Ok, based on what I’m seeing on the TL, a periodic reminder:

There’s going to be a definite uptick in rapid-fire social media rumors over the next 2 weeks. Here are some questions to ask before hitting that RT or share button.

Let’s make sure we don’t add to disinformation.

1. If a person is claiming expertise in a certain field, what are their credentials? Are they new to Twitter? Have they studied or worked in the field extensively?

2. Are they able to verify their expertise outside of Twitter/FB?

(E.g. I have IRL staffer/JHU friends on here, who can confirm my work)

3. Has whatever they’re saying been verified by additional parties not directly associated with them? E.g. Reporters who cover that particular field? Or can reporters in that field at least back their work?

Scoops definitely exist, but a lot of breaking news is typically verified by a different outlet within a few short hours. If no one else has it, why not? (Is it possible it’s not actually true?)

I would definitely question unproven folks who claims they are the ONLY source.

4. If it’s a quote being attributed to someone (e.g. the unproven Christie/stutter quote: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chris-christie-biden-stutter/), can you find the original source?

And once you read the original source - please always do - is it actually what it says, or is it an interpretation of the text?

5. If an unusual image or account comes across your feed, have you tried running it through TinEye or Google images to try and see if the image or the profile picture being used in an account is actually legitimate?

Or is it a random image pulled off of Google?

6. If story sounds too wild to be true and is trending, have you tried cutting and pasting the post or tweet text, to see if it’s maybe being amplified by bots?

If multiple new accounts are tweeting the exact same thing... it’s worth questioning the source.

And are you actively using tools like:

1. Reuters fact-checking: https://www.reuters.com/fact-check 
2. Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/ 
3. Politifact: https://www.politifact.com/ 

To double-check and cross-check what you’re seeing?

We’ve been conditioned to doom scroll for the past eight or nine months, and we’re in a very unnerving, anxiety-inducing period right now.

But that’s especially why we should stay vigilant against foreign interference AND those trying to exploit how we’re all feeling ATM.

Or as Wray said in September:

Be especially critical right now. Don’t just RT because it sounds right. Make sure it IS right, to the best of your ability. https://twitter.com/cbsnews/status/1309144056879034368

(And for anyone who is wondering my credentials: I study security/intelligence in graduate studies at JHU.

I don’t consider myself an expert by any means, but these are some tools that help get me through our current news environment)

Finally: I want to be clear:

Disinformation is not a problem isolated to conservative social media. I’ve seen some wild things on our side, including accounts suddenly becoming intelligence experts.

Be the person who asks for sources + verification. Democracy will thank you.