Why You Can't Trust Me

I went to a place called Coober Pedy to tell a story about water. • Sponsored by Audible: Go to audible.com/tru... or text ‘trustme’ to 500 500 to get started today.
CORRECTIONS: www.tomscott.c...
Thanks to everyone in Coober Pedy; I had a wonderful time there. I'm sorry this isn't the video you all hoped for!
Sources for this video:
Smerdon, B.; Ransley, T.; Radke, B.; Kellett, J. (2012) Water resource assessment for the Great Artesian Basin. A report to the Australian Government from the CSIRO Great Artesian Basin Water Resource Assessment. Australia: CSIRO. doi.org/10.422...
Martin, P. (2019). Opal capital Coober Pedy 'on knife-edge' as desert town faces water problem. Retrieved from www.abc.net.au...
Coober Pedy weather: www.bom.gov.au/...
Great Artesian Basin boundaries: Great Artesian Basin boundary: data.gov.au/da...
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International, creativecommons..., (c) Commonwealth of Australia (Bioregional Assessment Programme www.bioregional...), (c) Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2013
I'm at tomscott.com
on Twitter at / tomscott
on Facebook at / tomscott
and on Instagram as tomscottgo

[@TomScottGo]

Thanks to everyone in Coober Pedy; I had a wonderful time there. I'm sorry this isn't the video you hoped for!

[@nedwatson3440]

I do trust you though!

[@josephbrennan9712]

I dont

[@73APhotography]

This. The bloody days! That’s why I don’t trust you :0

[@EchoHeo]

I dont trust you, and I love you

[@SniperBoy-hp6xr]

If I can't trust , I guess . . I'll just unsubscribe

[@SatyaVenugopal]

"Why you can't trust me" says Tom Scott, in a brilliant piece of (intentional or unintentional) reverse psychology that will inevitably make us trust him more.

[@segfault-]

Exactly.

[@nise6699]

It was all a ploy to trust him even more and It's too late, I trust him as well

[@kerlebeka2814]

dang.

[@ferskenmjam252]

i waited for this comment

[@allahm-ast3mnlywlatstbdlny164]

Mashallah tbark Allah alhamudillah inshallah better astgfrallah

[@housewoodrow]

It's genuinely touching how stressed you were about this.

[@scarlety9109]

twobyfour 696 likes Nice 😏

[@sylvia7961]

@@scarlety9109 haha sex number youre so funny and quirky hahaha 🤣🤣🤣

[@wizardx5138]

A Creative Username your sarcasm needs work. Also the number is 69, 64 is a rule of the Internet in which we switch sex.

[@sylvia7961]

@@wizardx5138 did- did you not read the comment?? "twobyfour 696 likes Nice" I never mentioned the number 64..? also if the point was conveyed...

[@altuervo]

@@wizardx5138 yo wat the 64 is in his username its blue see 😂

[@thefrozenflames1658]

But Tom, I already emailed you my SSN, bank info, full name, personal information, and my passport! Now you’re telling me I can’t trust you?

[@MatthewsStopMotions]

Lmao

[@lgnd2k3]

@Jeremy Braun ... 🤦‍♂️

[@intaze]

✨ i d e n t i t y t h e f t ✨

[@nplpo726]

but why did you send it? (im dumb sorry)

[@cheesecake-7177]

@@nplpo726 it's a joke

[@darrenflips7346]

Tom scott: why you cant trust me Me who just watched a video of his called “i promise this story about the microwave is interesting” and had full faith in the title and still clicked:

[@Headlock123456789]

To be fair that video is heckin’ interesting.

[@Julia33066]

That video helped me in a history lesson

[@zelitewarrior7783]

Bro same I just watched that!

[@Eminence_1337]

dang same here I guess that KZbin algorithm is working as intended.

[@BGDMusic]

it was interesting i will say

[@whodis715]

This sounds like an insane RPG quest where you find out the town conspiracy

[@Fenriswaffle]

It smacks of Shadow of Innsmouth levels of "more than meets the eye". There are many fascinating and weird layers to peel back and it wouldn't at all be a stretch to make a story that water supply is short to support the deep underground population of fish people or somesuch.

