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Misleading News Can Undermine Our Knowledge Base
In 2016 the Russians attempted to influence the election by spreading misinformation about the candidate that they hoped would lose. Now, according to The New York Times, Americans are copying the Russians. Both liberals and conservatives are creating false web pages spreading false information and by creating many such pages they give the impression that these erroneous views are widespread. (And people tend to give more credence to views that appear to be accepted by many.)
How Can We Determine Which News is Trustworthy?
While the falsehoods in many of these articles are so blatant that they can easily be detected, others are less so and may appear plausible. How can we tell that they are false? Perhaps it isn't necessary to make that determination. If we read reputable newspapers rather than passively accepting the contents of a newsfeed we know that, by and large, their contents are fairly accurate despite their leftward or rightward slant (which we can factor in, being aware of it).
Autonomy Increases Our Comfort
Depending on a newsfeed is a passive activity whereas choosing which newspapers to read is an active one. While passivity is a characteristic of relaxation and is quite acceptable at such times, activity is otherwise preferable because it results in increased autonomy. And autonomy increases our comfort because it avoids the mental static that accompanies passive activities. You can use my complimentary Tool to help yourself choose activity rather than passivity. In Step 3, instead of wishing to feel peaceful and calm, you can wish for help in making an active choice for whatever decision you are currently faced with.
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