western australia

Checking out a story

@JudyEv (358419)

Rockingham, Australia

July 5, 2025 8:30pm CST

I wrote about the wildlife carer who fell from a balcony and was awakened by her pet magpie gently tapping on her forehead. It was interesting that in the middle of the article, there was a short paragraph saying that such stories can be problematic for reporters. How are they to know that the story is true? How can they check the facts? In the story about Ms Gillard, the reporter confirmed a) that she had been admitted to Royal Perth Hospital b) that she had been flown to Perth with the Royal Flying Doctor c) and that she had had long experience caring for native creatures. It’s nice to know that they check out facts that might seen untrue or exaggerated. The photo is another one of my mother’s magpies.

18 people like this

14 responses

@rakski (143086)

• Philippines

6 Jul

It’s reassuring to see responsible journalism in action

3 people like this

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@rakski (143086)

• Philippines

6 Jul

@JudyEv that is good.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

6 Jul

It is indeed. I mostly trust our national station.

3 people like this

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@Mshafeeq (2216)

• Kuwait, Kuwait

6 Jul

Feels like good and to be true but unfortunately it's a story right.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Jul

No, it truly happened. I wrote about it earlier.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Jul

@Mshafeeq Not a problem. Enjoy your day.

1 person likes this

@Mshafeeq (2216)

• Kuwait, Kuwait

7 Jul

@JudyEv Oh is it, I didn't realize then

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@FourWalls (76680)

• United States

6 Jul

I’m glad the story was true. Pretty birds!

2 people like this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

6 Jul

It's good to know they check up on stuff. We used to a 'Fact Checker' program on TV. That was good to watch too and made you more canny about what might or might not be true.

2 people like this

@Vikingswest1 (6806)

• United States

6 Jul

Very intelligent birds. Territorial and loyal from what I've read. They can remember voices and people that were hostile toward them. They also use tools to accomplish tasks. I would love to have them as pets. There is a law in the state I'm from that forbids having crows, jays, ravens or magpies as pets because they used to be trained to steal money from unsuspecting people or shops. I'm not sure if that law is still enforced. I actually admire reporters that go to the trouble of fact checking stories and verifying that the story was accurate. So many these days won't bother checking.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

6 Jul

I do trust our national station but I know some don't bother to check the facts. Your magpies are a bit different to ours but many birds seem more intelligent than we give them credit for.

2 people like this

@TheHorse (228585)

• Walnut Creek, California

6 Jul

I don't always trust "feel good"stories.

2 people like this

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@TheHorse (228585)

• Walnut Creek, California

6 Jul

@JudyEv OK, I'll believe along with you. You don't believe there were flying saucer people behind that comet. Or that Trump is actually a closet-genius. Do you?

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Jul

@TheHorse No, I don't believe those. lol

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

6 Jul

Fair enough but I believe this one.

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@LindaOHio (194499)

• United States

6 Jul

Interesting story and interesting birds!

2 people like this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

6 Jul

I think birds are much more intelligent than we give them credit for.

2 people like this

@LindaOHio (194499)

• United States

6 Jul

@JudyEv Most animals are...dolphins, pigs, dogs...so many.

1 person likes this

@GardenGerty (164733)

• United States

6 Jul

I think we all like "feel good" stories and always want them to be true. It is the job of the reporter to check it out though.

2 people like this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

6 Jul

So true. I always want such stories to be true too.

1 person likes this

@jstory07 (145080)

• Roseburg, Oregon

6 Jul

I believe that pets are known to save their owners.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Jul

I know many have been woken by cats or dogs when their house catches fire.

@LadyDuck (478938)

• Italy

6 Jul

It's hard for journalists to be sure of the facts, but it's great to know that there are still responsible journalists who check the facts.

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@LadyDuck (478938)

• Italy

7 Jul

@JudyEv With the advent of AI it's hard to know what to believe now.

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@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Jul

@LadyDuck That is so, so true.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Jul

I was pleased to read that they check out some of the facts. You do wonder sometimes how true a story is.

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@RasmaSandra (86912)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

6 Jul

There are many miraculous things that happen in this world

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Jul

There are indeed. The world is an interesting place.

1 person likes this

@moffittjc (124855)

• Gainesville, Florida

6 Jul

I didn't know that responsible journalism existed anymore! Was poor Ms. Gillard okay? Did she recover?

1 person likes this

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@moffittjc (124855)

• Gainesville, Florida

7 Jul

@JudyEv I’m glad she is okay!

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@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Jul

Yes, she was flown to Royal Perth Hospital and it didn't say how long she stayed there. She is fine now but she has moved to Bunbury.

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@Shiva49 (27399)

• Singapore

6 Jul

It is not easy for the reporters as they have deadlines too to adhere. At times, I have seen them retracting some stories which were later found to be not true.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Jul

It must be a tough call sometimes for reporters, deciding whether something should be printed or not.

1 person likes this

@Ronrybs (20883)

• London, England

6 Jul

Some reporters are very good about checking sources, while others are so slap dash it is total fiction

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

7 Jul

I like to think our national station has at least a few ethics and morals.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Jul

@Ronrybs True - and they're pretty good with their headlines sometimes too. I pattern some of mine on them!

@Ronrybs (20883)

• London, England

8 Jul

@JudyEv Same here, but it is so easy to gently shape a story

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@Beestring (15624)

• Hong Kong

6 Jul

That's responsible reporting. There are too many fake news these days.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (358419)

• Rockingham, Australia

6 Jul

You no longer know what you can believe and what you can't.

1 person likes this