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Doing your own research is a good way to end up being wrong
The Washington Post ^ | January 17, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. EST | Philip Bump

Posted on 01/18/2024 4:44:01 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum

The internet has been a huge boon for the accessibility of information. There are very few barriers to consuming classic literature or detailed scientific analyses or catalogues of news reports. There is also an exorbitant amount of garbage information, of course, and an entire universe of people who say stuff that they think will get people to click links that will earn themselves money.

Cut through the 2024 election noise. Get The Campaign Moment newsletter. While confidence in American institutions has been in decline for some time, it’s not hard to imagine how the economic incentives of the internet contribute. There is an outsize appetite for derogatory, counterintuitive or anti-institutional assessments of the world around us. This is in part because alleged scandals are interesting and in part because Americans like to view themselves as independent analysts of the world around us.

The result is that there is both a supply and a demand for nonsense or appealingly framed errors. Americans who have little trust in the system can easily find something to reinforce their skepticism. They often do.

Sign up for How To Read This Chart, a weekly data newsletter from Philip Bump

This month, Nieman Lab’s Josh Benton reported on research released last year that showed how people “doing their own research” on the internet often led them to gain more confidence in untrue information. The paper, titled “Online searches to evaluate misinformation can increase its perceived veracity,” was written by researchers from the University of Central Florida, New York University and Stanford. Their conclusions were straightforward.

“Although conventional wisdom suggests that searching online when evaluating misinformation would reduce belief in it, there is little empirical evidence to evaluate this claim,” the authors wrote. Instead, they continued: “We present consistent evidence that online search to evaluate the...”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government; Political Humor/Cartoons; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 1984; beagoodnazi; berlinpost; coercedconsensus; conformconform; failedenglishmajor; fakenews; goosesteppingpundit; junkscience; ministryoftruth; moscowpost; philipbump; trustderfuhrer; trustjunkscience; trusttheexperts; washingtoncompost; whitewashinghamas; whitewashinghamaspos
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The only legitimate information is the Compost's anonymously sourced lies.
1 posted on 01/18/2024 4:44:01 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Who are you gonna believe, me or your lyin’ eyes?”


2 posted on 01/18/2024 4:46:36 PM PST by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Philip Bump is one of the biggest clowns of disinformation at the WhiteWashingHamas Post.


3 posted on 01/18/2024 4:47:04 PM PST by kiryandil (Rocco is roccking again!!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
I'm dealing with a rigged NFL, no moon landing, no space station, flat earth,murder of JFK by the see eye a, nesara, gesara and a jubilee......everything I take with a grain of salt taking in many sources....

wash compost is the one source I would never give a second of attention too...

4 posted on 01/18/2024 4:47:43 PM PST by cherry
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yeah I always wait to get my information from graduates of Journalism Schools.


5 posted on 01/18/2024 4:48:14 PM PST by Steely Tom ([Voter Fraud] == [Civil War])
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

6 posted on 01/18/2024 4:49:16 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator

That’s terrific !


7 posted on 01/18/2024 4:50:34 PM PST by Steely Tom ([Voter Fraud] == [Civil War])
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Doing your own research is a good way to end up being wrong

Yes, that is why I rely exclusively on Wikipedia.

8 posted on 01/18/2024 4:54:16 PM PST by monkeyshine (live and let live is dead)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Washington Post's Philip Bump and Glenn Kessler defended their outlet's limited reporting on the Hunter Biden laptop story back in 2020

What a POS.

9 posted on 01/18/2024 4:55:25 PM PST by kiryandil (Rocco is roccking again!!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Only leftists have the correct information that you must believe.


10 posted on 01/18/2024 4:56:23 PM PST by vpintheak (Pinko misanthrope)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

NINCOMPOOP STUPID IDIOT MORON doesn’t even COVER him!


11 posted on 01/18/2024 4:57:17 PM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion....... The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

...end up committing wrongthink...

Fixed that fer ya, WaPo.


12 posted on 01/18/2024 4:58:03 PM PST by one guy in new jersey
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yeah. “Don’t do your own research - read the WAPO”. Lol...


13 posted on 01/18/2024 4:58:48 PM PST by simpson96
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Doing your own research is a good way to end up being wrong

Even if it is 100% less likely to be wrong than believing
the WP.

14 posted on 01/18/2024 4:59:05 PM PST by DoughtyOne (I pledge allegiance to the flag of the USofA & to the Constitutional REPUBLIC for which it stands.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“derogatory, counterintuitive or anti-institutional” = Questioning Authority


15 posted on 01/18/2024 4:59:50 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

well...I’m thinking that it has been a lot of homework and research to see and understand “The way things Are”, thank you Rush, but I’m really tired and need some extra free time so I’ll just read your research and accept what ever your people write as gospel truth....WHEN 7734 FREEZES OVER! in the meantime I’ll be happy doing my own.


16 posted on 01/18/2024 4:59:55 PM PST by Qwapisking ("IF the Second goes first the First goes second" L.Star )
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To: monkeyshine

“Yes, that is why I rely exclusively on Wikipedia.”

Wiki is sometimes a good place to start. If I need to dig deeper then I get into the footnotes.

The footnotes can be a treasure trove of BS, propaganda, and half-truths and sometimes that’s useful information because it tells you how the other side is framing a discussion or concept.


17 posted on 01/18/2024 5:00:06 PM PST by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism. )
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To: BenLurkin

Questioning Authority is only valid when a conservative is in charge.


18 posted on 01/18/2024 5:00:48 PM PST by MeganC (There is nothing feminine about feminism. )
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To: simpson96
Yeah. “Don’t do your own research - read the WAPO”. Lol...

Good Citizens know: unauthorized research can decrease your social credit score. IT'S NOT WORTH THE RISK!

19 posted on 01/18/2024 5:01:14 PM PST by Steely Tom ([Voter Fraud] == [Civil War])
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Doing your own research is a good way to end up being wrong

Is that why Claudine Gay stole everyone else's work?

-PJ

20 posted on 01/18/2024 5:04:15 PM PST by Political Junkie Too ( * LAAP = Left-wing Activist Agitprop Press (formerly known as the MSM))
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