In the ongoing battle against information disorder—comprising misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation—the importance of seeking information from reliable sources is frequently highlighted. But what exactly constitutes a reliable source, and how can we truly trust them? Moreover, what happens when sources deemed reliable fall prey to disinformation themselves? Let’s explore what makes a source reliable, the pitfalls to watch for, and strategies to evaluate information critically.
Defining Reliable Sources
Broadly put, a reliable source is one whose information you can trust because the source—the author, publisher, or organisation—is generally regarded as credible. This credibility tends to be built on recognised verifiability and due diligence established through years of practice. From a research perspective, reliable information often comes from reliable sources and these sources are known to provide “thorough, well-reasoned theory, argument, etc., based on strong evidence”. According to Oxbridge Essays and Stevenson University, sources generally regarded as credible and reliable may include:
- Peer-Reviewed Articles and Books: These are scrutinised by experts in the field before publication, ensuring a high standard of accuracy.
- Professional Sources: Books or articles authored by recognized experts or academics.
- Trusted Media Sources: Established newspapers, radio stations, and TV networks with a reputation for accuracy.
- Official Websites: Institutions like universities, professional organizations, and government bodies.
In contrast, sources like personal blogs, social media posts, and platforms like Wikipedia are often less reliable, especially when used for critical decision-making or academic research. These sources can be valuable for initial insights but should be cross-referenced with more authoritative information.
The Fallibility of Even Trusted Sources
On July 9, 2024, the globally recognised fact-checking platform, AFP Fact Check, published a story debunking the wide misrepresentation of a video from a pro-Palestinian demonstration in France following the recent French elections. People on social media claimed that the video showed members of the New Popular Front in France waving Palestinian flags at a rally following the left-wing coalition’s impressive showing in the country’s snap elections. Meanwhile, the video was captured at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Lyon, France, about a month before the elections.
Although the claim was later found to be false, it had already gathered reposts and widespread support from figures like Canadian Psychologist Jordan B. Peterson and US Senator Mike Lee. Sky News Australia reported it both on its website and on broadcast news.
This incident illustrates that no source, no matter how reputable, is immune to the effects of disinformation. Journalists, reputable news organisations, researchers, members of the general public and even fact-checkers are fallible and can all inadvertently spread false information. According to this research by Ben Lockwood at the University of Warwick, this can happen for a number of reasons, which may include:
- Confirmation Bias: The tendency to favour information that aligns with existing beliefs.
- Ideological or Geopolitical Slants: Biases that may colour the portrayal of events.
- Editorial Negligence: Oversights or errors in fact-checking processes.
Evaluating Information: Best Practices
Given these challenges, how can we effectively evaluate the credibility of information? Hence, there are a number of ways to evaluate news and other sources for credible, accurate information.
At the basic level, according to the BBC, there are three simple ways to evaluate the credibility of any information:
- Check the Source
Make sure you’re obtaining news from journalists and official news sites rather than just social media, as certain sources are more trustworthy than others. Reporters are responsible for the information they publish, and every article published by a news organisation has been reviewed by editors and verified.
- Cross-verify Information
If the same information appears in other sources, it may indicate that other people have also confirmed the source’s claims. Verifying information from several sources is an excellent way to determine if someone can be trusted because it indicates that other reporters have reached the same conclusion regarding the veracity of a news story.
- Assess the Context
Check to verify if the author, journalist, or social media outlet is providing solid evidence to support their claims. Finding the source of the news and being able to clearly examine the facts behind the piece of writing is always a positive indicator. It’s also a good idea to consider how credible the source seems. It’s likely to be false if it seems a little too good to be true or implausible.
Stevenson University on the other hand proposes the following criteria:
- Authority: The wrote it? What qualifications do they possess? Do they possess in-depth understanding of the subject matter they are writing about? What is the nature of their reputation in the ?
- Accuracy: Verify the author’s claims with what you already know to be trustworthy. Are the citations correct? Is the data skewed? If so, how does that impact study findings?
