Trustworthy Information – Newsletter 1-13

MyEthics.net Newsletter 1-13, 10/30/25

The sheer quantity of false and conflicting information around us implies that facts are relative, and everyone’s opinion is equally valid. In the vacuum of trustworthy sources, nonsense has found a hot market.

Meanwhile, public and social media companies deliberately churn out narratives to sell products. Advertising-and-algorithm-driven scrolling shapes our minds subliminally, intermingling fact, fiction, and emotional manipulation into a vaguely toxic stew.

Incomplete understanding + dubious “facts” =  questionable decisions. The technical term is “enshittification.”

Everything is not relative! My dog and I inhabit the same reality – we just have radically different experiences of it, his overwhelmingly nasal. Both of us:

• Do our main job every day, which is to stay alive and well and keep track of each other.
• Care for ourselves and others — for him running, playing, and sleeping. For me brushing my teeth and, in emergencies, putting on my own mask and then assisting others.
• Navigate our environment, decisions, tasks, and relationships with scattershot information and little prescience.

With so many sources to choose from, it’s easy to go down rabbit holes of false narratives and conspiracy theories. Care, attention to accuracy, and respectable motives all contribute to reliable information.

Every post, news story, and documentary comes with a point of view. Reporters, editors, content creators, and readers all work from limited perspectives and with their own objectives.

And while no one can avoid bias, there’s a continuum between those who seek accuracy and those who sensationalize for clicks.

1. Rely on sources who benefit from accuracy, e.g., college & university departments, Wikipedia, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
2. Build a portfolio of trusted sources.
3. Remain skeptical
4. Seek many points of view; critique ideas, not people
5. Exercise close and courteous attention while challenging assumptions
6. Check the facts for yourself using the CRAAP Test, SIFT Method, and SMART Check as tools.

Information and facts are always partial and biased, and no one has all the answers. Choices are always guesses at some level, and gut decisions are often the wisest.

Remember that we absorb online information subconsciously, and it subtly shifts our assumptions. In this time of “deepfakes” it’s best to approach with skepticism and verify the facts. Amidst the noise, seek truth… it’s out there.

1. 10 Examples of Reliable Sources & How They Impact Your Search Results by Declan Gessel for JotBot
2. Reliable Sources: Wikipedia’s rules for proper attribution.
3. The CRAAP Test, SIFT Method, & SMART Check from the University of Chicago Library.