When breaking news happens, it's almost always the case that the reporting (and misreporting) of the events shares in the spotlight. (Case in point, Jon Stewart's ruthless take down of CNN's reporting of the Navy Yard mass shooting, this week.)

Today, our public radio friends at On The Media, take a proactive approach, formulating a consumer's guide to sorting "good information from bad."

OTM Producer Alex Goldman comes up with nine tips like: "Don't trust anonymous sources," because, for example, a "law enforcement official" could be anyone from "the FBI to a cop in a car."

Also: "Compare multiple sources," because as NPR's Andy Carvin tells them: "you can triangulate that information and get to some nugget of truth."

The full piece is worth a read. We'll leave you with On The Media's handy clip-and-save:

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