Coloring the Truth, but Staying within the Lines.

[MineralMan]

I'm seeing a lot of this lately in the media and elsewhere. People using dodgy words and phrases to disguise the fact that they're really lying or spreading untruths. "A high-placed source known to us says..." "Many say..." Things like that are often used to present a lie while providing some sort of fudge factor to let the person telling the tale slide out from responsibility for that lie. "Well, that's what my source said...I'm just reporting what my source said..."

No named source? No information that can be confirmed? It's probably a lie, in that case, or a speculation, at best. We should avoid putting our trust in people who color the truth while staying within the lines of plausible denial.

The Ukrainian conflict is rife with this stuff, as whoever is actually responsible for shooting down that plane scrambles to avoid blame and enlists the aid of various media to help them skate.

We should all be watchful for this kind of fudging in stories about Ukraine and in all sorts of media reports about disputed facts. We're smarter than that, I think, if we just read closely.

[The Magistrate]

1. Well Said, Sir

Several people who once had a name as serious journalists have forsaken that, and turned themselves into third-rate op-ed columnists instead....

[MineralMan]

2. Indeed. We should be careful when bringing stories to DU

and check to make sure they are accurate and free of creative truth-coloring.

[Hekate]

3. I wish there were more fact-checking regarding sources here at DU. nt

[MineralMan]

5. That's up to the individual poster, of course.

I find myself devaluing the opinions of DUers who post material from unreliable sources that use tactics to color their stories while spreading untruths. A few instances, and that poster no longer seems trustworthy to me, so I know that I have to take the time to check their posts against a range of reliable sources. I rarely have time to do that, so poster who frequently post material from poor sources just get much attention from me.

[Arkansas Granny]

4. Yes, and when posting a story as fact, please provide a credible link.

I don't understand people who post a sensational story, but don't provide a link so you can verify the source. I've even seen some get defensive when a link is requested.

[MineralMan]

6. People sometimes forget to include a link.

I know I've done that by accident, but I always supply one if anyone notices. I suppose someone might get defensive if they knew that the link was to an unreliable source, though.