The Things You Can Learn From Other Peoples' Mistakes

It never ceases to amaze me the things that public figures do. You might think they would be a little more careful about the things they say and do, but in my Newsy.com story (below), we see another example of negligence from people in authority. Three congressional figures all said they saw a picture of Osama bin Laden's dead body- and all three were fooled by a fake. No matter what your political background is, what the three did was simply inexcusable. Check. Your. Facts. As a journalist, I learn whether through mistake (oh yes, this is unfortunately usually how it goes)or through instruction to always check your facts, sources and any information that could be questioned. Clearly, none of the three congressmen/congress woman checked their facts because if they had, they perhaps wouldn't have fallen for a fake picture and then announced to the public that they saw the real thing. Not only does reporting the wrong facts make you look ridiculous, but how can someone trust you? This goes for anyone really, but especially those who are thrust into the public spectrum such as a senator or a journalist. Mistakes certainly do happen- we're all human- but a lot of problems can be eliminated via a quick fact-check.

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