After all the effort it takes to search, test and verify truthful information online, it would not be wise to easily toss it aside when someone challenges it or something else comes along that sounds persuasive.

Once you have discovered what is true, continue with it

If you have verified factual information, then don’t back down under pressure from others or give up on the continual search for more angles of the truthful information. Keep seeking truth. One of the strengths of the freedoms in the U.S. is that the law tends to support truth-seeking for the public and by the public.

Example: Press Freedom in the U.S. Constitution

The freedom to seek and report truth is among the most important aspects of examining the informational environment in society today. If the United States did not support truth seeking or offer protection for the press (newspapers) to report without fear of lawsuits by those who may not like what they report, then we would have far more difficulty in finding truthful information since there would be far less of it.

The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States provides freedom for the press (journalists) by protecting them from libel (defamation) lawsuits… as long as they are acting responsibly to find and report the truth. Journalists are not protected from lawsuits if they are intentionally (or neglectfully) writing false or misleading news. The First Amendment gives the press the freedom to report TRUTH.

The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It was written in 1787 by the people and for the people.

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

It is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The “First Amendment” was added in 1791 as part of the Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Don’t throw out truthful facts without good reason

While there is a time to readjust if there was a belief error, don’t throw out truthful facts without good reason to do so. But at the same time, don’t believe false facts just because the search for truth can be time-consuming or challenging, or it may even seem impossible at times. There was a time a century ago that truth was similarly elusive or at times nearly impossible to find.

Example: A free and responsible press

In the early 1900s, many newspapers had strayed from truthful reporting of the facts. The term “yellow journalism” was used to describe the production of journalism stories that were financially or politically motivated. Sensational stories included stretched or fabricated information in an attempt to sell more papers and make more money. But instead, sales began to decrease. Who would want to pay for “fake news”?

The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States protects “the press”(journalists) against lawsuits for libel (defamation), as long as they do their best to have complete truth in all their coverage. But the press had not been doing that. The newspaper industry was about to go under and the U.S. government was considering a takeover of the “free press.” Until… 

The Supreme Court ruled in 1931 that the role of the First Amendment was to protect the rights of citizens, not to protect the rights of the press as a business or organization. To survive, the press needed to restore their credibility. During this time, many journalism programs were started at universities around the U.S. to establish a professional perception of the journalism trade.

The “Canons of Journalism” was developed in 1923 as the first journalism code of ethics, to hold as a high bar to strive for in rebuilding credibility and the trust of the public.

In 1947, a dozen researchers known as the Hutchins Commission on Freedom of the Press (paid for by Henry Luce who owned TIME magazine), researched for three years about how to restore the journalism industry and as a result produced a set of articles. One of the articles was titled, “A Free and Responsible Press,” presenting the idea that the press is privileged and as such must be responsible to society. This “Social Responsibility of the Press” concept has since influenced journalism for many years to be considered the voice of the people. “Only a responsible press can remain free” (Lyons, 1947).

In 1947, Robert W. Jones wrote that the press can be viewed as a “Fourth Estate” of government checks and balances, or a “watchtower” for society, to guard against political corruption, not to support the political viewpoints of either side. 

Since the 1940s, the news media in the U.S. has been expected by society to be the “voice of the people.” 

If you have followed the steps to assure truth and dispel lies, then stay with it

You can rest in knowing that you searched and found the truth about a topic, if you have followed the steps and are assured that the information you have found about a topic is correct, then hold on to that knowledge and stay with that truth.