
My niece and I watch the Buffalo Bills games together. She lives in Utah, I, south of Buffalo. We text each other during the games. Often it's something like, "Please let Bass make this extra point," or "please let Bass make this field goal."
We both watched in dismay as the Bills lost, once again, to the Kansas City Chiefs for the chance to play in the Super Bowl. We are both also aware of the controversy - some may call it a conspiracy - that the NFL referees are on the Chiefs' payroll. [Let's be clear - they are not. Or at least I have seen no evidence that they are.]
A few days after that bitter loss, my niece sent me a text that read "Is this real? Did Clete get suspended?" followed by the following statement she pasted from Facebook:
In a dramatic turn of events following the Kansas City Chiefs’ narrow 32-29 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game, referee Clete Blakeman has been suspended after a postgame review revealed multiple missed fouls committed by the Chiefs. The decision has ignited a firestorm of controversy, with Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott leading the charge in questioning the NFL’s officiating standards.
I jumped into action. I asked her where on Facebook she got it. She said it was in her feed and that it had a link but she couldn't find it anymore. I checked The Buffalo News. If there is one thing I can say with certainty it's that in Buffalo we love our Bills and Sabres. The Buffalo News would cover this. No dice. Then I Googled it and saw nothing. Then I went to the NFL website, ESPN and The New York Times. Nothing.
You may recall that I've said in the past that a tactic disinformationists use to get you to believe is "the media won't cover this." I guarantee something like this would get media coverage. Honestly, what are the chances that someone on Facebook has this story before the sports media? Practically zero.
I shared the news with my niece and told her that it was not true. Her response:
I really wanted it to be true.
Let that sink in. (I know that's another statement that disinformationists use to get you to believe but really - let that sink in.)
I really wanted it to be true.
How often do you look at some information, find out it isn't true and think the same thing? I really wanted it to be true.
Do you let your desire get in the way of the truth? I have been fact-checking nearly everything I've been seeing lately. It's exhausting. I've even had people say to me, "did you really need to fact check that? It is clearly false."
YES! I did!
Even something that seems completely outrageous may end up being true. In our current media landscape and political environment, one never knows. I don't take chances.
Think about a time when you've read something or seen something and you laughed or you cried or you cringed or you (fill in the blank with the appropriate emotion). Was there a time you really hoped it was true? I have to admit that I read the Facebook post my niece shared with me and I hoped it was true also.
Think about what that means.....I was okay with someone getting suspended from his job. Why? Because I wanted the Bills to win? That seems awfully self-serving and not very nice.
Let's use another example. An oldie - kinda - but a goodie. "They're eating the cats. They're eating the dogs." (If you have no idea what that means or what that refers to, stop reading right now and do some research. Also, move out from under your rock and join us in the world.)
Do you suppose there were people who hoped that was true? Perhaps. Why? It might help to justify their hate. Or it would help to explain what they don't know. If we aren't familiar with the customs of other cultures, we may try to find ways to explain why people behave as they do, worship as they do, live as they do, or eat what they do. We may even have had a negative interaction with our neighbor who is different from us and then want to find some reason to treat them poorly. We may even believe that immigrants are taking our jobs, using our social services, driving up our housing costs, etc. We may think that our cat has gone missing and just lay blame someplace because losing a pet is horrible and sad. That they might be stealing our pets for dinner adds fuel to the already fanned fire.
If we wanted to believe that our cats and dogs were in peril we would be doing so to the detriment of our Haitian neighbors. In turn, to our own detriment. Is that okay?
As we start Black History Month we are reminded of the role each of us plays in our history, in our present and in our future. We each make contributions in our own way. There are some things I may do or my culture may do that others find suspect or odd. It doesn't make them any less meaningful to me. We should remember that, per Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we all want to feel safe, we want to be sated with food and drink, we want to have a place to call home. Those wants and needs are universal. How we get there may differ but it doesn't make the need/want any less meaningful.
When we "other" people (look at others as so different and perhaps even less than), we do ourselves a disservice also. In addition to what you may deem to be perilous, there is also wonder and love.
I really wanted it to be true.
Look past that statement to what is really true.
On a side note, I haven't been able to write new editions of this newsletter because I have been so overwhelmed with what is going on in the world. There is so much I could write about that I feel stymied and almost numb. I don't know which way is up nor do I know where to begin. In the words of my very wise publisher at Broad Book Group, Vanessa Campos - just start writing!
On another side note, this week is News Literacy Week. (Please take a look at NewsLit.org for more information.) It's an important reminder that what we do and say matters. The truth matters. Care before you share.
My last side note, do you want to learn more? This week you may purchase my book, Fake News, Witch Hunts & Conspiracy Theories: An Infodemiologist's Guide to the Truth at a discount to celebrate News Literacy Week. For a physical softcover version go to Indie Pubs and use Discount Code: FakeNews for 30% off. It is also on sale via Kindle for $1.99, if you prefer a digital copy.
Now that I have been told to just start writing, I will be doing so with more frequency. I feel as though that is my calling. Egads. We shall get through this.
#Infodemiology #FakeNewsFighter #TruthSeekers #ConspiracyTheoriesDebunked #CriticalThinking #MediaLiteracy #ScienceOfMisinformation #DigitalLiteracy #WitchHuntHistory #DataDoyenne #FactVsFiction #EducateToEmpower #MythBusters #SocialMediaSavvy #TruthInMedia #UnderstandingData #MediaManipulation #RationalThought #EvidenceBased #CognitiveBias
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