Klein's previous column:

That figures...

Fact-checking, in the time of fake-news and hoaxes. A noble endeavour. I also applaud it, yes!

Just one problem. Or several even. How do you check your facts? At the Telegraph? Or the N.O.S? All Reuters pickers. How do you check if there was an earthquake in Java, or the number of victims in a bombing in Syria? Facebook maybe?

Common sense, that's what I plead for. Logical reasoning, peasantry. Hey, again the farmers. That is not possible with the above, of course, but sometimes it is. You have to be able to assume something, otherwise you have nothing, I get that. What if we combine that fact-checking with logical reasoning and common sense? Then we are a long way. A shooting at a school... for a moment. Well, if you have a country where you can own firearms and you have a crazy kid in a school, then there could be 6 dead and 9 wounded. But still, you're not sure.

When you drop a glass of Coke, yes, you can say with quite certainty where that stain in the carpet came from. You can't get any further than that. Your own limited circle. A small step further from the neighbours: “Hejt al heurt?” , yes there you already go. Fact-checking sounds nice but is too definite. It is hardly feasible. But that's why it still has to be the goal.

Checkmate.

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