[@AlphaCore_]

brb, gonna make this with rpg maker

[@alamrasyidi4097]

@@AlphaCore_ tell us when you're done ;)

[@silentt8161]

@@Fenriswaffle ITS RANGO 2 !

[@haikalhaz1851]

@@AlphaCore_ REALLY hope you're not joking

[@elfteiroh]

For me, this mainly shows how important “in person” investigation is.

[@bloxer9563]

Truly; weird how nobody commented

[@juliusroman8616]

I read about a book about my own city written by a long term resident and I disagreed with some of the information written about it. That was around the point where I realized how important it is.

[@elfteiroh]

@@juliusroman8616 your particular example also prove the importance of multiple point of view!

[@taylorbaggins0922]

Yes!

[@thelitmango6333]

Or people could right and you could be right as well, just depends on your perspective and who you speak to.

[@ajax5622]

You can trust a guy who passed out on a centrifuge just to show you how an average person will react to 4 or 5 Gs.

[@VoidHeart1]

I though you were talking about radio waves Then i remembered that vid 🤣

[@imnotvladimirputin]

I just watched that vid yesterday! 😂😂🤣🤣

[@silic8873]

oh

[@firstname697]

Anyone know what video that was from?

[@thesteamengineer442]

My life is a lie

[@mattropolis99]

"I'm not a journalist, I have never had training in determining the truth when it's murky" You have more credibility by reporting there were conflicts of opinion than 95% of journalism today that interview the side they want to portray and then assert the most outrage inducing opinion they state as fact to get clicks - for ads.

[@temptemp217]

It's almost like money is supposed to be a tool, not a goal...

[@Johnhasa1]

Fr

[@chawndel8279]

THIS

[@welcometochiles6156]

@@temptemp217 that's how it _should_ be :(

[@jupu8162]

@@temptemp217 ofc its tool tool of control

[@isaacdoukaskomnenos8013]

I can just imagine Tom in his bed at 2am not being able to sleep because of this

[@Caneladorada]

he's such a nerd :3

[@fortnitebattlepass4994]

@random commenter chill out dude

[@Ella-dx6ll]

I am the 1k like.

[@Abbysfavouritecolor]

I can imagine Tom in my bed

[@bethspage7089]

@@Abbysfavouritecolor No.

[@bermudarailway]

Your honesty is admirable so you could never be a politician.

[@stripedpants1668]

He'd never sell a single used car.

[@michaelgibbs514]

Someone hasn't heard the story of Mad Captain Tom.

[@OnlyEpicEmber]

@0 0 *no

[@shylem1039]

Maybe a Mayor that has no political power at all!

[@Gauntlet1212]

Or a journalist.

[@Fede_uyz]

"Dont trust me" Should i trust you and therefore not trust you, or should i not trust you and therefore trust you? This is known as the Scott's Dilema

[@jamesmajor1735]

Yes

[@chai9926]

indeed

[@ousarlxsfjsbvbg8588]

Quite

[@lamp7746]

I agree

[@duckhuntergaming4713]

Affirmative

[@fellfromspace]

Integrity, transparency, and honesty... the fact that you are so committed to educating your viewers about the potential for error in your own work and warning people about the risk of trusting you implicitly MAKES you worthy of trust. You've spelled out your policy, methods, and biases more clearly here than most major news organizations ever take the time to do. Well, done and thank you. I'll never understand why people and organizations have such a difficult time understanding that the ability to admit to and correct mistakes does not damage credibility. It inspires confidence.

[@DanJackielz]

0:05 "This video is going to be a little different to normal." Tom, none of your videos are normal, they are all so different and interesting and that is phenomenal.

[@five_times_avy]

I one hundred percent agree.

[@clotslurp]

Fact

[@kerlebeka2814]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[@unitedsheepdefenseforce7862]

But isn’t it normal in the fact that it isn’t normal?

