Your Fact-vs-Opinion Toolkit

Apply these strategies daily:

• Ask if it can be verified — if yes, it is a factual claim; if no, it involves opinion
• Look for judgment words — "best," "worst," "should," "terrible," "amazing" signal opinion
• Separate data from interpretation — "Sales dropped 20 percent" is fact; "the company is failing" is interpretation
• Check your own statements — how often do you state opinions as if they were facts?
• Respect informed opinions — an expert's view carries more weight than a random post, though both are opinions