🌵 TREE 105: Check Snopes first

One of the best ways to stay in touch with reality is to know when you’re reading fiction.

Use an independent factchecking website.

Ask some questions.

Does the news source have a clear separation of its news and opinion departments? Those that do tend to care about the accuracy of their reporting.

Does the author cite primary sources and tell you what those sources are? Authors who hide their sources or draw conclusions based on hearsay are more likely to be pushing a point of view than telling the truth.

Is the author telling you what is going on and giving analysis or are they telling you what to think about what is going on?

What is the author’s reputation for integrity and accuracy? e.g. a maverick doctor like Barry Marshall (TREE 96) is a completely different bowl of soup than a doctor who has lost their licence to practice medicine and set up a clinic somewhere outside the reach of credible governing bodies.

Does the author employ the phrase ‘truth bomb’? If yes, look into the accuracy of their explosion. Just because someone is ‘speaking their truth’, it doesn’t mean they have a handle on the facts.

There are more words and pictures and video than ever before, which means there are more lies than ever before. It also means it’s easier than ever before to check if someone is lying. So check.

What tools do you use to see if someone is telling the truth or trying to pull a fast one? Let the FOREST know in the comments.

Grow in truth.
Jeff

The Memory of TREE playlist: every song from every past email: