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When I’m receiving good news, I usually go into the mode of verification to verify information is actually accurate. I suppose it depends on what the news is and how I’m receiving it.
Even before the rollout of AI clones and text scams, I would have said: Verify information to ensure you really know that it’s accurate.
Once a journalist, always a journalist, I suppose.
But there’s something to be said about checking your facts before quitting your job after winning the lottery in some far-away country.
Some areas I consider in the process include…
The delivery method
The way the news is received matters. My boss sitting in front of me sharing that I’ve been promoted is way less likely to be a scam (probably close to zero – depending on your boss!) than the text from an unknown number to let me know I have a package at some random location. Oh, and please bring $500 in gift cards to pay for the delivery fee.
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The level of good news
Some potentially good news certainly has more impact on things moving forward than others.
- A new job (and there are now job hiring scams happening too! Ugh.)
- Winning the lottery.
- Buying a house.
- Being recognized for an achievement. (Being asked to pay three grand for the honor isn’t that great of news. Think those “Christoph, we will feature you for $3k in our magazine” emails.)
- Finding solutions for a medical problem
Consider the source
If your kid says mom told them it was okay to do this ridiculously dangerous thing, most parents likely know they should check with mom. And not take the statement as fact.
Consider the source. Always.
- Do you know them?
- Are they trustworthy?
- What do they have to gain from being less than truthful?
Depending on the news, you might also be able to use an online AI fact checker.
Once we know it’s true
Once the accuracy has been established, I think it’s good to communicate with the right people quickly.
In case of a job switch, that includes family members but also your team. Hopefully, they won’t be happy that you are leaving, but there should be some courtesy that they hear it from you first and not through the grapevine.
Of course, depending on what the news is, a social media post or other public announcement might be necessary. But again, depending on what it is, don’t jump to sharing things too quickly.
So, I guess the first thing I would do is ensure the accuracy of the news and then share it on the channels and with the people I deem relevant.
This is part of the daily blogging prompts suggested by the Jetpack plugin.