How to Sort Through the Noise to Find the Truth

How To article from “Witness Magazine,” Winter 2022

In today’s world there is more information than ever before. The numbers are mind-boggling. By 2020, there was 40 times more bytes of data on the internet than there are stars in the observable universe. Some estimates suggest that by 2025, 463 exabytes of data will be created each day online. What’s an exabyte? Well, consider this: five exabytes is equivalent to all words ever spoken by humans since the dawn of time. In 2025, that amount of data will be created every 15 minutes.[1] How do we know things? How do we distinguish between true beliefs and delusions, facts and fiction? What can be trusted?

[1] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/search-bar-spiritual-battleground/

10 Tips to Find Reputable Sources of Information:

1. Fill your mind with scripture

While Scripture may not speak explicitly to everything we experience, research or need to learn in our life, it does give us an eternal and unerring philosophical and theological worldview through which to evaluate the various truth claims we will encounter in the world. Also, filling our minds with Scripture works to nurture the mind of Christ in us.

2. Pray for wisdom and discernment

What we really need is not more knowledge, but greater wisdom and discernment. Today, people tend to be indiscriminate consumers of information, often only getting their knowledge from sources that tell them what they want to hear. We need to pray the Holy Spirit will grant us his wisdom and discernment so that we might be able to sort the wheat from the chaff when it comes to reliable sources of information.

3. Don't get all your information from one source

It’s one thing if you want to know when George Washington was born or who is the all-time rushing leader for the NFL. But when you want to find substantive answers to complex questions, it’s always best to consult a variety of sources, and not just the ones that agree with you. It is always helpful to read or listen to sources that don’t agree with one another. Even when we don’t agree, we will understand the other side better and it will sharpen our own understanding of what we believe.

4. Examine the source's credentials

Always ask, “Is this person or organization qualified to speak on this subject?” We may not like “experts,” but we can’t deny they exist. There are people who know a great deal about particular fields of study or subject matter because they have invested many years becoming experts through education and experience. Experts should be shown deference in the areas of their expertise, but they also need to stay in their lane and not speak authoritatively about things of which they know very little. We must not weigh the ideas of non-experts the same as those of experts.

5. Evaluate what sources are cited by the author

Unless the author is analyzing his own data, his information came from somewhere. Beware if the author doesn’t list academic sources, or sources at all. Look for reputable and well-known sources. For instance, there is a big difference in statistical reliability between a survey performed by Pew or Barna and a Twitter or Facebook poll. Always review the type of sources listed and make sure they stand up to scrutiny.

6. Make sure the source is up-to-date

Due to the speed at which technology moves, information and reliable sites go out-of-date quickly. Make sure that your source is still relevant and applicable and comes from a trustworthy author. This will not be as relevant in matters pertaining to things that are more static and timeless like history and theology. But being up-to-date is especially important in topics related to science and current events.

7. Check the endorsements and reviews that the source received

You can read reviews of books printed or on the websites of online book retailers. You can find reviews of larger reputable websites. This is particularly helpful when it comes to evaluating books. Read the endorsements on the inside cover. Are these names you know, respect and trust? If so, it is likely you can trust the integrity of the book’s content. It is also very helpful to read reviews written by good and trusted reviewers.

8. Check if the publisher of the source is reputable

Reputable publishers stake their brand on publishing highly qualified, respected authorities. Large publishers or reputable magazines and journals will thoroughly check the facts of the information they are distributing, which makes these sources pretty safe. This is especially true if the source in question comes from peer-reviewed journals or other scholarly databases.

9. Do they treat the other side fairly?

Look for sources that engage those with differing opinions with respect and truthfulness. Does the source represent opposing views fairly and accurately? When a writer, thinker or critic never sees any good points on the other side, or never sees any trade-offs in his own position, there is good reason to question his commitment to intellectual rigor. Likewise, when an author always finds fault in people who hold a different positon, one might surmise that the writer or speaker is about self-promotion or party loyalty more than an honest search for truth.

10. Make sure the source does not use loaded or vague terms to support itself.

Beware of sources that use vague terms like “recent studies show,” or “many people believe,” without backing up these claims with citations. Online sources are notorious for this – remember that their ultimate goal is to maximize their readership and not to produce scholarly, peer-reviewed articles. Also, beware of buzzwords playing on the readers’ emotions.