DU Community Help

Be cautious about anything you read on the Internet, and the sketchier the source, the more caution you should exercise.

Be especially cautious about anything that comes directly from social media -- even things that appear to be legitimate at first glance. In general, if something comes from X, BlueSky, or Threads, you should probably immediately double-check to see if the information can be found elsewhere before promoting or re-sharing it.

As you say, it should be a no-brainer that claims made by Iran's Ministry of Information have as much legitimacy as claims made by Karoline Leavitt, which is to say, no legitimacy whatsoever. Nevertheless, legitimate news outlets will report what Iran's MOI is saying -- just as they report what Karoline Leavitt is saying. That is part of their news-gathering responsibility. It doesn't mean we have to treat propaganda as legitimate information.

Other than that, I don't see the need to create a list of acceptable or unacceptable sources, but I will reiterate once again that DU members should use a great deal of caution when bringing content from social media. If you are simply reposting something that popped up in your feed because it sounds good to you, without bothering to go check and find out if the source is a hive of homophobia, antisemitism, or "America First" nonsense, then it's on you if your post ends up getting removed for bigotry or peddling right wing talking points.