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If you’re connected to left-leaning Morgantown by any virtual means, you likely read some variation of the rumor that fifty ICE agents flew into Morgantown on Mother’s Day, with plans to abduct international students during the next week’s graduation ceremonies. Thankfully, graduation weekend has passed without any mass kidnappings at the Colosseum. To be clear: the threat of commencement raids was always just speculation. But at its root was reliable information that spun out of control, helped by folks who were no doubt well intentioned.

I (Leslie Wilber, not to be mistaken with the incomparable Lesley Nash) have always been curious about how misinformation gains traction, both professionally (I’m a former reporter and currently teach undergrad writing) and personally (I’m an extraordinarily nosey person who likes to be right). So I want to take a beat to pick apart how this rumor unfolded, offer some tips for how we can all avoid spreading misinformation, and consider why we should want to—particularly when it comes to matters of ICE enforcement.

I got my first message about a plane carrying ICE agents landing at the Morgantown Municipal Airport at about 1 p.m. on May 11, via group chat. The plane had landed an hour and a half before, and a witness estimated 50 people disembarked. Judging from my inboxes across various apps, that’s when a lot of other people first heard the news. Soon, pictures were circulating of a gray plane with very few or no markings, plus five or six people standing on the tarmac. The photos were taken from too far a way to confirm that the people were wearing bullet proof vests, or that their clothing had ICE or Homeland Security badging. Still, the original witness had made an excellent effort to document and share what they had seen.

Morgantown doesn’t currently have a formal rapid response network (like this one in Colorado, for example) to confirming ICE sightings, so what happened immediately after was impressive and good. People—regular concerned neighbors—tried to find the ICE agents. They looked up flight records and checked hotel bookings. They visited restaurants and neighborhoods. Personally, I spent the afternoon drinking iced coffee and skulking around hotel parking lots in my busted Kia like a middle-aged, low-rent Nancy Drew, looking for unmarked cars with government plates. None of us who went out searching that day found ICE agents. Which isn’t to say there weren’t any. Rather, we weren’t able to confirm their presence in Morgantown. Why is such confirmation important? One of the things that makes ICE’s recent operations particularly chilling is their anonymity. Unmarked cars, men in balaclavas who don’t identify themselves. Having up-to-date photos of ICE vehicles and agents can help vulnerable neighbors identify, thus avoid, officers. (Remember, you don’t need to let ICE into your home or areas of your business not open to the public unless they have a warrant signed by a judge. The National Immigration Law Center has great, printable know your rights cards, available in several languages.)

But by Sunday evening there was a big, less helpful, turn of the rumor mill. A Bluesky post definitively stated there were 50 ICE agents in Morgantown. To which someone responded it couldn’t be mere coincidence that graduation was coming up on Friday. The original post had 1,000 likes and 587 reposts. That’s not exactly viral, but it’s a good amount of reach. The following day, a writer with a 27-thousand-follower Facebook page speculated that ICE agents were expected at graduation. It is fair to note that the safety of international students is a real concern here. Earlier this semester, nine student visas were revoked across the WVU system. They were restored at the end of April. But neither post provided any evidence that ICE would target commencement ceremonies. Soon, screenshots of both posts were making their rounds. I won’t share these posts because they’re misinformation, and also because I believe the people who made them were acting in good faith. Certainly, people I know who shared them were.

But what could they have done differently?

A simple step in verifying information is asking how a person or source knows what they claim to know. In every claim of 50 ICE agents are coming to graduation I saw, the sources traced back to the initial report of a plane landing at Morgantown Municipal Airport, paired with someone’s gut feeling. That’s simply not enough high-quality information to reasonably make that claim.

Something I tell students when I teach about separating good information from bullshit is that multiple sources independently reporting the same thing is a strong clue a claim is credible. The catch is, in our current social media climate of sharing and reposting, we often see the same information from the same source repackaged multiple ways—a different app, a different graphic, a different wording. It feels like we’re getting independent verification, but we’re not. And that’s what seems to have happened last week. Reports of multiple sources led back to a single source: the (still extremely helpful) witness who had seen the plane land at the airport.

If you’re interested in building your online info vetting skills, one of my favorite resources is CTRL-F, a set of educational videos and other tools created by the Canadian nonprofit CIVIX. While most of their videos focus on evaluating news sources, many of the skills would be applicable in this situation.

We often tend, quite reasonably, to associate the spread of information with the political right in the U.S. But I found this study that spoke to the habitual nature of sharing misinformation on social media especially interesting. Essentially, people who share the most information are the most likely to share misinformation: sharers gonna share. While the study suggests systemic cures for this problem, a step we all can take individually is slowing down. Look at the date something was posted (I know a couple of people who thought ICE vehicles had been spotted in town last week because they saw months-old photos circulating). Learn a little bit about the person or organization that posted it. Have a glass of water or a coffee. Pet a cat. Evaluate from there.