[@peachierose3356]

yes

[@sanyr80]

“If anyone on the internet says you can trust them, they’re probably selling something... which reminds me, this video is sponsored by Audible” - great segue!

[@rajathpai9573]

Best segue to sponsorship ever, metajoking about it

[@bruh-js7lo]

Rajath Pai plus it’s a princess bride reference

[@wolbobus2130]

So that's how its spelled, you have saved me future embarrassment my friend

[@koloblicin4599]

@@wolbobus2130 copy that! Linus Tech Tips uses the term constantly and while I deduced what it meant, it being a tech channel I actually thought they used "Segway" metaphorically 🙈😂😅 (EFL speaker)

[@timothyalvis6654]

Started reading this comment exactly when Tom started saying it. Nice

[@konakg8174]

Tom, tom. You must always remember the golden words of journalism: "Can you clarify this/something for me?" If you say "Well this says you're wrong", that's confrontational. If you say "Can you clarify this, because this says something different", you sound like you're actually asking the person to correct it.

[@RobBCactive]

Journalists often report opinion not facts, they're not qualified to determine fact but just report the fact that someone said X. Frankly anyone knowledgeable who's been close to a reported story, tends to be disappointed in how inaccurate reports are.

[@IkeOkerekeNews]

@@RobBCactive No, that's false.

[@IdleWorker]

Same thing when you work in tech support, you dont ask ”have you connected the power cable?”, you ask ”what happens when you connect the power cable?”.

[@Ruhrpottpatriot]

@@RobBCactive Persons knowledgeable are not the intended audience of a news report. Yes, news articles may have errors, that's a given considering the writers are human and more often than not the facts are not as clear cut as one might believe. However, simplifications have to happen for the intended audience to even grasp the basic concepts of thw topic. Sure I could let a cryptographer write about password security in a newspaper, but how many would understand it?

[@Corn0nTheCobb]

@@IkeOkerekeNews no it isn't

[@Duane57557]

Him admitting that I shouldn’t trust him, just makes me trust him all the more.

[@justforthis3208]

Nice pfp

[@StarshadowMelody]

"If anyone on the internet says you can trust them, they're, probably selling something." Cut to sponsor. That was brilliant.

[@OustFox]

Sponsor code is "TRUST ME" 😂😂😂

[@fumseck]

Unintended pun with the last sentence?

[@GreenZapperZ]

No, it was Audible.

[@nativeafroeurasian]

@@GreenZapperZ I wanted to comment that :(

[@abibnoor]

Imagine if politicians talked like this.

[@thesepretzelssuckass247]

They would get nowhere, hence why it doesn’t happen

[@biggycheese4443]

Sadly, i have wasted all your tax money on my brand new Mansion.

[@margyb7469]

It will never happen.

[@abibnoor]

@@lowercase_ash Hahaha trippy.

[@mrdoormat6809]

It would risk their career and even, their live. Politic is dangerous and complicated profession.

[@nddragoon]

I love it when people can actually admit when they don't know something. An "I don't know" is thousands of times better than a wrong answer.

[@franchufranchu119]

Same

[@AaronRenner]

A concept my former boss never understood

[@Swagmittens]

except when you're in an exam, it's better to give the question a try

[@steveoh9025]

@@1Slamalama1 what times?

[@PBMS123]

@@Swagmittens Not always. In exams with penalisations for wrong answers, no answer is better.

[@WtchDctr]

The fact that you made a KZbin and a website connection about every mistake you've ever made shows how much we can trust you. It takes a lot of humility, and therefore gives a lot of respect, to be able to admit your mistakes

[@dea6208]

Yes Tom how can we trust you when most of us can't even guess your age

[@TheSlodfj5]

quite indubitably 🤔 😜😁😂

[@Termodramatisch]

Hes 36

[@majaaina]

@@Termodramatisch But how do we know we can trust you???

[@Termodramatisch]

@@majaaina Use your search engine.

