×

Knowing the difference between fact and fiction

I remember in grade school being taught about the dangers of rumors and mishearing information; how things can be twisted around when details aren’t understood appropriately – or worse, when people intentionally twist those details around the suit their own needs.

The lesson was taught, as some were back then, through a game.

During “Telephone,” we sat in a circle, with one person given a message, and then each of us taking turns telling the person next to us what we thought the message was. Almost always, by the time the last person was asked to say what they had heard, it was nowhere near what the original message was. We would laugh about how funny it was, but it instilled the importance of listening, speaking clearly, and understanding.

I’ve thought of this often, especially in times of crisis when there is a lot of information being passed around, and it’s almost impossible to get things directly from the source.

With the advent of social media, information spreads even faster and, despite the use of artificial intelligence, third party fact-checkers, or community notes, not everything gets corrected or clarified.

People are angry. They want their water service returned. They want the comfort of the lifestyle they’re used to. They want someone to blame for the mess of the last several weeks. In all of that, sometimes, they’re willing to believe whatever they see or hear, without checking for themselves on the source or the accuracy.

I don’t often post on social media, outside of some aspects of work, but I do see much of what is being said, both on community groups and through personal pages of friends, family, and other acquaintances.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you not to be angry. I’m not going to say who to point fingers toward. I will say, not everything being put out there is necessarily factual.

One of the big topics has been people repeating the idea that the Weirton Area Water Board gave $5 million to the College of St. Joseph. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve seen posts on social media platforms in the last week, with people asking why Weirton officials or the Water Board awarded those funds instead of investing it into the water distribution system.

I understand people got this confused given the stress and everything, especially given the timing, but the funding came from the state level.

Our reporter, Steven Allen Adams, was among the first to get the word out, with an article appearing in this newspaper on Dec. 30 about the $5 million in funding awarded in October by the West Virginia Water Development Authority through its Economic Enhancement Grant Fund.

More than $2 million of those funds are set to acquire property, equipment and materials to establish a construction and real estate company, according to Steven’s reporting, to be headquartered in Weirton. Another $1.6 million would be put toward scholarships for those attending the college.

The proposal received advocacy from Del. Pat McGeehan of Hancock County.

Some people obviously read out reports on that matter, or saw from other local outlets afterward, talked with others, who spoke with others, and on down the line, until it got to some people out there who though the city had $5 million to give to a Steubenville trade college which just launched its inaugural class in September.

Frustrations are understandably high, and will remain so for several more days. Water Board officials, in their most recent public update, estimated the water system should be stabilized by Feb. 10. Hopefully, that’s a worst-case scenario, and service can be restored sooner, but even then the conservation order is expected to be in place for a while longer.

This is a time to come together as a community, and look out for each other until the crisis is over. Then, we can all look around, learn what actually happened, and figure out what can be done to prevent it from happening again.

(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @CHowellWDT)

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today