The United States and a lot of other countries like the UK, India, Australia, Iran, Italy, and so on all got seriously affected by the global pandemic of COVID-19. In the midst of this crisis, there are lots of misinformation and false news that is being circulated in various news outlets, and social media platforms, so it is important to be able to vet through the unfiltered news and get the right information. A piece of true information can help prevent public hysteria and reduces panic.

Especially during this pandemic, the circulation of true and factual information is very important. As we stay at home and maintain social distancing, we are constantly on the online social media and consume the news regarding the pandemic now more than ever. While there is a lot of information in the recent development of the COVID-19 news, not all of them are true and properly reported. In this uncertain time, it is important to be able to navigate through the information we see online. So in this article, I will share a story I went through during this quarantined time, and give my opinion on how to find true information online during this time of crisis.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw the news on my Facebook feed pertaining that China was to blame for the manufacture and deliverance of COVID 19- SAR-2 virus to the world, and is responsible for this pandemic in form of a bio-attack. The post seemed legitimate with the clips of FBI briefings and news reporter backing the claim. The same post was then sent to me via Facebook messenger by my friend with the expression of outrageousness to the Chinese government. Seeing this, I felt very skeptical and thought to do a self fact check to the news I'd seen. So I went on google and tried to see if it was indeed a fact or a fiction. As usual, the topic had many search results and was backed and disputed by many websites, so I thought to go through the actual reporting source, the FBI's official website with the .gov web extension. There in the site, I searched for the case pertaining to the COVID crisis, but there was no such report implying the involvement of the Chinese government to develop and release the COVID strand. But there was an article from before the COVID pandemic; reported on Jan 28th, 2020. The article had no mention of the COVID virus but had the reported that an American Harvard Univerisity Professor and two Chinese Nationals were caught and charged for three separate cases that had to do with China, but nothing to do with COVID. The FBI's reports were concerning that explained the Chinese foreign espionage, but it had nothing to do with the current pandemic. The post I'd seen on Facebook was exaggerated and was in place to provoke public panic and hysteria.

So through this article, I'd like to move on to the next topic on the ways to find true information online:

1) Check the Website Domain Extention: (.gov, .edu, .org, or .com)

Everyone can share their opinion to the wide range of population with the usage of the social media platforms like Facebook, Youtube, and online blogs, but we as the consumer of information have to be cautious of the source providing that information. If the news is from a .gov extension then it can be classified as highly reputable, as it is the information directly from the governing state or nation, followed by the .edu extension which pertains to an educational institution or a research institution, lastly followed by .org extension which also reflects credibility and reputation.

Implying that .com should be the last place for factual news, as most of the .com domains are privately owned and are mostly opinionated.

2) Be in-habit to check the online library database:

Often overlooked by the general public, these are among the best place to find the recent study and research pertaining to any field from reputable journals to scholarly articles. Doing this will help to get the factual truth, as well as help, get into learning, and self-research.

3) Check for the news reported for biasedness:

In any important topic, it is easy to get muddleheaded and have strong backing to one's support, but it is very important to have an open mind and see-through any news with the perspective of unbiasedness.

Lastly, in this pandemic lets try to be vigilant for false news and be focused on the true information and be informative readers to information. Also, let's try our best to stay safe and support one another and practice the habit of getting and sharing true information.