Richmond B. Shreve will speak to the Newtown Meeting Adult Class on “Skepticism Triggers: When You Don’t Have Time To Fact Check” at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday, November 11, at the historic Quaker Meetinghouse at 219 Court Street (http://newsite.newtownfriendsmeeting.org). Meeting for Worship in the manner of Friends will follow at 11 a.m. The public is invited to attend.
Richmond is a resident of Newtown and a member of Newtown Quaker meeting. His fascinating businesses and interests have included: Electronics Technician in Broadcast Radio; Graphic Artist; Commercial Business Park co-owner and CEO; High Performance Sports Car Driver; Gaffer for a Film Festival; and Volunteer Firefighter.
Shreve is a computer power user, graphic artist, photographer, and website designer and now helps nonprofits build and maintain web sites. He also is keenly aware of the problems many people have with discerning truth from fiction on many websites and media outlets in these days of a highly polarized society.
So, how do we make sense of what we see and hear?
Most of us can’t or don’t do much fact-checking, but Shreve thinks there is a way we can become more discerning readers and identify signs of poor or deceptive information. He calls these “skepticism triggers” which can alert us to “spins,” “bias,”and “slants” in the news.
Richmond says, “If you surf the internet for your information, or if you watch CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, or other such news-as-entertainment sources, you will find the tools I suggest quite useful in analyzing material and recognizing what’s authentic.”
In fact, Richmond Shreve, the former head of market research in the US for an international drug company, has published a whole series of essays on skepticism triggers.
Richmond is a citizen journalist and former Senior Editor at OpEdNews.com. His books include Lost River Anthology and Instructor Candidate Manual. He has a BS degree in Psychology from Ohio State University and lives with his wife Marguerite Chandler in Newtown, PA.
Newtown Friends Meeting, is open to the public, with Sunday School classes for children and adults at 9:45 a.m. and worship based on expectant silence “after the manner of Friends” at 11 a.m. Childcare is provided.