EDITOR

I couldn’t believe my eyes while reading Mike Olson’s letter “Democrat’s constitutional crisis”. He obviously didn’t fact check. Nor did he list his source(s). A viral image circulating on Facebook wrongly credited three leading Democratic senators with made-up quotes lifted directly from a satire website. The image did not disclose that the quotes were satirical. As it turns out, the quotes can be traced to a June 29, 2018, article from the Babylon Bee, a website that describes itself as “your trusted source for Christian news satire.” (Check it out for yourself at www.babylonbee.com)

Mr Olson, where are your critical thinking skills? Every one of our elected officials have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution. I understand that there are alternate realities depending on what news sources you rely on. That is why it is imperative that we fact check before sharing misinformation. There is good journalism, “fake news” and satire. You, sir, just passed on satire as fact. Shame on you.

You went on to quote Chelsea Clinton without context. For the full exchange, please see www.snopes.com/fact-check/chelsea-clinton-abortion-good-for-economy/

Please, folks, with the polarization of our political climate, always fact check. Passing on misinformation not only harms our democracy, it makes the author a fool.

Teresa Ross

Escanaba