Dear Kid,
Once upon a time there were no fact checkers in the world.
Then people were invented and – PRESTO! – fact checking leapt into existence.
Joe Neanderthal: There is good hunting over the ridge
Friend of JN: Nuh-uh
JN: Yes there is!
F of JN: Prove it
Mrs. Joe Neanderthal: Somebody better go find something for dinner
Fact checking really took off once teenagers were invented.
General Example:
Parent: No, you cannot go to the saber tooth tiger hunt
Teenager: No fair! That’s not what you said last night!
Specifically Detailed Example:
Parent: No, you cannot go to the saber tooth tiger hunt
Teenager: No fair! That’s not what you said 4 days, 3 hours, and 26 minutes ago!
Sometimes fact checkers use actual facts as part of the checking process. Sometimes (especially if they are teenagers) they completely bypass the need for accuracy and rely purely on rumor and innuendo. Or Google.
Parent: No, you cannot go to the saber tooth tiger hunt
Teenager: Everyone is going. It’s perfectly safe. Even Gina’s Mom said so. Before she was eaten.
Now that we’re ankle-deep in the political season, there are going to be a lot more people checking facts. A lot more facts.
Sometimes the fact checkers will agree. Often they will not. This is what gives sports commentators, political commentators, and weather forecasters job security.
It’s also what makes me skip directly to NCIS reruns and bypass most news shows.
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