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My aunt in Florida sent me a video of a 'zombie deer' that turned out to be a raccoon with mange
It was a shaky clip from her backyard last fall, and she was convinced a new disease was spreading. I spent about two hours digging through wildlife agency reports and local news from her county. Found the real story: a known mange outbreak in the local raccoon population, confirmed by a vet's statement from six months prior. I sent her the links and she just texted back 'Well, it looked scary on my phone.' Now I always check the date and source on any 'breaking' animal video before I even think about sharing it. Anyone else have a family member who sends them the weirdest 'news' clips?
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colethomas6mo ago
The "looked scary on my phone" line is the whole problem in a nutshell. My mom sends me stuff where the headline is just a question mark and the video is clearly from 2012. I've started sending back Snopes links before she even asks. It's like a weird game of fact-checking whack-a-mole now.
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derek_hill6mo ago
Oh man, the question mark headline is the universal sign for "I didn't check this at all." My aunt does the same thing, and now I just have a folder of saved fact checks ready to go. It feels less like helping and more like being a full time librarian for the world's most gullible book club.
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samrodriguez6mo ago
Honestly, I've gotten so good at this I should put it on my resume. My fact-check folder is basically a second job at this point. I'll see a headline with a question mark and just sigh because I know what's coming next. It's like being a free, 24/7 news detective for people who refuse to google. Tbh, I'm starting to think my real calling is just managing other people's panic.
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wesleyflores4mo ago
Lmao best comment I've seen all day.
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