Simply Believing Something You See Online Doesn’t Make It a Fact

It's amazing, but still not all that shocking, how quickly misinformation can spread across the Internet. I can't believe I have to say this again, but just because you see something on the Internet that lines up with what you already believe doesn't make what you see a fact. You need to be willing to put what you believe to the side when you are reading facts. This can be incredibly difficult because there is misinformation and bias everywhere on the Internet. My goal of writing this though is to get you to hopefully think before you share. I'm not here to change your believes or your political affiliation. I'm a proud independent and I am only concerned about one thing. Finding the right answer. Not being right.

Of course, even as I say that, I guarantee there are people reading this that already came to a conclusion about what I'm going to say. I know I'm doing my job when both sides disagree with me. There isn't one political party or person with all the answers. Unfortunately most people believe their party and their side is right, all the time.

Here is some misinformation that I've seen floating around recently.

• FALSE HEADLINE - Police department has multiple members of ANTIFA in custody for starting Oregon fires
  • Reality - Police departments have had to debunk these rumors. But this also isn't to say that people haven't been arrested for starting fires. There have been fires started by people and there have also been arrests. But you can't immediately jump to conclusions just because you want to believe something.
• FALSE HEADLINE - Netflix CEO gets BUSTED with 13,000 files of CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
  • Reality - This is a completely fake story made up by a website called torontotoday.net. This is a new website that has already posted fake stories such as Chadwick Boseman actually dying from being poisoned, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin's daughter had died from COVID-19. Yet somehow, this story got shared very easily by a lot of people, when it took almost no time at all to prove fake.
• FALSE HEADLINE - Kroger told employees they could wear BLM masks, but not American flag masks
  • Reality - If anything, this is the exact opposite. While it never came down from corporate specifically about the BLM masks, the employee handbook states that employee attire:

  • must be clean, professional, and without visible pictures, logos, words or abbreviations.

Again, let me repeat myself. I have no political agenda here. Just trying to find the truth. If I'm ever wrong about something, please call me out on it and let's have a discussion. Chances are, no matter which side of the political spectrum you're on, you've probably disagreed with me at some point. Good. That means I'm being objective. I don't care about being right. I care about finding the right answer.