Ms. Information

And when the final curtain finally comes down
We'll all be in the party room, no wiser as to how
The total human race became a basket case
It's nothing to lose face about
It's really not our place to doubt it

~~ "Paper Gods" by Duran Duran

When I was at the store yesterday, I got a text from someone. The group thread was about a happy family event, and out of nowhere, one of the people in the thread texted:

Gov Abbott in Texas has declared martial law. Alex Jones show is a wealth of info. 

Sigh. 

I did a quick Google search on my handheld computational device and it took about 20 seconds to find that no such thing had happened. I didn't respond at the time and went about my shopping, but there was no way I was going to let that pass. 

When I got home, I texted back:

Sure is. FALSE info. Not martial law. State of emergency. Two different things.

To give the person credit, they texted me privately and thanked me. They also asked if there was a site that explained the difference and wondered if all states were the same. I said to just Google it because there is plenty of info out there about the differences. I said I don't know about whether states have different policies, but I suspect they are all pretty similar. I said that a national state of emergency is also different. 

I find it dismaying that A) people are still believing anything that asshole says and B) anyone is sharing false information without fact-checking it first. I am not a journalist by any means but I do my best to share only accurate information, not lies or conspiracy theories. I think it is our responsibility as citizens and human beings to be truthful and honest in what we share online. I just have no patience for obvious misinformation and couldn't NOT push back against this. 

So it was with great interest that I read an article this morning about fact-checking things that we share online. The method used by a Washington State University "digital literacy expert" (something we should all strive to do even if we don't get a title for it) named Mike Caulfield. He uses the acronym SIFT to guide people to being responsible with content on the Internet. 

1. Stop (before sharing).
2. Investigate (the source). 
3. Find (better coverage). 
4. Trace (quotes and media references to the original source and context). 

I found it to be a great reference and was happy to realize that I already do this for stories that I find dubious. My first instinct when I see a post that makes me skeptical is to do a quick search to find other sources before sharing. When I saw the text that flaming loony and generally abhorrent Alex Jones said that Texas had declared martial law, I was like, "Nope," and a search showed absolutely nothing to indicate that such a claim had any validity. (I also recommend the extension NewsGuard, which vets websites for their transparency and truthfulness.)

Listen, there is already a ton of misinformation out there. And I get that people are worried about this outbreak. I have my own anxieties about it, okay? But that is no excuse for adding to the hysteria and sharing false information. As far as I'm concerned, that is valid for everything we share on the Internet, but when people are worried about how they are going to pay their rent if they get laid off, or if they are going to be able to feed their kids, or if a loved one is even going to survive, it is the height of irresponsibility to peddle false information. So fuck you, Alex Jones. You are a nasty human being and the vast majority of the world will not shed one precious tear if you succumb to the Corona (h/t to Shane for "the Corona"!). 

Think before you share. Check before you share. Be responsible. Don't be a jerk. Be like a bench chemist and look at the reactions to reach the solution. 

And play the fuckin' bass, John!