LETTER

Outing fake news? 

I appreciate your letter to the editor last week from a Mr Hinds, who listed several steps to test information or reports for fake news or disinformation. There is one simple step every one of us should do automatically: find the source of any report, and then Google that source. If it’s an institute or a foundation or a lab, Google it by its name.  Most of the time, Google will tell you who is funding this site or news source. For example, there is one site called “Friends of Science” that lists hundreds of “scientists” who disagree with human-caused climate change. Friends of Science, Google will tell you, is funded by “members of the petroleum industry”, (in small type). Bingo! What other method tells you the real source of these anti-climate claims or “facts”?

No doubt this will become harder to do as the nefarious agencies and companies realize they have to hide better, behind more walls and phoney addresses. But we have to keep looking for the source of every claim which seems questionable or strange. Please check them out!

Ron Bastel

Aylmer