Nameless US State Department toadies don't like Conspiracy Planet and Rense.com. Here's what the disinformation meisters have written about non-government sanctioned media. This quote is particularly cute: "The U.S. military or intelligence community is a favorite villain in many conspiracy theories."

They're a "community"? The killer spooks are a "community"?

Lotsa laughs here, courtesy of the anonymous minions of the US State Department --

How to Identify Misinformation

How can a journalist or a news consumer tell if a story is true or false?

[If it's not a press release from the Bush-Cheney Regime, it can't possibly be true...]

There are no exact rules, but the following clues can help indicate if a story or allegation is true.

Does the story fit the pattern of a conspiracy theory?
Does the story fit the pattern of an "urban legend?"
Does the story contain a shocking revelation about a highly controversial issue?
Is the source trustworthy?
What does further research tell you?
Does the story fit the pattern of a conspiracy theory?

Does the story claim that vast, powerful, evil forces are secretly manipulating events? If so, this fits the profile of a conspiracy theory.