Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. In early March, tens of thousands of new coronavirus cases were reported in Hong Kong every day. The anxiety that gripped the city stemmed from both the explosion of infections and the government’s plans. As rumours spread, many alarmed residents resorted to panic buying , emptying supermarket shelves of food and raiding pharmacies for medication. The actions reflected mass fears of a potential citywide lockdown. They also reflected Hongkongers’ knee-jerk tendency to believe what they read or watch. I was exactly like this in the past. When I watched a TED talk, for example, I was keen to believe arguments presented. I once worked on an assignment that required me to analyse Jessica Jackley’s TED talk, “Poverty, money – and love”. Jackley founded Kiva.org, which helps people make microloans to entrepreneurs in need, after living in East Africa for three months, where she saw the effect that microloans had on lifting people out of poverty. After listening to her incredible speech, I was convinced that microlending was a panacea for poverty. But my bubble burst after consulting my writing instructor, who responded: “But three months is not even a semester, right?” I was taken aback but would realise her point. Sometimes, we trust the information that we receive much more than we should. Having attended universities in both Hong Kong and the United States, I am amazed at how American students are taught to critically analyse information. In writing classes, we are encouraged to adopt the technique of close reading for not just articles, but also videos and social media posts. By critically analysing the language used and the evidence offered, and then linking them back to the author’s publishing purposes, we sometimes find contradictions and tensions. Compare this with the environment in a Hong Kong university, where we are mostly taught to adhere to a particular structure when writing an argumentative essay. Teachers seldom teach us how to analyse the source text and the information we receive. I think close reading is the skill that all Hongkongers should master, particularly in this post-truth era. By exercising due diligence and checking facts before we decide whether any piece of information is trustworthy, we can prevent ourselves from making unwise and uninformed choices that often leave so many of us miserable. If we could all adopt a more critical approach to news and media, perhaps we wouldn’t be overwhelmed by baseless fears of inadequate supplies. We should evaluate every project individually, with critical eyes, and build a society where critical thinking is embraced by everyone. Chloe Chow, Tseung Kwan O