– Editorial – - Do homework before trusting outrageous claims

By Editorial Board

Did you read something today, that made your blood boil? Did it make you think, “How dare they?!” Or, “This time, they have gone too far!”

Did it make you so mad, that you just had to share it to everyone you know, and post it to your Facebook page and on every other social media feed you are on? Did you email it to your children and the people with whom you routinely share jokes with?

If you did, it means that the computer algorithms which control what you view and manipulate who you interact with on social media platforms, are doing their job. This will come as a great relief to the groups (both foreign and domestic) who are working behind the scenes, to create the click-bait headlines and outrage inducing memes. They want you to get angry, and to share it and get other people angry. That’s how these things work. The algorithms track your internet searches, along with who and what you have interacted with the most, and feed you more of the same. The social media companies profit from this, by giving you highly specific advertising and messaging.

Legitimately, there are things that people should get angry about – discrimination, needless suffering, senseless death and real threats, foreign and domestic. The challenge rests in drawing the line between what is true and what is an exaggeration (or even an outright falsehood).

For example, starting around 2021, a false rumor alleged that schools were providing litter boxes bathrooms for students who “identify as cats.” The specific schools varied with the teller and the version that was shared, with tellers having heard it from someone, who heard it from someone connected to the school in question.

This is, and continues to be, nonsense and has been debunked by multiple credible news sources, as false. While Medford High School may have a litter box, it is only for the cat that lives in the school barn.

Likewise, are the scare tactics claims about what the new revisions to the anti-discrimination Title IX law will or won’t mandate. Changes to the law went into effect Aug. 1, and prohibit discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity and, sex characteristics in schools that receive federal funding.

Since young people, who are dealing with gender identity issues, are among the most at risk for self harm and suicide, giving them additional protections against discrimination makes sense. As with most things, it will come down to experience and common sense for teachers, administrators and school officials, on achieving practical solutions for all students and families.

In 1979, science author and speaker Carl Sagan wrote, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” This has become known as the Sagan standard and is as applicable today, as it was when he first wrote it.

It is up to each of us to take that standard and apply it to what we hear, read and see, before we become part of the problem, by repeating inflammatory falsehoods as gospel truth.

In the coming months and weeks leading up to the presidential election, things are only going to get worse, when it comes to social media messaging, and the proliferation of outright lies and exaggerated half-truths.

Those navigating the social media minefield of misinformation must pause before making an angry reply, or copying and pasting the information to share their outrage. They must pause and do their homework, and be their own fact checker.

Check out the information on multiple reputable news sources. Websites like PolitiFact. com, Snopes.com orfactcheck.org, have built strong reputations on their unbiased fact checking.

On a more local level, go to the source. Talk to your school principals, district administrators and school board members, and ask them what is going on and if there is reason to be concerned. Have the conversation, rather than being part of a demonstration.

Social media applications can be great tools for keeping in contact with former classmates, distant family members, or those who share similar hobbies and interests. As with any tool, it has the power to bring harm if not used wisely.

Do your homework, before you jump on the outrage bandwagon.

Members of the Courier Sentinel editorial board include publisher Carol O’Leary, general manager Kris O’Leary and Star News editor Brian Wilson.