I don’t know what to believe anymore.

It’s a sad reflection of the times we live in that there is an industry of fact-checkers. These usually come in the form of online services that you can access to check the facts surrounding something you’ve seen or heard.

In a world where documentaries, the current affairs reading material we choose, and even the words of our elected officials, don’t always present an accurate view of the facts, fact-checking has become a necessary service.

The fact-checking business was given a boost during the Donald Trump presidency. Amid his regular claims of fake news, he urged supporters to check the facts. Of course, checking the facts ultimately showed up many of Trump’s claims too.

I recently watched the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy. Its story was fascinating, but it was also a movie whose claims surprised me so much that I went to the fact-checking websites myself, seeking the truth. I even found myself “fact-checking the fact-checkers” as I searched for the real answers to my questions. As it turned out, the movie was more accurate than I anticipated.

This little exercise highlighted my main concern about an open and free media. We live in a environment where anyone with a mobile phone and an ability to write can be a publisher. And there are many mechanisms to distribute one’s opinions, most of which rely on some form of social media.

As a result there is more information out there than ever before, none of which has been subject to the normal safeguards around checking what is true and what is false. And unlike the news-gatherers of old, there is no obligation on the new age publisher to be accurate. Or honest.