Social Media Advice: Do NOT rely on Social Media, Podcasts or Cable News outlets for consistently reliable information. These sources are too often filled with misleading or false information, opinions,

Handling Misinformation and Disinformation Advice: When you encounter misinformation (inadvertently misleading content) or disinformation (intentionally false content), AVOID ANY direct engagement. Do not reply, comment negatively, or react with emojis, as these actions increase the post’s visibility and spread. If you feel you absolutely need to do something, contact the person who posted it via another channel and ask them to take it down, or report it to the underlying platform if it violates their policies. Engaging with the post, whether positively or negatively, will help it spread further due to the platform’s algorithm, which prioritizes engagement.

Trustworthy News and Reliable Information: Nobody enjoys being deceived, yet choosing reliable, credible, and trustworthy news sources can be difficult. “News” pours in from everywhere, but much of it is NOT News at all - including entertainment media, clickbait and fake news websites, social media posts and memes, echo chambers and bubbles, outlets with unknown or vague ownership, tabloids, podcasters, influencers and bloggers without credible sources, propaganda, and biased news aggregators …all of which are unfortunately also much easier to manipulate than the traditional rigorous reporting that were the main sources for current information decades ago. We aim to distinguish between news and entertainment, acknowledge that facts are objective rather than a reflection of personal identity, and recognize that most people share a common reality, even if their perspectives differ.

News: Quality news—whether in print or online—requires significant resources to produce, and the business model for news organizations is often difficult. Subscribing to local newspapers like the Bucks County Courier Times, Bucks County Herald, or Philadelphia Inquirer directly supports local journalism. Subscriptions to major outlets like Reuters, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or The Washington Post help sustain free journalism on a larger scale. All of these sources contain both News and Opinion which are most often labeled as such.

There are also free news aggregators...Services such as Apple News, BBC News, Google News, and Microsoft News provide stories directly to your mobile phone or computer, often with customizable topics to better fit your interests noting that your specific media selections may impact the quality of the feed.

Fact-checking and bias verification: To evaluate a source’s credibility, check its reputation, track record, author credentials, and primary sources. Look for independent confirmation from other trustworthy outlets. Be mindful of context, timelines, and the difference between opinion and objective fact. Fact-checking websites such as FactCheck.org, Reuters Fact Check, The Poynter Institute, and PolitiFact are excellent resources. Bias evaluations have been credibly performed by websites such as MediaBiasFactCheck, AllSides and adfontesmedia.

Be Wary of Sensationalism: Avoid sensational headlines or clickbait. These often mislead or exaggerate for attention. If something seems too good or too awful to be true, it’s worth double-checking before believing or sharing it. Platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), BlueSky, Mastodon, TikTok, and Instagram should not be relied on for accurate news (of these platforms, BlueSky appears to be best on user privacy and has committed to not train generative AI tools with user data). These platforms are not verified sources, and information found on them is often unreliable. In any case, the less you share about yourself, the better for your privacy and security.