Quote Originally Posted by pczach View Post
Which is exactly why none of us seem to know who is credible, and who is not. Even when we think we know, we don't.

In this crazy, fast-paced world where information is rocketed to the world in split seconds via the internet, all that seems to matter is getting the information out first so you get all the attention, or strictly playing an angle to make a buck regardless of right/wrong.

I am losing faith in the motives of almost everything that is said or done anymore.

When Donald Trump says something off the cuff that is as close to the truth as scientific studies published in respected publications and communities, something is wrong with how things are being done. As I stated in my reply to El-Gonzo above, "experts" were calling Trump an idiot, and claiming hydroxychloroquine was potentially dangerous when used to treat COVID-19. They even stated some possible dangers as if they had already conducted a study.

Unsubstantiated claims by the President and the experts. Not good all the way around.
I think that tools for establishing the credibility of information do exist and we are all pretty much capable of using them. But you have hit on the key problem/issue -- first is all that matters.

And honestly, most of us know better than to just read something somewhere and decide that it is iron-clad fact. But I do not have the time and inclination to research everything I come across.

I think we all need to seriously reconsider what our priorities are. Do we want ALL the information THIS DAMN INSTANT for free or would be trade a bit of a delay and maybe a few dollars a week for reliable consistent information?

I find it alarming that this is seeping into academic/scientific publications. They are already ferociously expensive and not typically concerned with any kind of time pressure to get the information out. You can't get "scooped" - either an author wants to publish it in your journal or they don't. So to see the established system break-down so badly in this case is really troubling.

But I find everything troubling lately...