- Coverage: Does the material suit your demands, and is it pertinent to your topic? Think about the data you require, such as graphs, charts, and statistics.
- Currency: Does your subject matter change frequently? For instance, recent sources are necessary when discussing topics related to technology and medical innovation.
Similarly, the University of Arkansas recommends the 5W and H questions are also a good way to evaluate information before internalising, using, or disseminating them:
- Who authored it? What qualifies him or her to talk about this subject? What other works has this author written? To learn more about the author, you might have to conduct some research.
- What sources do their reference list look like? Authors of credible sources will take the time to provide a comprehensive list of references that is formatted correctly. Examine the number of sources they quote, but don’t forget to look into the quality of those sources as well.
- When was the source created? More current sources are generally more trustworthy, especially when it comes to the sciences. In contrast, the oldest sources could be the most reliable in other disciplines, including the humanities.
- Where did you get the information? Does the source exist in an academic setting, like a university library or an online journal database, on social media, a blog, or on a news platform? This helps you ascertain how much you can rely on the information found there.
- Why was the information made? Is the writer trying to entertain, convince, or inform readers? This helps you figure out the intention behind certain information.
- How does the source pertain to your topic? Select only those sources for your investigation that you will find useful. Don’t employ a pointless source just to meet your need for a specific amount of sources.
Considering Ownership and Affiliation
Furthermore, it is also important to note that the ownership, funding, history and political affiliation of certain reputable news platforms can influence the way these platforms report on certain topics. These affiliations are not necessarily suspicious in themselves, and the things reported may not be disinformation. However, the crafty use of language, images, headlines, chronology of details, and much more can impact how certain topics, groups of people, and entities are understood, which, if continued over an extended period, can have damaging effects.
On the international level, state-owned, privately funded, and publicly funded media organisations are beholden to the interests and ideas of those who fund and/or control them, no matter how objective they try to be. For instance, the BBC is a publicly funded media organisation that has been regarded as a part of the “UK’s Soft-Power apparatus.” This is similar to Qatar’s Al Jazeera, Turkey’s TRT, China’s CTGN, France’s RFI, and USA’s VOA.
Additionally, privately-owned media like CNN, New York Times, SkyNews, MSNBC and the likes may also be subjectively pro-West on specific subjects and this may impact how balanced or biased their coverage can be.
Within the local media landscape, it is also important to be acquainted with the various ownership and funding structures as well as affiliations of media platforms beyond the state-funded, state-controlled media organisations. For instance, if you are aware of the ownership, funding and affiliation of media platforms like TVC, Channels, the Nation Newspaper, Sahara Reporters, People’s Gazette, Arise News and others, you are more likely to detect when there is a slant or bias in how they cover certain events or stories.
This is why online platforms like YouTube attach labels to the accounts of various news platforms to indicate their ownership and funding sources.
According to Lois Ugbede, an editor at DUBAWA, one of Nigeria’s most reputable fact-checking organisations, “Sources are important, and as my editor will always say, your report is as good as your sources. This makes source choice crucial. As highlighted in this article, no source is absolute because of biases and interests. This is why at DUBAWA we use multiple sources (a mixture of experts’ voices, data sets, journals, news reports, tools and sometimes primary experimentation) because we believe this will largely eliminate bias and give credibility to our work.”
With regard to sourcing approaches, she adds: “When sourcing, it is also important to go downstream and always use primary sources referenced by a person or article to verify the content for yourself because we have seen sources quote data out of context or give wrong meaning or interpretations to materials. It is also important to consider the reputation or history of the sources you use, and this review should be done frequently to be sure sources have not been compromised. “
Conclusion
Reliable sources are essential for making informed decisions and navigating the complexities of today’s information ecosystem. However, even reputable sources can sometimes fall victim to disinformation. By developing skills to assess the credibility of information critically, you can better navigate the challenges of the information disorder landscape and make well-informed decisions in an era where AI-driven content creation and dissemination are increasingly prevalent.
In this fast-paced digital age, cultivating the ability to discern reliable information is not just useful—it’s necessary for making sound decisions about health, politics, and more.
