wept. Save some word count and just tell them to phone the Pentagon or Whitehall. Clowns....no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.
Re: The 'Sift' strategy: A four-step method for spotting misinformation (BBC)
'it can be difficult to know who to trust' 'make sure you're looking at a reputable website' 'are they reputable and respected' 'Would you still trust this creator's expertise in this subject if they were saying something you disagreed with?' 'the source's credibility' 'a more trustworthy source' 'a reputable news outlet or fact-checking service' 'make sure your results are reputable' 'credible sources' 'reported on by a credible media outlet'
Translated: you must only trust and believe in corporate media outlets, no matter how many times they've undermined their own trustworthiness and smashed their 'credibility' into thousands of tiny pieces. This whole article is an appeal to authority and an attempt to bolster the farcical idea that there is such a thing as a 'reputable news outlet' in a media landscape dominated by moneyed interests and the governments & intelligence services that do their bidding. A cult encouraging critical examination of the irrational behaviour of others outside of the cult.