Chapter 4: Fact Checking & Misinformation
4.1 Why evaluate information?
Vast amounts of new information are being created every minute and it can be overwhelming to make sense of it all. How do you know you’ve found the best information for your needs? You evaluate it! In this chapter, we’ll discuss how you can more effectively evaluate and fact-check all kinds of information, from news stories to academic articles.
Evaluating information is something you do every day, whether you know it or not. You evaluate information when you determine what to write down in your notes, debate issues with friends, and use reviews to decide which book to read — all this before you even start gathering information for a research project. Below are some reasons why you should make thoughtful evaluation a part of your research process.
As Bergstrom & West (2017) state,
“Bullshit involves language, statistical figures, data graphics, and other forms of presentation intended to persuade by impressing and overwhelming a reader or listener, with a blatant disregard for truth and logical coherence.” [1]
There are many reasons why a piece of information might be inaccurate. Any time information is shared, there is a possibility for it to be misunderstood or misinterpreted. This is not always done to mislead. Sometimes, we just get things wrong the first time around.
It could be that our understanding of an issue has changed over time, so the sources we use need to reflect that. For example, the way we categorize planets has changed, so we now classify Pluto as a dwarf planet. In other cases, information is no longer accurate because advances in research and technology have changed what is possible. For example, as technology for batteries has improved, the production of electric cars has increased beyond what was even possible thirty years ago.
Information may also be inaccurate because of how it is presented, like when someone tries to represent every side of an issue equally, but ends up lending undue importance to a perspective that is not well-supported by research. For example, a journalist may write a story about the positive environmental impact of using native plants in home landscaping projects, and cite various studies to back up that claim. However, if the author dedicates equal space in the article to commentary from people who prefer the appearance of grass lawns, this could give the impression that both views hold equal weight, despite one of the views not being supported by research.
Finding an author’s bias is crucial when evaluating information because it helps readers understand the perspective from which the information is presented. Every author has a unique background, experiences, and beliefs that shape their views and influence how they present information. By identifying an author’s bias, readers can better assess the objectivity and reliability of the information, allowing them to consider alternative viewpoints and make more informed judgments