Who Do You Trust Nowadays?
My first day in journalism school, our professor faced an auditorium full of wide-eyed and eager reporters. This was in a more innocent time before the World Wide Web, blogs, social media and smart phones.
Professor Don Ranley was his name, and I will never forget a simple rule he laid down for us:
"If your mother says she loves you, check it out!"
Over the next two years, our professors constantly challenged us to verify the source of our information. Cub reporters had to call back their sources and read back portions of the story before the newspaper went to print. Sometimes, our editors "killed" a story figuring it was better to be a day late than flat wrong.
Fast forward to 2012. There are no less than 52 social media sites (probably double that number) that are considered mainstream. Email, texts, tweets, Facebook status updates, instant messages - they all deliver snippets of information in nanobursts. Sadly, alot of our friends, colleagues and bloggers aren't checking their facts closely.
I offer some suggestions about who you can trust for information, how I know, and why.
1. People you know personally are better bets than anonymous strangers you read on the web.
2. Bloggers are not trained journalists. Journalism (whether people like to admit it or not) is a serious profession. Bloggers, like Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report, do a fine job covering politics. However, for every Drudge Report, there are 50 web sites that re-post other people's content without fact-checking it, or they publish opinion as fact without a disclaimer.
3. Don't be afraid to listen to both sides. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle.
4. Keep in mind what your mother told you. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
5. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Writers aren't smarter than you; they just come off that way.
6. OK, here's a biggie! Don't hesitate to ask someone where they got their information. Do it politely without it being a challenge. Since not all sources of information are created equal, this is a fair question.
Who can you trust nowadays? News organizations that aren't biased toward an agenda or party. Web sites that offer both sides of an issue, too. Friends and colleagues who aren't easily fooled. Public speakers who admit they don't have all the answers. Because finding answers starts with asking the right questions.
If you don't believe me, go ask your mother.
Professor Don Ranley was his name, and I will never forget a simple rule he laid down for us:
"If your mother says she loves you, check it out!"
Over the next two years, our professors constantly challenged us to verify the source of our information. Cub reporters had to call back their sources and read back portions of the story before the newspaper went to print. Sometimes, our editors "killed" a story figuring it was better to be a day late than flat wrong.
Fast forward to 2012. There are no less than 52 social media sites (probably double that number) that are considered mainstream. Email, texts, tweets, Facebook status updates, instant messages - they all deliver snippets of information in nanobursts. Sadly, alot of our friends, colleagues and bloggers aren't checking their facts closely.
I offer some suggestions about who you can trust for information, how I know, and why.
1. People you know personally are better bets than anonymous strangers you read on the web.
2. Bloggers are not trained journalists. Journalism (whether people like to admit it or not) is a serious profession. Bloggers, like Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report, do a fine job covering politics. However, for every Drudge Report, there are 50 web sites that re-post other people's content without fact-checking it, or they publish opinion as fact without a disclaimer.
3. Don't be afraid to listen to both sides. The truth is usually somewhere in the middle.
4. Keep in mind what your mother told you. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
5. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Writers aren't smarter than you; they just come off that way.
6. OK, here's a biggie! Don't hesitate to ask someone where they got their information. Do it politely without it being a challenge. Since not all sources of information are created equal, this is a fair question.
Who can you trust nowadays? News organizations that aren't biased toward an agenda or party. Web sites that offer both sides of an issue, too. Friends and colleagues who aren't easily fooled. Public speakers who admit they don't have all the answers. Because finding answers starts with asking the right questions.
If you don't believe me, go ask your mother.
- Rob McCarthy, Newsletter Editor
Update on New Lien Rules for California Comp
The Workers' Compensation Appeals Board released a set of rule changes governing liens on June 1, about a week after you read it here first. (It's not often that this newsletter scoops our News Department.) I incorrectly reported in May that the WCAB would give lien claimants 360 days after a case settles to file a lien. The WCAB shortened that time to 180 days - half the time originally proposed. Rule 10582.5 under "Dismissal of Liens for Lack of Prosecution" is the rule section.
If you are a lien claimant of any sort, you definitely will want to read about the new rules here.
Can 'Zombie' Liens Be Stopped? Find out on June 25
What is a "zombie" lien anyway? It's a lien for payment that was satisfied, and the file was closed. Yet, someone is calling and sending demand letters for payment on the lien. It's come back ... to haunt you.
Learn more about the problem of "zombie" liens when author Michael Sullivan and lien hearing rep JP Navarro answer the question, "Will the New Regs Put Zombie Liens to Rest?" on a June 25 webinar.
It will last about 90 minutes and offer 1.5 continuing-education credits. For the details, click here.
The webinar is free to Sullivan on Comp subscribers. Becoming a subscriber is easy! Free offer
Psyche Injury and Evaluation
Psyche injury isn't a topic that gets prime-time attention in continuing education or on the workers' comp conference circuit. WorkCompCentral is proud to partner with Dr. Julie Armstrong, Psy.D, to deliver a seminar about psyche that has something for the psyche treater and the attorneys alike.
"Writing a Rateable Psyche Report" takes place this Saturday here in Camarillo and on Aug. 4 at Mills College in Oakland. The cost is $329, and QME and MCLE credit is available.
Psychiatrists and psychologists: This report-writing skills course will cover the applicable workers' comp law, what type of mental trauma is compensable and why, and what a report must contain to be substantial evidence at trial.
Attorneys: You'll know what constitutes a good psyche report vs. a poorly written one.
Need more info or to talk with a school adviser? Call 805-484-0333, ext. 113 or 133.
Ellen Flynn Appointed Associate CJ
Judge Ellen Flynn is replacing Mark Kahn as the associate chief justice of the Southern California offices of the Division of Workers' Compensation. Judge Kahn announced his retirement and will stay on as a retired judge through August, according to the DWC.
Ellen Flynn has been the presiding judge at the Anaheim board for 21 years, and started her workers' comp legal career at State Fund. In 1991, she was chosen Judge of the Year.
“I am deeply honored to have been chosen for this position,” said Judge Flynn. “I look forward to working with everyone in the Southern California offices and with the administration.”
News Digest
N.Y.: Comptroller Rejects $61M in Overpayments by SWCB. Link
CA: Valdez Decision Published. Link
N.Y.: Bill Expands NY Workers' Choice. Link
MO: High Court Revives Widow's Tort Suit Against Statutory Employer. Read it.
Nation: Master Complaint Filed in NFL Concussion Litigation Suit. Read about it.
NCCI: Narcotics Costs on the Rise. Link
IL: Lawmakers Order That Claims Administration Be Contracted Out. Who's affected
Read them with a subscription or buy the individual article.
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