Check Your Outrage

Sandra Dunham

There are self-interested individuals selling misinformation to make a buck. We can do little to impact the intentional release of this disinformation. However, there is much that we can do to avoid unintentionally spreading that information.

It can seem exhausting to fact check every item we read. However, there are some simple rules we can use to identify potential misinformation before we send the frowny face on social media or repeat the fake news. One of these items is to check your outrage. If you read or hear something that really makes you angry, you should definitely fact check it. Possibly it is true; often it is false. And sometimes it is partially true, but taken out of context. Often the latter involves outrageous headlines that include a modicum of truth. 

Recently I was outraged when I heard that the Florida Panthers would not allow Canadians to purchase tickets to the playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. I was about to tell someone about this, when I realized that I was outraged. A quick search told me that the story was partly true. The Florida Panthers venue had a 24-hour moratorium on selling tickets to Canadians. 

However, consider the headline of Florida venue says no Canadians at Leafs Panthers Game, compared to the more accurate headline of Canadian residents barred 24 hours from buying tickets for Leafs games in Florida, Panthers say. Some people continued to be outraged by the more accurate headline, believing that the restriction was intended to limit the number of Maple Leafs fans in the audience. And while this may be true, it might also be a good business decision for a franchise that wants to put bodies in seats for less exciting, regular season games. By making it easier for locals to purchase tickets, it might hope to create fan support that will extend into the next regular season.

While the issue of who gets to purchase tickets to a post-season hockey game may seem trivial, it is a good reminder that whenever you feel outrage, you should prompt yourself to check the information; and to ensure that this check goes beyond reading the headlines.