Skeptic's toolbox
Just a few sources to check out before believing or repeating (especially repeating) an "amazing" claim
Links
| General | |
|---|---|
| Snopes | http://snopes.com |
| The Straight Dope | http://www.straightdope.com |
| Urban Legends | http://urbanlegends.com |
| Political: | |
| FactCheck | http://www.factcheck.org |
| Politifact | http://www.politifact.com |
| Health: | |
| Quackwatch | http://www.quackwatch.com |
| WebMD | http://webmd.com |
| U.S. National Library of Medicine | http://www.nlm.nih.gov |
| Science: | |
| Bad Astronomy | http://www.badastronomy.com |
| Religious issues: | |
| Religious Tolerance | http://www.religioustolerance.org |
| Infidels.org | http://www.infidels.org |
| BibleGateway | http://www.biblegateway.com |
Last is Google: http://google.com
Try only educational sites by adding "site:edu" to your search. Not a sure-shot, but it might help weed out the conspiracy blogs. http://www.google.com/search?q=site:edu
Of course, just because Snopes.com or WebMD says something is true or false doesn't mean you should take their word on it either, but you have to start somewhere.
So next time you get a forwarded email or hear some horror story, please take a few minutes to at least attempt to verify it before passing it along to others.
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