I like some of the emails and news clippings my friends send me, but I am careful about resending them. In Canada, the Criminal code states in section 372 subsections 1, 2, and 3 that
(1) Everyone commits an offence who, with intent to injure or alarm a person, conveys information that they know is false or causes such information to be conveyed by letter or any means of telecommunication.
(2) Everyone commits an offence who, with intent to alarm or annoy a person, makes an indecent communication to that person or to any other person by a means of telecommunication.
(3) Everyone commits an offence who, without lawful excuse and with intent to harass a person, repeatedly communicates, or causes repeated communications to be made, with them by a means of telecommunication.
(4) Everyone who commits an offence under this section is
(a) guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than two years; or
(b) guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
So if you receive info via email, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and you want to pass it on, be aware of the laws of your country and also Fact Check the information. Here are a few places to help you start
List of fact-checking websites from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia lists fact checking sites from many countries around the world.
A fascinating resource is Medawise. This non-partisan outfit offers free tutorials on how to spot fake news from any source and make yourself a more discerning consumer of information. It has a separate Teen Network for helping young people navigate the dangerous waters of social media. something a grandchild or a parent might find helpful. There are sections designed especially for seniors. It is worth taking a look.
An approach I find helpful to separate the real from the fanciful is to read from several sources on each side of the major political divide. Look for key giveaways like "alleged," "one source reports, "unconfirmed information." Each of these gives me a clue that the story or piece of a story is potentially speculative or unproven. Those trigger phrases prompt me to check more sources to see who else may have more details.
If I can't verify what I have read, I do not resend it, repost it, or use it as the basis for a snarky putdown on Facebook. I am not saying this statement is untrue, I am simply refusing to further its spread until I am convinced of its veracity.
If the poll numbers I quoted at the beginning of this post are accurate (and I did check that this story was not from just one source), then the bulk of us understand the harm misinformation can cause. As individuals, what we can do is not be part of the problem by spreading, amplifying, or keeping alive something that can hurt people.
