4 ms·

> that's your responsibility as a reader I live in Sweden. How do I fact check what happens in a neighborhood in the USA? How do I know that a result of a clin

by kartan 9y ago

> that's your responsibility as a reader I live in Sweden. How do I fact check what happens in a neighborhood in the USA? How do I know that a result of a clinical test is reliable? Do I check it on another on-line source? Do I spend millions on R&D and do my own analysis? Or just few thousands going to Las Vegas and gathering my own data? Or do I need to wait for a Newspaper that actually has fact-checking? > Even more reputable sites like Snopes tend to draw absolutist conclusions about things which I find are certainly not absolute. Billions of citizens fact-checking every single news is not cost effective. It will be good to have a minimum of quality, and then you can apply any correction to the inherent bias of that medium. There is a difference between someway biased information and bullshit.

KekDemaga 9y ago
> I live in Sweden. How do I fact check what happens in a neighborhood in the USA? I question the utility of you having any opinion on US politics, especially at the local level. You are certainly entitled to one but I don't know what it gets you without a vote.
- astura 9y ago
  Did we read the same comment? Being interested in world events and/or the results of clinical trials conducted overseas is in no way "having [an] opinion on US politics." (Not to mention that a Swede can have a very legitimate, personal, vested interest in what's going on in the US, maybe the GP had family vacationing in Vegas. - I had family vacationing in France during the Paris bombings, my mother-in-law called me up frantically that day.)
  - KekDemaga 9y ago
    How is anyone sure of the results of a clinical trial, and how would proximity increase the level of certainty? In regards to world politics when could you ever be certain a report is accurate? Didn't you always have to use critical thinking?
- eterm 9y ago
  Well you've assumed they don't have a vote. US citizens are entitled to a vote while living abroad. https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/abroad/legal-matters/benefits/voting.html https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/abroad/legal-m...
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- threeseed 9y ago
  Maybe I am moving to the town in question. Maybe I have friends and family there. Maybe I used to live and work there. Maybe I have a long distance relationship with someone there. There are millions of reasons why someone would be interesting in knowing what is happening in a place other than which they current live.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
remlov 9y ago
Snopes most definitely is NOT one of the more reputable fact-checking sites FYI.
- pwinnski 9y ago
  On any issue not directly related to the divorce of the founders, it absolutely is.
  - astura 9y ago
    There's been two stories on Snopes that haven't been able to be verified by anyone else online. They ignore many, many inquiries on the matter. https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/9423/did-charlie-chaplin-lose-a-charlie-chaplin-look-alike-contest https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/9423/did-charli... https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/2094/is-a-writer-named-lisa-holst-responsible-for-the-belief-that-everyone-eats-eight https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/2094/is-a-write...
ng12 9y ago
Erhm, you click on the link? Every page on 4chan contains the following disclaimer at the top: "The stories and information posted here are artistic works of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact". If you want real fake news, Google any semi-obscure health issue. You'll be lucky to find one or two .gov's among sketchy sites peddling homeopoathic cures.
- rightos 9y ago
  > "The stories and information posted here are artistic works of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact". I believe that's only on /b/.
BFatts 9y ago
Look for correlations that come from disparate sources. That's how I verify stuff that happens in Sweden.
synicalx 9y ago
You're misrepresenting what the person you're replying to said. You can check facts the exact same way we've been doing for many years - find corroborating sources, view first hand evidence (and no, you don't need to do this in person), look for analysis from trusted sources etc etc. Even if a newspaper claims to do fact-checking or is somehow legally obligated to do fact-checking, that's absolutely no guarantee that it's facts are accurate or free from bias.

by kartan 9y ago

KekDemaga 9y ago

> I live in Sweden. How do I fact check what happens in a neighborhood in the USA? I question the utility of you having any opinion on US politics, especially at the local level. You are certainly entitled to one but I don't know what it gets you without a vote.

astura 9y ago
Did we read the same comment? Being interested in world events and/or the results of clinical trials conducted overseas is in no way "having [an] opinion on US politics." (Not to mention that a Swede can have a very legitimate, personal, vested interest in what's going on in the US, maybe the GP had family vacationing in Vegas. - I had family vacationing in France during the Paris bombings, my mother-in-law called me up frantically that day.)
- KekDemaga 9y ago
  How is anyone sure of the results of a clinical trial, and how would proximity increase the level of certainty? In regards to world politics when could you ever be certain a report is accurate? Didn't you always have to use critical thinking?
eterm 9y ago
Well you've assumed they don't have a vote. US citizens are entitled to a vote while living abroad. https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/abroad/legal-matters/benefits/voting.html https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/abroad/legal-m...
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
threeseed 9y ago
Maybe I am moving to the town in question. Maybe I have friends and family there. Maybe I used to live and work there. Maybe I have a long distance relationship with someone there. There are millions of reasons why someone would be interesting in knowing what is happening in a place other than which they current live.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

remlov 9y ago

Snopes most definitely is NOT one of the more reputable fact-checking sites FYI.

pwinnski 9y ago
On any issue not directly related to the divorce of the founders, it absolutely is.
- astura 9y ago
  There's been two stories on Snopes that haven't been able to be verified by anyone else online. They ignore many, many inquiries on the matter. https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/9423/did-charlie-chaplin-lose-a-charlie-chaplin-look-alike-contest https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/9423/did-charli... https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/2094/is-a-writer-named-lisa-holst-responsible-for-the-belief-that-everyone-eats-eight https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/2094/is-a-write...

ng12 9y ago

Erhm, you click on the link? Every page on 4chan contains the following disclaimer at the top: "The stories and information posted here are artistic works of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact". If you want real fake news, Google any semi-obscure health issue. You'll be lucky to find one or two .gov's among sketchy sites peddling homeopoathic cures.

rightos 9y ago
> "The stories and information posted here are artistic works of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact". I believe that's only on /b/.

BFatts 9y ago

Look for correlations that come from disparate sources. That's how I verify stuff that happens in Sweden.

synicalx 9y ago

You're misrepresenting what the person you're replying to said. You can check facts the exact same way we've been doing for many years - find corroborating sources, view first hand evidence (and no, you don't need to do this in person), look for analysis from trusted sources etc etc. Even if a newspaper claims to do fact-checking or is somehow legally obligated to do fact-checking, that's absolutely no guarantee that it's facts are accurate or free from bias.