Fact Check


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If you really want to know the truth, seek evidence for the opposite of what you want to believe.

People tend to seek evidence that confirms what they want to believe, and to ignore all else. That is one of several reasoning mistakes that people often make. In this era of fake news, it is especially important to check multiple sources, in order to verify that you haven't been misguided by a hoax. That includes checking evidence of things that are opposite to what you want to believe.

There is a tendency for politicians to each present only facts that are favorable to them, ignoring all else. However, half-truths aren't limited to politics. When wars or other disputes arise between nations, often the news media of each nation presents their own nation favorably compared to the other. This occurs even when it's not forced by censorship, as both the public and the reporters tend to "rally around the flag" in times of trouble.

In the past, people of each nation only had access to news within their own nation, via newspapers, radio, and TV. But now there is Internet, and it's possible for any person to seen news from anywhere. It becomes very much easier to see the regional and national biases, for anyone who cares to check.

One might wonder how war attrocities can occur, such as occurred in the genocide perpetrated by Nazis in World War 2, and in other armed conflicts that continue to arise in the world. Leaders in these situations know that if they control what people in their nation believe, they can control them. They get them to fight their wars for them, to suffer and cause suffering they wouldn't normally agree to. So it's critical to building peace in the world for each citizen to ferret out the full truth!

Leaders sometimes make bold but unsubtantiated claims. A dramataic example is that of Mr. Donald Trump, former President of the United States, who couldn't face reality about his election loss. Subsequent to his loss, on January 6, 2021, a mob of angry supporters broke into Congress as they were about to certify the election results. Congressmen had to flee into a safe area, and 5 people died from injuries sustained in the riot. To his party supporters, Mr. Trump was a trusted leader, and though there were many checks of the election results, and court cases dismissing allegations of fraud, they believed what they wanted to believe.

What this demonstrates is the great importance of being able to differentiate between false assertions and true ones. In the modern world, it is very easy to create web sites that look like valid news, showcasing experts who present half-truths or even totally fake evidence. There is a tendency for people to accept what they are first exposed to. We think it's a modern phenomenon, but a quick check of Fake news on Wikipedia shows it is not new. Before there was Internet, there was fake news distributed in newspapers and other ways, often with equally harmful results.

The desire for knowledge, founded on curiosity, is a significant difference between human beings and simpler animals, but nevertheless humans were evolved from simpler animals and still retain some of their traits. We did not begin with minds designed for information gathering and validation, but rather for satisfaction of motives related more directly to survival. To get correct information takes an effort, and it doesn't necessarily come naturally. Intuitions are sometimes correct but not always. They need to be validated.

Toward that end, here are some web sites offering guidance on how to differentiate between fake news and reliable information. My recommendation above, to check multiple sources (and to include those that might disagree with your current opinion) is perhaps the most important step to take, but there are others tips too. Check out:

Arthur de Leyssac, 2021 (revised 2023).

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