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)