Today, while travelling by train, my mom heard some sensational news regarding a member of a local political party and switched on the news channel as soon as she reached home to get more information. It turned out that the people who had been discussing the issue for a good half hour had mixed up the original person involved with another member from the same party who shared a similar name.

This is yet another example which illustrates how easy it is to spread false news while believing it to be true. This has especially come under scrutiny since the US 2016 Presidential Elections. It is very tempting to spread news without verifying, primarily because it is human nature to want to seem knowledgeable. In lieu of that, we often do not take the time or effort to cross-check facts. This can have adverse consequences in today’s world of instant messaging, making it imperative for even ordinary people to feel accountable about the information they share.

From now on, let’s give more importance to being correct over being popular.