01
Who is speaking?
Before weighing a claim, look at who is holding it.
Why it's a trap
On a screen, everything looks alike: a rumour launched by an account created last week displays with the same font, the same colours and the same seriousness as a verified investigation. That's the great illusion of digital life: the packaging no longer tells you anything about the sender.
So the first reflex fits in one simple question: who is telling me this? Not “who forwarded it to me”: your uncle is only the postman. Who wrote it, at the start? An identifiable person? A newsroom that signs its work and corrects its mistakes? Or nobody, precisely?
The moves
- Look for a name, a face, an organisation behind the message. Can't find one? That's already an answer.
- Open the profile that published it: how old is it, what else does it post, what does the rest look like?
- Separate the author from the messenger: the person forwarding you the info is almost never the one who wrote it.
- Beware of “a doctor friend”, “someone who works there”: a source you cannot trace is not a source.
The classic trap
“A police officer from town confirmed it to my colleague”: the message loops through three neighbourhood groups. Which officer? Whose colleague? Nobody knows. The info has no author, only carriers.
Keep in mind
No author, no trust.
Practise this reflex
Cases in the library train precisely this reflex:
- What's the warning sign? (Health & miracle cures)
- What should make you pause before sharing this? (Health & miracle cures)
- What's the trap? (Health & miracle cures)