# How do you decide what's the straight dope? (vs. propaganda)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-decide-whats-the-straight-dope-vs-propaganda/625651>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 19, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-decide-whats-the-straight-dope-vs-propaganda/625651 "2012-06-19T16:02:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-decide-whats-the-straight-dope-vs-propaganda/625651/1 "2012-06-19T16:02:21Z")

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Over the last week, Indian media has [been](http://www.hindustantimes.com/Punjab/Chandigarh/Pak-troops-again-violate-truce-on-LoC-army-seeks-flag-meeting/SP-Article1-874782.aspx) [reporting](http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_pak-fires-crisis-along-the-border_1703377) ceasefire violations by the Pakistani army at the line of control in Kashmir.

> [@](#):
>
> A serious situation has erupted on the Line of Control (LoC) following unprovoked firing by Pakistani army, which has been using heavy automatic and small arms fire to target Indian forward positions in different sub-sectors of Poonch since Monday.
> 
> Two soldiers, including a BSF personnel, have been killed and two others injured in the firing.
> 
> Efforts to de-escalate the situation received a jolt when Pakistan postponed the flag meeting scheduled to be held at Chakan-Da-Bagh on Saturday without giving any reasons. The Cross-LoC trade via the Chakan-Da-Bagh crossing also remained suspended, awaiting de-escalation of the situation …

The Pakistani media seem to be ignoring the story. The one [article](http://tribune.com.pk/story/393483/trouble-at-loc-2-injured-in-unprovoked-indian-firing/) I could find on the topic was, of course, diametrically opposed to stories in the Indian media.

> [@](#):
>
> Police sources, quoting official reports received at the police control room, told The Express Tribune that Indian troops resorted to indiscriminate firing on areas inhabited by a civilian population in Battal sector without any provocation.

In such cases how do you decide which one is more likely to be lying on the side of the truth? Do you just go with your side? Do you go with the side that has provided more information because they’re likely to be the aggrieved party? Do you think they’re providing more information because it’s a cover up?

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-decide-whats-the-straight-dope-vs-propaganda/625651/2 "2012-06-19T16:10:53Z")

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You get as many different sources of information that you can. Assume each one is biased. Over time certain facts tend to show through with consistency. If you can pick out inarguable facts from the otherwise fuzzy pictures, then you can apply your own common sense to decide what is likely to be true independently of the accounts of others. After that, you are either brainwashed or guessing, just like the rest of us.