Today a friend texted me about a company I follow and sent a screenshot of a news headline. He wanted me to be aware that the company may be going through hard times. I read the headline and laughed.

The headline included company financial figures that were wrong. I know they were wrong because I’ve read the reports issued by the company. The writer clearly didn’t understand the company and had confused the details. I pointed this out to my friend and shared the correct financial figures, which show the company’s doing fine.

This exchange was a reminder of the value of getting first-source data. When you rely on other people’s interpretations, you run the risk of basing your conclusions and actions on incorrect interpretations.