Perhaps you’re worried that by not quickly sharing whatever information you have—even if it’s unverified—you’re putting vulnerable neighbors at risk. But being honest about what’s been verified, how you know what you claim, and what you don’t know is a responsible way to share information:

A witness reported a military plane, carrying about 50 people, landed at Morgantown Municipal Airport at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 11. Based on their clothing, the witness suspects the passengers were ICE agents, although this has not been confirmed. They left the airport in three large vans—one black, two silver—with US Government plates. So far, the vans have not been spotted in Morgantown. If you see these vans or ICE agents, try to safely take clear photos that identify the license plates and/or the officers’ faces.

The above isn’t sensational or sexy. It doesn’t speculate unduly. Based on the best available information, it’s accurate.

Erring on the side of speed and sacrificing accuracy might seem like it helps keep people safe, but in the long run it doesn’t. However someone came to be here, they’re pursing some kind of life. That means going to work, to school, maintaining social connections. Grabbing dinner, buying socks. Going for a walk with a friend. The normal stuff. Each of us makes choices every day about which risks to mitigate and which to embrace. Most immigrants to the U.S. are well aware that the current administration’s policies put them at increased risk for harassment or abduction. Many know that the due process promised by the U.S. Constitution is being eroded. But like any of us, they need to make choices that balance safety with the ability to live their lives. The threat of imminent ICE raids can mean missed work, lost pay, missed school. It might mean skipping the celebration for a degree they spent years earning. Perhaps that wouldn’t seem like too big a sacrifice to you, if it ensures a little more security. But consider: these missed events, these days spent hiding at home, isolate our immigrant neighbors from the rest of the community. Pushing people further to the margins is not a way to make anyone safer. Offering our neighbors good information about potential dangers is a fairer, kinder way to support them in deciding what level of risk they can tolerate. These are shitty decisions, but they’re not made easier or better by adding layers of misinformation.

All that said, if you’re interested in learning about how to support Morgantown’s immigrant communities, Mountain State Justice is far better informed than I am, and they’re hosting An Immigration Update on Tuesday, May 20 at 7 p.m. It’s over Teams and free, so you can attend in jammies and make yourself a little snack. You do need to register in advance

Muffin, fan of Latin American literature, judging you a little when you unwittingly share misinformation or don’t share the Fancy Feast.

Some other stuff around town this week:

WVU’s own JJ Quinerly got her first WNBA bucket Friday, playing just 3 minutes of the Dallas Wings’ home opener against the Minnesota Lynx. (The Wings lost 99-84 regardless. Maybe they could have used some of her magic earlier in the game?) Anyhow, you can tune in at 8 p.m. on Monday to see if JJ gets more play against the Seattle Storm. Figuring out how to watch WNBA games is an exciting challenge, but this game airs on ION—so in theory it’s not blacked out. Probably.

Did you know the City of Morgantown has a Tree Board? Neither did I. But it’s the only official city meeting being held in a parking lot this week (Tuesday, 3 p.m. behind Blue and Gold Graphics, 133 Greenbag Road.) The agenda? Prune some trees.

It’s City Council time again! Tuesday, May 20, 7 p.m. You can attend in person or watch live from home. Coincidentally, they’ll be chatting about the airport too, specifically flight schools. Look at the agenda here.

Wednesday mornings are always a great time to peep what the County Commission is up to. The meetings start (conveniently!) at 10 a.m., at 243 High Street. There’s discussion of low-income housing on this week’s agenda. If you crave a full day of civic responsibility, you could take your County Commission with a 6:30 p.m. Historic Landmarks Commission chaser. They’ll be in the conference room at 300 Spruce Street, talking plaques and picture scanning.

The League of Women Voters of Morgantown-Monongalia County holds their annual meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21. There will be a talk by WVU law professor John Taylor, and if you RSVP “yes” for dinner it’s $25. The meeting is at the Hilton Garden Inn in Suncrest Town Center, and registration is required. Members of the public are welcome.

If you’re looking for something that’s both helpful and fun on Wednesday, check out Find Me Here Forever, an album release party, photo exhibit and fundraiser to support ongoing flood relief efforts in Southern West Virginia. It’s at 123 Pleasant Street and doors open at 7. The event is free, but any donation at the door gets you a copy of the CD Find Me Here Forever: A Southern West Virginia Flood Relief Album.

It looks like it’s gonna be a long week, so why not watch WVU Baseball in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday? They play the winner of Wednesday’s Texas Tech-Cincinnati matchup at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN+, a make-believe channel that probably doesn’t come with whatever streaming service you currently subscribe to.

—Leslie