17. Ask: “what are your sources” ?

Is the story true ?

• Is the story sensational ? This could make you want to re-tell it.
• Does the story warn of the presence of extreme danger ?
• Does the story tell about dangerous moral misconduct by a member of a minority ?
  • Sensational claims of imminent threat can spread fear and fuel hostility against marginalized groups (e.g., immigrants, minorities).
  • High-impact stories should prompt fact-checking before sharing.
• Are the sources transparent and falsifiable?
  • Are the sources traceable ?
  • Reliable sources include:
    • Most edited news media. Some news media have a political or commercial angle you should be aware of, but they are still better than social media postings.
    • Peer-reviewed research
    • Publicly available records
  • Shady sources: Be cautious if sources are vague, obscure, or unfalsifiable.
• Can you access the original Sources easily ?
• If the story relies on distant, unfamiliar, or hard-to-reach sources (e.g., “a village in another country,” “an unnamed insider”) or a marginallised group that you do not know, verification becomes difficult.
• Lack of direct access increases the risk of misinformation.
• Is the source trustworthy or just hearsay?
• Be skeptical if the story comes from:
  • Actors who have their own agendas, like politicians as a part of a political campaign.
  • “A friend of a friend”
  • If a story you hear from a friend comes from influencers.
  • Unverified rumours
  • Anonymous officials, like an unnamed police officer
  • Influencers. 2/3 of influencers do not fact check before they share stories.
  • Social media posts
  • Traceable, accountable sources are essential.
• Is the story in a form that allows it to be easily falsified or fact-checked? Are the claims presented in a precise form that makes it easy to check if they are false ?
• Does the story suggest a secret elite conspiracy hiding the truth? In that case, you should be aware that it could be a conspiracy theory.
  • Conspiracy theories have no sources, because the alleged elite is claimed to be secret. Be sceptical if a story of a conspiracy have no real sources.
  • Because there are no sources that could be falsified, conspiracy theories can not be falsified.
  • Also, any attempt of reality check can be rejected as a part of the alleged conspiracy.
  • Conspiracy theories are therefore closed belief systems.
  • Since you have to choose if you believe in them, and they warn of a secret elite conspiring to do immoral acts, they are often used as ideology by the hard core extreme right and terrorists.

Does the story tell the truth ?

When politicians highlight cases of misconduct within minority groups, even factually accurate stories can distort reality if they are systematically cherry-picked to fuel prejudice. Ask yourself about the angle of the presentation:

• Is this story being weaponised for political gain or as part of a political campaign ?
• Critical thinking means separating facts from agendas. Always check the broader context before accepting a narrative.
• Is a politician, party, an activist group or influencers aggressively promoting it to attack rivals or sway voters?
• Does its timing align with an election or controversial policy debate?
• Does a politician claim that members of an immigrant group in general are drug dealers or violent criminals ? Is a political campaign promoting stereotypes, the false assumption that all members of a group or category share the same social behaviour ?
• Is It part of a campaign of systematically cherry picking stories of immigrant crime ?
• Are only negative stories about immigrants/minorities being amplified, while similar acts by others are ignored?
• Does the coverage overrepresent rare events as common trends?
• Is it statistically representative or statistically misleading?
• Even if true, does the story imply that the behaviour is widespread when data shows it is an outlier?
• Are broader societal factors (e.g., poverty, discrimination) being erased to blame an entire group?
• What about the stories of all the refugees and immigrants who go to work every morning, to do the hardest jobs for the lowest pay ?

Does this story reveal a real pattern—or is it being used to manipulate perceptions?

Do you stand up and ask critical questions when you hear negative stories about refugees and immigrants in a social setting or online ? Right wing activists are often very active in spreading bigotry or other right wing politics in social settings. Do not become a part of an echo chamber. Say when you disagree.

Your share button is a bioweapon. Do not fire blindly. Think before you share. Stop the outbreak.