Getting your facts right

What is amazing is that well-educated people often swallow nonsense without any application of thought or judgement

The fact checking website, Altnews, recently launched a mobile app. This can be used on an android device to request a fact-check of any given content, be it a verbose WhatsApp forward, or a digital image. All that’s required is “long-press” and Share. The website will revert within 72 hours with verification.

The time frame may seem long. But quite apart from sheer volume, fact-checking any given item often requires tedious “digital legwork”. Social media content mixes fact, fiction, opinion and garbage to create misleading narratives. What is amazing is that well-educated people often swallow nonsense without any application of thought