[@majaaina]

@@Termodramatisch It was a joke...

[@TheMajorStranger]

imagine Tom Scott on a date Tom:"You should not trust me, i'm not reliable" Date:" How come? you're a cheater? a player?" Tom:" I don't always provide citation and don't look at the politics sometime"

[@manuell3505]

"My DNA doesn't comply with morality"

[@moisesramirez9654]

"I wouldve preferred if you were a cheater..."

[@chintamanivivek]

I don't trust anyone. Perhaps trust happens only when transactions take place. Or I'd have to say, when things involve a give and take of some sort. Fair play.

[@nevermind8063]

nevermind

[@dhuh943]

"I love you citation the electrical impulses from my brain the dopamins blah blah blah"

[@chepulis]

Correction: you've made an error in the title, this video displays exactly why we can trust you.

[@desp8161]

Then we can't trust him

[@mrtycho26]

@@desp8161 Dammit!

[@Devilogic]

It's an exercise in reverse psychology ... ;)

[@davel7037]

This is to control your mind

[@Pixelcraftian]

Don’t know if I can trust you on that one, Tom.

[@dryer1901]

Only 11 likes?

[@LemmyKoopa18]

@@dryer1901 Strange...

[@amoththatthinks]

@@LemmyKoopa18 is it?

[@LemmyKoopa18]

@@amoththatthinks depends

[@MapleTV17]

286

[@PuzzL_]

All of us: Tom Scott's videos are great. Keep 'em comin! Tom Scott: I am so sorry I disappointed you. I will try harder.

[@charliespinoza1966]

+

[@feha92]

While this made me laugh, I am getting quite sick of this meme-format... As such I am feeling very conflicted now.

[@thatonedude]

@@feha92 good for you. I guess.

[@rarrawer]

That's a significant part of why we like him.

[@TheRealFlenuan]

feha92 It's just a joke format, not tied to the “No one:” meme

[@bustersbrain]

How the HELL did you make quoting citations into a riveting story? You have a gift. New subscriber.

[@Ine04]

Ok

[@chairwithoutwheels9148]

@@Ine04 ok

[@MCFC_EDITZ]

I gave you your 500th like, congrats 👏 🥳

[@log7029]

@@Ine04 ok buddy.

[@airfloresjp]

@@Ine04 k

[@PlayerZeroStart]

Proof that Tom Scott doesn't record his videos in a single take.

[@riseofthephoenix]

*not all

[@sourcererseven3858]

Unless you see him celebrating that it was done in one take at the end of the video 😁

[@jamshush]

The Dasani video says otherwise

[@cykrr]

i wanna believe this is a joke cuz i laughed hard

[@tubsy4519]

@@sourcererseven3858 "wait did i go the right way there"

[@SeemsLikeSomething]

I feel bad how Tom is always a big ball of stress and anxiety about his work. Maybe he works too hard? Well, if you’re reading this Tom, don’t forget to give yourself time to breathe. Cheers, appreciate everything ya do!

[@anonymousperson6657]

This aged well.

[@christianbh]

“Trust but verify” is what I think you’re trying to say Tom

[@nob2243]

'And Americans think they came up with that one."

[@macforme]

@@nob2243 Ronald Regan while negotiating with Gorbachev

[@donrobertson4940]

Trust in god but always tie up your camel.

[@zachfila]

noob2243 it was the Russians

[@zevac]

@@nob2243 is that a foreigner I smell?

[@jasonthesnow]

“Which reminds me this is sponsored by audible” literally iconic

[@cheesecakelasagna]

fr!

[@ZiemPawel]

I actually audibly laughed while riding the bus when I heard this

[@Skikopl]

@@ZiemPawel *no pun intended*

[@alexander_strachan]

Linus would be proud.

[@SergeiFragov]

Tom, I never regarded these videos as 'the absolute truth'. No one in their right mind really expects them to be. What we all trust is that you are going to do your best to present things as true and factual as you have found them. Thank you for the hard work and the interesting stories and places you share with us.

