“Just the facts, ma’am.”

This is a little unusual for my newsletter. The following is a letter I recently sent to my family about source checking and discerning the truth. Writing it helped me think through some things. I hope it does you, as well.  – Phil

Dear Family,

I had a great discussion a couple weeks ago. It concerned the difficulty of discerning truth in this age where there are so many, many sources of information. That got me to thinking. History’s given us a Stone Age and a Bronze Age, the Middle Ages, the Age of Exploration, the Age of Enlightenment, the Industrial Age, the Atomic Age, the Space Age and other ages I’m not recalling. Some people call today the Information or Digital Age. 

There was a popular TV series in the 1950/60’s called Dragnet. Detective Joe Friday’s, “Just the facts, ma’am,” became part of American’s catchphrase culture. I still hear it today and for good reason. We’re pounded with new information literally minute by minute. But who knows what’s factual? How do we differentiate between misinformation, disinformation and the truth? Source checking is our age’s quintessential challenge. 

You’ve probably heard “facts are stubborn things?” This was famously said by John Adams in 1770, when as a lawyer he defended the British soldiers charged with murder after the Boston Massacre. It was an emotionally and politically inflamed trial. Public opinion was overwhelmingly against the soldiers as most saw the British as an occupying army—which they were. 

Addressing the jury, Adams said, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” In other words, our preconceptions, emotions and preferences cannot change the facts or alter what actually happened. These soldiers had been found guilty in the jury of public opinion. Nonetheless, when the facts were shown, six of the soldiers were found not guilty and two were convicted of the lesser offense of manslaughter. 

So, where can we turn to get the facts, to hear the truth? How do we identify trustworthy sources? The same event is reported so differently from one news channel to another. Headlines are sensationalized to draw in viewers and readers. “If it bleeds it reads” is the media’s mantra. 

Then there’s the plethora of podcasts, each vying for the largest number of listeners. There’s also the “influencers” posting in pursuit of more followers.  Most of these are accurate and altruistic sources, but many others are promoting third party agendas or they are simply about revenue.

The social media platforms, like Facebook and X, have always been a challenge. Yet now we have deceptive A.I. bots, fake accounts, generated images and the like adding confusion. Maybe this will be the Age of Disinformation? (A quick aside, never before have people communicated so much and yet been so isolated and alone. Will this be the Age of Isolation or Loneliness? That’s a discussion for another day.)

There’s also a huge gossip factor in all the social platforms. People comment on things they read, particularly on Facebook and X. We’re pulled into rapid fire discussions on subjects we know little about. We click a quick “like” or “share,” often adding our voice. Strings degrade into gossip, often hateful, with people typing in things they’d NEVER say face to face. 

This is all so contrary to the Christian ethic! We’re called to seek the truth. We’re called to be peacemakers. Frankly stated, Satan has never had a better tool for creating conflict and instigating division! Social media is prime time for ridicule, slander and deception.

Now, I do want to be fair here. There’s a great deal of good going on in social media. There are sincere exchanges, often of widespread benefit. Acts of encouragement, prayer requests and beautiful testimonies abound. Critical and even lifesaving information is often shared. 

There are podcasts I listen to everyday to help me stay up to date or learn. In some ways, Facebook and X work like an old fashioned town hall allowing important dialogue between communities and interest groups. Nonetheless, social media has its very powerful dark side. 

Back to the question at hand—source checking. Sorry I digressed. I don’t really know how to advise you here except to say don’t take anything at face value. “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1.

I know that’s a bit out of biblical context but the principle applies. People will lie, lie a lot, and for a host of reasons. They often rationalize this believing the end justifies the means. So examine everything. Never forget, Satan is the father of lies and he’s had a lot of practice at deception. He’s particularly masterful at twisting facts by burying lies within the truth’s narrative. 

I’ll suggest this too.  If the source is using mockery or sarcasm that’s a first sign to delete and move on. Also, never ever assume sincerity. Follow the money. Who’s really behind this story, post or podcast? For example, we know China has massive efforts underway to influence American opinion and our elections. Propaganda is a tried and true method of attack.  

I guess I’ll leave with this. I’m not a big Bill Gates fan (although I can’t imagine America without Microsoft), but he recently wrote, “This would be the worst possible time for humans to lose their critical thinking skills….” “In an era of deepfakes and misinformation that can be tailored to you individually, the ability to tell what is true from what is not becomes an essential life skill.” An essential life skill? That’s well said! That’s also scary and profound.