Beware of false or misleading information
In an emergency situation, it's important to receive correct and relevant information quickly. But at such times, many services and people are communicating with each other. Social networks, in particular, can be the scenes of a lot of information circulating about an emergency situation. This information can sometimes be incorrect or misleading. Moreover, many of the messages are based on personal opinion, rumour or speculation, not fact.
Many people unwittingly share incorrect information (misinformation). But sometimes incorrect information is shared deliberately to set people against each other or spread panic (disinformation). So always be critical of what you read or hear.
How do you react to incorrect or misleading information?
There are a number of things you can check yourself to ensure that a message is reliable and contains the correct information:
- First consult the official communication channels of the authorities or the police and fire service. Are you not sure if the website or profile on social networks is official? Often, the text in the bio, the URL, previous news or the logo can help.
- Check who is the author or person sharing a message. Is it a reliable source?
- Consult multiple sources. Are you not sure about the accuracy of a given article or message? Then look for other reliable (information) sources. If you find the same information, the chances are it is accurate.
- Be critical of the form. Does the article contain a lot of spelling mistakes and excessive exclamation marks, or is the title largely written in capital letters? If so, the chances are you're dealing with disinformation.
- Think about the likely intention of the message. Think about why the message was created and how the authors would like you to think or behave after reading it. If the message plays heavily on the emotions, there's a good chance it is disinformation.
- Do your own fact-checking. Photos or videos are sometimes taken out of context. By entering the photo into a search engine, you can check its real-life context.
- Are you not sure if the information in a message is accurate? In that case, definitely do not share it.