[@pi_]

I can't agree more

[@bruceboa6384]

+

[@KingTaltia]

It's just how things work. Everyone can be wrong, everyone can lie. Everyone does. I've never been a huge "GASP, YOU LIED TO ME" person. After all, the world's full of balance, and you can't have a surprise party without a lie. So, point of this comment. Nothing is right, nothing is wrong, just let things sit on that gray line, even science changes periodically, even though "the science" doesn't. We're human, don't expect yourself to know the whole story.

[@elevown]

Yup 100% agree. I expect you to do your best at representing the truth as you know it Tom. I know ofcourse its possible some bits are wrong- I can always research more myself if I think there is a need to know in more detail. What I trust 100% is that you would never deliberately lie or make stuff up. It's the same for even well respected long running shows on bbc or somewhere- they are trusting to their experts and trying to fact check them as best they can, and not present as fact if something is up in the air etc- but they still make mistakes too. They just try to make as few as they can.

[@christopherlee9026]

I mean we can only ever get close to the truth, we can't ever know absolute truth or at least know for certain that we know the absolute truth because we experience things through our sense perception and our senses aren't 100% accurate nor is our memories nor is how we think about things unfiltered by things like logical fallacies - in other words we can get close enough to truth but we most likely will never be able to know 100% objective truth because we're limited beings.

[@reignofpie6945]

What a brilliant show of self-accountability. Any source which admits they aren't the ultimate, all knowing source of knowledge is a good source to return to.

[@-4subscriberswithahammerad521]

Trust me when I say you shouldn’t trust me Wait what?

[@alexls1923]

*gives him all my personal data* “Wait, what?” Bank account is drained in 2 seconds and I’m now wanted for multiple accounts of identity theft

[@J0k3r399]

ＤＯＥＳ ＮＯＴ ＣＯＭＰＵＴＥ

[@nickolazcarters]

Rewind time

[@FMR------------------psst]

paradox kitties !!

[@najrenchelf2751]

*ERROR 404*

[@TheHorrorDevotee]

"I'm sorry, babe, I didn't correctly put in my citations." "Why couldn't you have just cheated instead?!"

[@jdog7668]

You have a double space between your you and have.

[@jdog7668]

I also have made a mistake.

[@robhiggins7823]

I also made a mistake

[@jdog7668]

@@robhiggins7823 Thank you for correcting me.

[@processedpotato9378]

I was also a mistake

[@Charlie-mr1sb]

toms next video ‘The interesting murder I committed’

[@sciblastofficial9833]

@darklordster Yellowstone Park, Idaho

[@AndrewJJ-0114]

Amazing Places: "This is HM Prison Belmarsh" --

[@apothecurio]

Charlie “the murder everyone has committed”

[@BigMac0369]

Back in 1999

[@flyingturret208thecannon5]

Now, here’s how being trustworthy works, as far as I’m aware. When you make a statement, and it’s wrong, by admitting it is wrong, it shows you care about being truthful to the best of your ability, making you more reliable of a source

[@wizardcoolio]

haha jokes on you tom, admitting mistakes increases your credibility

[@AK-mt2zw]

Facts

[@apocaloptigon9988]

@@AK-mt2zw that is correct, rufus

[@MrNiceguy3210]

@@AK-mt2zw Your statement is valid, Rufus.

[@shireenakter4409]

@@AK-mt2zw Your statement is not incorrect, Rufus.

[@charlieben3354]

Rufus

[@ixamraxi]

One should always uphold a healthy level of skepticism, even with respect to sources they otherwise trust. I'd say that you're trust _worthy,_ as being honest and truthful doesn't always mean being accurate, or even correct.

[@AzuriteCoast]

+

[@andrewlittrell1]

+

[@hipeople9856]

+

[@netts2315]

@aviato287 x Thanks captain rude.

[@KevinShinwoo]

+

[@KumaraDosha]

"Anybody claiming you can trust them on the internet is probably trying to sell you something. You can't trust me. Now here's a thing you should buy--" Smooth moves.

