I was talking wit ha friend the other day, and the conversation went towards the subject of fact checking, and how so few people seem to bother with it. Maybe it's my being a bit too sceptical, but I tend to take the "pics or it didn't happen" view on a lot of the crap that gets posted online. This is to say, if it seems to be a bit shaky, filled with hyperbole, or belongs in the "tinfoil hat" section of a bookstore, I tend to disbelieve until I check the facts.
The process usually only takes a few minutes, and can prevent a lot of anxiety over a "news report" that makes an event seem like it is a horrific tragedy. For example, recently the Military reiterated it's policy regarding the use of rank for personal benefit as it applies to religious proseletyzation. They simply said that it would not be tolerated, as it was a clear conflict of interest. Many people who did not read the memo reacted to the statement as if the government was saying that they could not practice their religion while in the military, a position counter to what was actually said. These people got upset because they did not bother getting their facts, and believed someone who did not necessarily want to protray the statement in a fair light, since they were likely the very people encouraging the violations in the forst place.
Another example is as simple as the many e-mail scams out there, people get suckered by slick e-mails making promises that sound great, until you look into whomever is sending them, or whether or not the offer is even legal.
OR, to wrap it up in a nutshell, the best weapon we have against political manipulation and scams us to always check the facts behind the claims.
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