Facts v. Speculation

Case Studies in the News

As individuals and news outlets report on the tragic mid-air collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 and a military helicopter, very different responses help to illustrate the accuracy and reliability of information cited.

Facts

Source: Associated Press -- "Skaters Jinna Han and Spencer Lane were among those killed, along with their mothers, and coaches Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, said Doug Zeghibe, CEO of the Skating Club of Boston, during a Thursday news conference."

Noteworthy in this report is the presence of names that may easily be fact-checked. Proper nouns and numbers are excellent terms for investigative searching, as they may be corroborated--or not--by other sources.

Speculation

Source: CBS News -- "Asked directly how he came to the conclusion that diversity had something to do with the crash, Mr. Trump replied, 'because I have common sense.'"

Noteworthy in this report is the lack of evidence cited and in its place the role of common sense. Common sense may seem trustworthy to the person who cites it, but there are many examples when common sense fails to foresee or prevent unwanted results. Furthermore, there is no way to fact check a personal belief about common sense other than to trust the person responsible or doubt that common sense is always right.