[@DonVhanDude]

right? same thoughts lmfao

[@isaacpeachey8609]

This town is more interesting than I would ever imagine.

[@Hood_Lemon]

Welcome to Australia. We have No Idea where anything comes from, also our government is a mess.

[@harryiii3361]

I completely agree our government is a mess.

[@averagejoepro5347]

How do you lose a prime minster

[@matthewpiper4328]

@@averagejoepro5347 Subs are sneaky things

[@harryiii3361]

@@averagejoepro5347 let him go swimming

[@snackastackas5349]

agreeable

[@thryduulf]

This reminds me of the best graffiti I've ever seen, I think it was in Shoreditch. In big bold letters someone had written "Question everything". Below it, in clearly different handwriting, was a response - "Why?" I wish now I'd taken a photo of it, but you'll just have to, err, trust me.

[@chielwouterscw]

Chris McKenna I've seen a picture of that exact graffiti somewhere on the internet. If it's worth anything, I can "confirm" the story is real.

[@bittern4464]

@@chielwouterscw but why should we trust you? ;)

[@elete0447]

Omg that's amazing.

[@MrFilipang]

Trust me when i say i don't trust any of you... or do i?

Can I even trust myself ?

[@joeyrobinson9118]

I respect you much more for 2 reasons: You are willing to admit your mistakes and attempt to make right what you may have done wrong, and 2, you made such a smooth transition into your sponsored bit that I wasn't mad about an Audible ad.

[@ryans6900]

Not gonna lie, I'm Australian, have actually stayed in one of the underground hotels showed in the video, still have opals I found there when I was a kid, and until watching this video, fully believed the town was called Cooper Pedy, not Coober

[@blacknoir3565]

Same, I’m Australian and I’ve stayed at one of the hotels in the video. I broke the white pole in the background at 0:43

[@jacobrawlinson12]

I'm here rn and well it's not as it was advertised

[@soccerboy1447]

I only found out it was coober a few years ago. And im Australian...

[@noway8222]

Tom is just learning Australians don't give straight answers because most of the time we don't even know ourselves

[@1SweetPete]

Wait what, it's not Cooper Pedy? Now that's a red flag for trust at face value if I ever heard one. Can't even trust reality now

[@vke6077]

"I'm not a robot" "Why you can't trust me" ok tom

[@svchineeljunk-riggedschoon4038]

If Tom is the spokesperson of our soon-to-be robot overlords, I'm fairly ok with that. I mean, just look at some of the world leaders we currently have, can't be worse right? ;P

[@brickvideos4851]

Is it a profound statement about how robots are actually *more* trustworthy than humans?

[@davel7037]

@@svchineeljunk-riggedschoon4038 you learned nothing from this video

[@meowmyr]

ok tomputer

[@tiramiisu0]

mad sus

[@theSam91]

It's such a common story here in Australia and especially in the outback; wherever there is water, there is politics, disagreement and sometimes conflict.

[@krashd]

Until the road warrior comes along in his V8 Interceptor and sorts it all out...

[@arnerademacker8548]

@@krashd Slow down there, Mad Max

[@IliasJoels]

And in the rest of the world wherever there is oil or gas, there is politics, disagreement and sometimes conflict.

[@max7694]

Sometimes with emus

[@arnerademacker8548]

@@max7694 We shall all remember the Great Emu War.

[@Someoneonyoutube]

"why you cant trust me" *video preview shows grave-sized hole in the middle of the desert"

[@GwresYnKernow]

No, Tom, this is why we CAN trust you. Because when you make a mistake, you post a video like this instead of just uploading the original video and hoping we don't notice.

