Hoaxes Quote by Thomas M. Nichols
““People do not come to the Internet so that their bad information can be corrected or their cherished theories disproven. Rather, they ask the electronic oracle to confirm them in their ignorance. In 2015 a Washington Post writer, Caitlin Dewey, worried that fact-checking could never defeat myths and hoaxes because “no one has the time or cognitive capacity to reason all the apparent nuances and discrepancies out.”3 In the end, she sighed, “debunking them doesn’t do a darn thing.””
About This Quote
Source Article: “The Limits of Fact‑Checking” by Thomas M. Nichols, The Atlantic, 2020
Fact‑checking often fails to change beliefs because people use information to confirm biases rather than seek truth.
In simple terms: People seek confirmation, not correction
Key Takeaway
Recognize bias and seek diverse perspectives
Themes
cognition
bias
media literacy
Mood
skeptical
analytical
Type
explanatory
thought‑provoking
When to use this quote
- online discourse
- education
- policy making
Key Concepts
confirmation bias
information overload
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you react when confronted with contradictory evidence?
- What strategies can improve critical thinking?
A Different Perspective
Changing minds requires more than presenting facts; it needs emotional engagement
![“Blue Book was now under direct orders to debunk. . . I remember the conversations around the conference table in which it was suggested that Walt Disney or some educational cartoon producer be enlisted in [the] debunking process.” quote by J. Allen Hynek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b9b/j-allen-hynek-40437_blue_blue-book-was-now-under-direct-orders-to_1022117.jpg)
