FIELD NOTE: Being First Matters Less Than Being Right

A digital detective's guide to sharing information during an emergency

When a wildfire or natural disaster is affecting a community, information moves incredibly quickly.

A post gets shared. Someone adds a comment. Someone else screenshots it. Another person reposts the screenshot.

Before long, information can be circulating everywhere without anyone being quite sure where it originally came from.

That's when we need to slow down.

During an emergency, information should be more than easy to share. It should be current, accurate and traceable to a reliable source.

A road that was open this morning may be closed this afternoon.

An evacuation alert can become an evacuation order.

A route that was recommended earlier may no longer be the safest option.

And information that was accurate an hour ago may already be outdated.

So before sharing information about wildfire conditions, road closures, evacuation orders or emergency services:

Check the date and time.

Check the original source.

Check whether the information has changed.

Use official emergency and transportation sources whenever possible.

And if you can't verify it?

It's okay not to share it.

A polished graphic doesn't make information accurate.

An official-looking post doesn't automatically make it official.

And AI-generated content is especially worth treating carefully when it is presenting itself as factual information.

During an emergency:

Being first matters less than being right.

That's not just good social media practice.

It can make a real difference to the people relying on that information.

Digital Detective Jo's Note: When the stakes are high, don't just ask, “Can I share this?”

Ask, “How do I know this is true—and is it still true?”