UnSpun: Finding Facts in a World of Disinformation
By Brooks Jackson and
Kathleen Hall Jamieson
(Random House, $13)
Brooks Jackson and Kathleen Hall Jamieson serve as guides to
seekers of truth and accuracy. They are involved with a website,
FactCheck.org, that aims to help. The site is hosted by the
University of
Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, where
Jamieson, a professor of communication, serves as
director. Jackson
is a veteran investigative journalist (Wall Street Journal,
Associated Press, CNN).
Given all the misinformation available via the Internet, it is,
perhaps, surprising that Jackson and Jamieson, the authors of
UnSpun, offer it as the main solution to misinformation - "if you
use it very carefully." Jackson and Jamieson explain the tactics of
liars, describe the psychological traps that lots of people fall
into and which lead them to believe the lies, and offer an
approachable lecture about how to distinguish credible evidence
from misleading random anecdotes.
Among the tips the authors give about using online information
wisely:
• Always assume anonymous/untraceable claims are untrue until
they're proven otherwise.
• Seek out more-or-less objective federal government websites (such
as those listing census data or offering accurate transcripts of
speeches).
• Rely on organizations such as the Consumers Union, publisher of
Consumer Reports, that are not beholden to advertisers or to
special interests.
After all, you have to trust someone. - S.W.