This issue of my newsletter is a gripe session, but please bear with me.
I was in the middle of writing a different issue when I was just overwhelmed with chaos this past week. It reminded me of a past issue of this newsletter titled Rush to Judgment which you may view here.
(Come to think of it, the other issue I was in the middle of writing was because of chaos as well.....)
Let me break it down.
A recent executive order freezing federal funding sent shock waves throughout the world. It impacted nearly every part of our lives whether we felt it overtly or not. One of the areas seemingly targeted was Head Start. If you are not familiar with Head Start, it is free (to participants) government supported "programs (that) support children's growth from birth to age 5 through services that support early learning and development, health, and family well-being." (Taken from its website.) Many parents and communities depend on this program as employment and/or as an outlet for their children to grow and thrive. When news of the funding freeze hit one local program, it temporarily shut down because it wasn't quite sure what was happening and what they were supposed to do or were able to do. It wasn't a decision made lightly but, one might argue, it was a decision made quickly.
Why? Poor communication? Too many questions? Not sure how to react? The executive order was unclear at best. Once the order was stepped back, the agency was able to reopen to the relief of all in the community. (I believe it was closed just one day.)
Our local state and national Republican representatives used the media to blast the Head Start program for closing and causing undue and unnecessary chaos.
Um, come again?
Let's unpack this.
The executive order was incredibly unclear. Absent accurate and clear information, people do what they feel they need to. Did the agency need to shutter its local program for the day? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Did our government representatives need to place the blame on the Head Start program? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
What could have worked better? Let's step back and think. Hindsight is always 20/20 but could we have mitigated this chaos in a better way? Perhaps instead of a knee jerk reaction, the Head Start program could have stayed open until a clearer picture was presented. Perhaps our representatives could have reached out to the Head Start program to work with them to solve the problem rather than blame them for making it a bigger issue. After all, constituents on both sides of the aisle were affected and our representatives represent all of us, not just those who elected them.
Rush to judgment.
In another example, I belong to several health care-related groups. We are working to make sure people are able to obtain health care and also to get accurate health-related information in order to make informed decisions. We don't need to jump the gun!
Super Bowl Sunday morning, I received an URGENT message from one of the groups. Holy cow....urgent? I better read this and I paraphrase below.
It is rumored and being reported that Elon Musk spent $40 million of his own money to buy five 30-second ad spots in the Super Bowl to air that evening. The ads were purported to brandish USAID and other government agencies as useless, overfunded gluttons. We all need to band together at xyz time to share this video (link attached which didn't work, I heard- I didn't test it) on our social media.
No.
I read this and thought, hmm. That's not really how Super Bowl ads work. (More on that in a second.) The first thing I did was Google "Did Musk buy Super Bowl ads?" The results all said essentially the same thing: rumored, purported, it's being said. So then I Googled Super Bowl 2025 ads. You can usually see the Super Bowl ads ahead of the big game. Several outlets will also start rating them or ask that you do.
Nowhere.
Back to how Super Bowl ads work. These ad spots are incredibly expensive (upwards of $8 million for a 30-second spot). Can Elon afford them? Of course. That wasn't the question. Super Bowl ads are purchased months in advance of the Super Bowl. They are incredibly well created and constructed. They are also placed into specific time slots (as much as is possible) ahead of the game. For example, before halftime, before the national anthem, etc. It is unlikely that a last minute purchase is made. Unlikely but not impossible.
I did find a Reddit thread about this topic. Interestingly, I did see one person comment on the alleged ad buy and share exactly what I shared above. That's not how it works. No matter - several others were outraged and asking what we can do. Rush to judgment.
The outcome? These were rumors that didn't materialize as fact.
In one of my groups after the fact, I did have someone defend the urgent actions saying that it was being reported on so we should have reacted. It was being reported as a rumor. No, you don't just jump on rumors and treat them as true. You fact check. You do your due diligence. Your reputation is on the line when you do things like this.
Thankfully, another person in my group did say it was embarrassing. We can't just react every time something pops up. Good God we will have whiplash and our insurance likely won't cover the treatment!
Please - stop and think. There is no need to rush.
Those are just two examples in the past couple of weeks. I won't even get into what some of the motivation may have been behind the decisions like the executive order or the rumor. That will be a separate newsletter issue once I've done some of my own checking and leg work.
It's okay not to rush into things with the crowd. It's okay to stand back and reason. It's okay to think. It's even okay if sometimes you are wrong. If it turned out that Musk did purchase ad time, I still wouldn't have widely shared the video we were asked to share. I stand by my decision. I could easily have commented on the ads after the fact especially considering that we weren't even sure exactly what was going to be said. Again, rushing to judgment.
Disinformation and misinformation are rampant. Remember the difference - both likely involve the same piece of information but it is the intent that distinguishes them. Disinformation is created with the intent to harm or profit. Misinformation is the sharing of the same information not knowing it to be false. Whoever started the rumor of the ad buy likely did so (again, I say likely as I do not know for sure) to cause confusion. It being widely shared did cause confusion by those with no ill intent.
Let's not feed the disinformation beast. Let's be thoughtful. Let's be careful. Let's trust our training and knowledge. More importantly, if we get something wrong - OWN IT! Trust is not easily gotten back once it's lost. Transparency is key.
[A caveat - are there times when you should react and rush. Yes. If your house is engulfed in flame, get out. Don't stand there thinking, hmm, are those flames or just smoke? Call 911 and get out. But if a candle you have lit tips over and there is a small fire on your mantle, for example, grab something to douse the flame - preferably not something doused in gasoline, as if you have that sitting around. No need to run around like a chicken with its head cut off if you can easily check and solve the problem.]
For more information about disinformation and misinformation, may I recommend my book, Fake News, Witch Hunts & Conspiracy Theories, an Infodemiologist's Guide to the Truth? Available wherever you buy books.
The truth matters. Let's remember that.
#Infodemiology #FakeNewsFighter #TruthSeekers #ConspiracyTheoriesDebunked #CriticalThinking #MediaLiteracy #ScienceOfMisinformation #DigitalLiteracy #WitchHuntHistory #DataDoyenne #FactVsFiction #EducateToEmpower #MythBusters #SocialMediaSavvy #TruthInMedia #UnderstandingData #MediaManipulation #RationalThought #EvidenceBased #CognitiveBias
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