“Do your research.” Followed closely by its slightly more
aggressive cousin, “Educate yourself.” I’m opposed to neither education nor
research; it’s just that those comments have nothing to do with either.
My first issue with this comment is that in its current use,
no one actually means it. When a commenter throws out “Do your research” they
have no interest in anyone becoming more educated, well-rounded, or thoughtful.
No, this phrase has become a placeholder for something along the lines of, “until
you reach the same conclusion I have, you’re an idiot.”
The second issue is that few people seem to understand what
constitutes research. In the fourth grade I was introduced to the maddening
tedium of 3x5 index cards. And while my ten-year-old self saw it as an exercise
akin to memorizing times tables (only less satisfying), I find myself drawing
on those principles daily. The index cards may have been the vehicle, but the
lessons were around the distinctions between popular press and journals worthy
of citation, differences in treatment of primary and secondary sources, and corroboration
of information. All of this involved copious time at the library.
Now that information is everywhere, and multiplying faster
than a Duggar, I call upon those lessons every day. Here I’ve taken what I
remember from my elementary school days, updated it for the current world, and
added some personal recommendations.
Check Multiple Sources. In the history of journalism, there
has never been a true story that was only covered by one outlet. Verifiable
stories are covered from multiple angles. Seek them out. Bonus points if you
consider sources with wildly different perspectives on the same set of facts.
Look at the URL. This one is so simple that most of us never
do it. Too often the difference between a reputable business and an absolute scam is a couple of letters in the internet address. Make sure you’re looking
at reputable sites.
Review their Standards. It’s pretty easy to find ethics and standards for print media. It can be more challenging to find these for other channels, but
it’s still worth a little googling to discover what rulebook a source is using.
Criticize the Data. I know just enough about statistics to
get myself into trouble. One of the red flags I notice in spurious articles is
the habit of looking at a handful of data points and drawing wide conclusions.
While there are countless nuances that go into significance, I will simply say
that a significant finding should be based on more data points than you have
Facebook friends. Extra credit if it’s been peer reviewed.
Look for Press Releases. When organizations have official
opinions, they publicize them. If the Pope had actually endorsed a presidential
candidate, it would have appeared on the official Vatican site. Exercise
extreme caution with second-hand information. Want to know what a
business/religion/politician is proposing? Look for it on their owned media
(corporate site, Facebook page, Twitter account, etc.). Look to secondary
sources for the analysis.
Check the Facts. In the current environment, fact checking
could keep a small army in full time employment. Here are some good fact-checking sites to start with. Keep in mind, good sites will offer links to
primary sources, allowing you to review and make up your own mind.
There is much debate around what skills should be included
in public education; there are particularly compelling arguments for the
inclusion of financial management and coding skills. But if this election has taught
us anything, it has demonstrated the dismal gap between information and
knowledge. The only way to bridge that gap is by teaching everyone that not
everything with a URL carries equal weight.
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