Summary
Be truthful, appropriately skeptical, and preserve the scientific method.
Actions
- Do not share articles solely in the form of images, unless they contain a URL that you have already verified.
- Be skeptical of any news source that can only be accessed alongside ads or fees.
- Diversify news sources, not just between different companies, but different types of news agency and different countries.
- Do not share jokes or memes that could possibly be construed to support an idea that is suspicious.
- Be truthful whenever possible, especially when you suspect it would not be well received.
- Be particularly wary of information that seems to support your beliefs, especially when it comes from someone who may profit from spreading such information.
- Learn the different types of logical fallacies, attempt to notice them in use and point them out.
Principles
It should go without saying that disinformation is one of the chief tools of the wicked. The solution is honest and thorough discourse, with the caveat of avoiding those who are belligerent or facetious in their communications. Recognizing the signs of empty rhetoric can help to deal with these.
Among the chief fallacies to be wary of is the argument from authority. A person who has no expertise in a matter should not be given special attention due to any status or influence that they happen to possess. Even a person who does have expertise may be mistaken or biased; if they are properly trained, they will provide evidence to back up their claims.
All claims of any kind, if they cannot be proven and consistently tested, are dubious.
How to Save the World 