Stay connected

In a major emergency, warnings and advise may be issued through national media to tell you what to do. These messages are usually broadcast on national radio and television. As power may not be available, it's important to keep a battery-operated radio and to listen to public service and national radio stations.

Local radio stations will also carry important updates.

Where possible, information and warnings will also be shown on the main national television channels.

Information is all around us and it can be hard to know if something is accurate sometimes.

If you are reading or watching something, it is important to understand where the information has come from.

If you are not sure, check the information against reliable sources. This might be a government website, a public body, or a trusted organisation or expert.

Media Literacy Ireland and Coimisiún Na Meán have offered their advice on what to do if you want to check if something is accurate:

Stop - read more than the headline

Headlines are designed to catch your eye but a headline can’t give the full story, and neither can a short social media post. If it sounds unbelievable, it probably is.

Think - ask yourself what the purpose of the information is

Information is created to:

• Tell us something (news).
• Entertain us (satire, cartoon strips, funny videos).
• Persuade us (advertising).

Look at the style, tone and source of the information to help you to judge how reliable or accurate it is.

Check - see if the information is being reported anywhere else

If you can’t find the same information elsewhere, it could be because it is inaccurate, unreliable or out of date. This is especially true if the information appears to be very topical or newsworthy.

More information

Visit the Be Media Smart website for more guidance and information.