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Three Source Rule

In over five years of writing this blog I have had very few rants or stood on my soap box.  But today I am going to put something out there and see what you think…

Is it okay for them to report incorrect information?  I think not.

This week I heard on three separate occasions journalists reporting so called “facts” about the Malaysian MH17 disaster in the Ukraine and on all three occasions the person they were interviewing had to correct them because the points they were reporting as fact had already been proven as incorrect and reported as so.

In a relatively new phenomenon, the rush to be the first with the news and remain relevant, i.e. beating Twitter and Facebook posts, seems to have journalists rushing to air without checking their sources ensuring what they are saying is correct.  Ten years ago this would have been unheard of.  Mainly because historically journalists cultivated sources, they dug and dug deep and investigative journalism was something to be admired.  Today I am not so sure.  It seems the good investigative journalists are being bypassed or asked to simply convey what they are observing because their tradecraft takes too long and by the time they come to the public with the full story the news cycle has moved on and their story may no longer topical.

As an Intelligence Officer with the police we followed something called the Three Source Rule.  It is a simple and effective rule and it basically states wherever possible try and corroborate any piece of information via three independent sources.  While it was not always possible it was a great rule of thumb.  The one caveat was, and this is where the work came in, you needed to follow the information and ensure the three sources came about the information in a separate, credible and reliable way.  Basically we needed to check one person wasn’t running around making stuff up and everyone else was just talking about what they had been told by that person.

Bringing my little media issue full circle.  I am concerned that as information is recycled and reposted, one piece of incorrect information can quickly be re-reported by multiple blogs, social media and even traditional media and what was previously speculation is now confirmed as fact because everyone is reporting the same information.

What do you think?  Is our need for fast news eroding the authority of journalists who are forced to report whatever they can quickly and just apologise for it later?

The role of media is very important and it can sway public opinion very quickly, I just think it should be based on a little more than Chinese whispers.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

 

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How To Read People (4/4)

So now we have come down to the fourth and final type preference that you’ll be looking for when determining someones personality type. This, as I mentioned briefly in my last article, means determining whether the person is a perceiver, or a judger. This aspect of their personality has a great deal to do with the way they live their life. Are they more neat, formal and organized, or do they tend to be a bit messy and go with the flow? These are the type of questions you should be asking yourself to determine which side of the fence the other person is usually on.

Personal appearance can be a big clue for you when figuring them out. Perceivers generally dress more for themselves rather than for others, appearing more casual and relaxed when given the option. Judgers on the other hand tend to be a bit more formal and dress for others more than themselves, giving themselves a nice finished look most of the time. While appearance can be a big clue in terms of the decision you reach, you must keep the circumstances in mind as well. For instance, if your out at a park with someone on a hot summer day, casual vs formal is probably not going to be a very accurate indicator of their type preference given the fact that it’s hot outside and most people are going to pick comfort over style in that situation. However, you might be able to get an accurate clue based on a different aspect of their appearance, like their color coordination. Even though they’re going to dress for comfort since it’s hot, the judging type has the tendency to still make sure that their “comfort” entire still matches and goes together nicely.

What does their home/office/car look like in relation to organization? The answer to this question can also reveal a wealth of information that leads to their personality preference. If the person is a perceiver, chances are these places will appear quite messy. They’re usually a little bit low on the organization scale in most peoples opinion. They like to be involved in several tasks all at once, and are easier to distract than judgers are. Walking into a judgers office looks a lot different. Judgers like everything neat and orderly and prefer to focus on one thing at a time. That’s why they generally have cleaner desks, because they have fewer things that they are actively working on. Due to the opposite preferences these types have in this area, it’s something you should definitely look for when labeling someone a perceiver or judger.

The last thing I’ll mention to keep an eye out for relates to their organization as well. What does their schedules look like. Do they leave the door open for other opportunities or tasks that pop up during the day, or do they like a strong “to do list” type day. For perceivers, spontaneity is very important, so they’ll generally be very open to and maybe even set aside time for anything that may come up unexpectedly. The judging type usually doesn’t like deviating from their plan and typically won’t unless something of great importance comes up. For this reason, perceivers have a tendency to be slow decision maker’s leaving their options open until the last minute just incase anything more attractive or more important comes along, while judgers are usually quick to come to a decision and be done with it.

Read these four articles multiple times and do some extra research on these types so you can get real familiar with them. The more familiar you are with them, the easier and more natural it will be to identify personality types and use your knowledge of the other persons type to your advantage.