By Robert Pembroke
We were in a hot discussion about universal healthcare when the oldest member of the Saturday morning “Breakfast Club” said, “Bob, where did you get those facts?” Needless to say, this took me aback.
At this point in the conversation, I rightfully kept my mouth shut. I could have explained about all the time and effort I take to get my facts correct, but I sensed that the Breakfast Club setting was not the place to do it.
I believe that the most important reason that our family has been running a small business successfully since 1883 is the fact that we were honest, moral and ethical. Personally, I do not remember lying to anyone in business. I cannot remember cheating anyone in business and I tried to treat every customer the same.
I will discuss the trials and tribulations I go through to get my facts straight in private with my friends. In the meantime, let me explain to you how I prepare to write my column.
I normally write my weekly column on Sunday after reading The Economist. Every day I peruse the news on my mobile device and read the articles that are interesting to me. First, I search Google News. Then I religiously read Fox News, MSN, BBC and CNN. Occasionally, another site will interest me, which I will read. Please note that I do not read The Salt Lake Tribune.
But the best source of news to me is The Wall Street Journal, which I read religiously. If you want to really know what’s going on in our great nation and around the world, read The Wall Street Journal. First, you get two points of view. The editorial section leans to the right and the balance of the newspaper leans to the left.
If ever there was a columnist that I would like to emulate, it is Daniel Henninger. Here is one of his thoughts: “If you live in a world where the population is separated from science and entering an age of a superstition, as a marketer, selling to people who will believe anything, it is a golden age.”
Writers have an obligation to their readers to write only the truth. “Fake news” is a blight on our profession. I have found the best way to determine whether or not the news is fake is to start with a gut check. If my gut tells me the news is fake, I disregard it. If I suspect the news is fake, I will use my very fancy mobile device to check it out.
There are couple of other techniques that I use to sort out fake news. First, I look to see if someone else has already fact-checked the site. Wikipedia and NPR are good for that. Next, I go upstream to the source. Get to the original source and check the trustworthiness. For example, a reputable scientific journal is a good lead.
Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, has announced that he is going help us all spot fake news. He is launching a site that rates journalists. He is thinking of calling it “Pravda.” “Going to create a site where the public can rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility over time of each journalist, editor & publication,” Musk tweeted. Not a bad idea.
Rather than tilting at windmills, our Saturday morning Breakfast Club should be working on how to improve mankind. But instead we just talk back and forth and accomplish nothing. But, alas, that’s OK, We are just a gaggle of old men.
Robert Pembroke is the former chairman and CEO of Pembroke’s Inc. in Salt Lake City.