Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail

by Ray Dalio

If you believe that fake and distorted media is a problem and you are interested in watching the media/propaganda for clues about whether and how this is transpiring, here are a few commonly recommended things to look out for. Ask yourself: 1) Does the story consist of emotionally triggering, unsubstantiated accusations, or are the facts substantiated and the sources provided? When the facts are put aside to create an exciting story and the sources are undisclosed, don’t believe the story. 2) Does the writer welcome or not welcome replies or arguments that refute what they are asserting, and are they willing or not willing to publish them along with what they published? 3) Are the accusations in the story consistent with what has been identified and proven in the legal system? If people or groups are accused in the media of doing bad things but they haven’t been accused and judged to have done bad things in the legal system (which follows a process that tries to weigh the evidence to get at what is true), at least ask yourself why that is and probably don’t believe the story. 4) If the writer or outlet has previously shown themselves to be biased, assume that they and their stories are biased.