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Fact-checking the Internet: Editor's Notes #361
March 23, 2022
Hello,

Never act upon wishful thinking.
Act without checking the facts, and chances are that you will be swept away along with the mob.

— Jim Rogers


In this issue:

1. Fact checking the Internet
2. Tickled my funny bone
3. Interesting Web site
4. Writing prompt

1.Fact checking the Internet
Most of us use the Internet for research, and most of us have a rudimentary idea of how to fact-check what we find. We need to check mundane things like the weather, facts to use in our writing (both fiction and non-fiction), and competing "facts" in public discourse.

First-hand information is an excellent resource, but even newsrooms use the Internet to search out facts as background or when getting to the site of a story is difficult or impossible.

Journalists know how to evaluate facts. Reputable newsrooms and publishers hire fact-checkers to ensure that what they publish is accurate.

As someone who aspires to put words in the hands of others, knowing how to fact-check what you find on the Internet is vital. The good news is that the Poynter Institute has a free online course on just how to do that. The instructors are all well-known journalists who share their insider tips. I took this course several years ago, and I use what I learned regularly. I especially appreciated the information on how to tell whether a photo is what it is purported to be. I use that knowlege often when checking social media posts before I share them.

The link below in Interesting Web site is for the senior’s course on fact-checking the Internet. I took that course because I knew it would be in language a technical neophyte could understand. If you would rather take one of the other versions, you can find the others linked on the site.

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2.Tickled my funny bone
Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter

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3. Interesting Web site
Click to learn how to do your own online fact-checking.
https://www.poynter.org/mediawise-for-seniors/

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4. Writing prompt
Beliefs based on misinformation are the basis of both comedy and tragedy. Write a short piece in which misinformation leads to laughing or weeping.

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