[@achillendimond2124]

It’s like that Neil Degrasse Tyson quote from his Masterclass Ad that I keep seeing pop up everywhere: “the problem is knowing enough about a subject to think you are right, but not knowing enough about a subject to know you are wrong”

[@Ine04]

Ok

[@datonebri5361]

@@Ine04 TRUEEEEE

[@mrmo4569]

Tom Scott CGP Grey :handshake: Being honest and upfront about their mistakes as soon as they know about them and not letting their viewers believe misinformation as long as they can help it

[@The360MlgNoscoper]

Kurzgesagt

[@eclecticsoffy]

@@The360MlgNoscoper all three

[@58shawnshibu58]

@@eclecticsoffy 3kliksphilip

[@amoththatthinks]

@@58shawnshibu58 no

[@58shawnshibu58]

@@amoththatthinks wdym no

[@yokab]

Tom is the type of journalist that we actually need, not someone who search for blood and conflict, but someone who seeks answers and makes an effort to inform his audience when he's wrong.

[@Sh-hg8kf]

Tom Scott : "I'm not the Messiah!" Everyone : "He's the Messiah!"

[@DaedalusCommunity]

He's a very naughty boy!

[@capoz33]

The Shadowgunner emperor of mankind be like

[@kissmyacidrocks]

FOLLOW THE GOURD, TOMS GOURD EVERYONE!!! .... let us PRAY

[@stepexgd6628]

He's not a messiah. He's just another fallible human being.

[@cretinousswine8234]

A comment about a messiah that has 666 likes. Sweet!

[@zakuraayame5091]

"No one should trust a single source" ... now there is a statement you can trust!

[@renakunisaki]

Nobody should trust a single source. There, now that statement is coming from multiple sources.

[@grand-dadmiral]

I'll say so too, just to make it all the more credible. No-one should trust a single source. There ya go.

[@georginho36]

No one should trust a single source. We stand as one.

[@theapexsurvivor9538]

People should trust a single source. Now we are in conflict.

[@grand-dadmiral]

@@theapexsurvivor9538 Wait a minute! How did this happen? We're smarter than this!

[@kg4tnp]

Nothing more honest than saying "I'm not sure" Terrific video.

[@criticalhorizon]

You are probably one of the most honest person I've seen. Thank You.

[@tomlee_bomlee]

the title sounds like he’s... breaking up with us

[@stevereid4222]

217 likes, and no replies? Here, take this.

[@euphra5674]

and this

[@Danian_ju]

and this

[@StampedMars]

and this

[@ItsSapi]

and this

[@CSmyth-]

Nobody's perfect. Not everybody has the balls to admit that. Well done, Tom.

[@DoesThisWork888]

Imagine the world where people could admit their mistakes. One day, I hope.

[@jliller]

I think this simply illustrates that "you can trust me to make an earnest and honest effort to provide you with factually-correct and reasonably unbiased information" does not equate to "you can trust me to be perfect without error." We can't trust anyone to be the latter, because we're humans. However, the former is something we SHOULD be able to trust most people on yet in reality we cannot because the world has entirely too many people who are disingenuous, malicious, careless, and/or suffering from the Dunning Krueger Effect.

[@HuntingTarg]

The Krueger-Dunning effect (as I've come to know it, toh-MAY-toh toe-MAH-toe), is one of many cognitive biases humans are subject to; it just tends to be a go-to for impugning performance or self-opinion judged to be overestimated. Interesting part of the study, the top few percent of performers UNDERestimated their own performance or ability; so someone like Tom Scott who makes a bad video project into a not-bad video and apologizes for his underperformance, is _also_ experiencing the Krueger-Dunning effect.

[@jliller]

@@HuntingTarg Extremely talented people are more likely to notice small mistakes in their own perfromance that average talented people would not.

[@Sgtspork]

Kudos to you sir! Many KZbinrs would just 'go with it as is' and you can't totally fault them due to time and investment.. but being accountable to both your fanbase AND the people you are documenting.. it's a lasting strategy. Reputation means alot, word gets around. You know, besides it just being the proper thing to do.. 🙂

[@darkridge]

The twist: Coober Pedy isn't a real place and this whole video is an elaborate April fools joke posted exactly three months late.

[@thryduulf]

@@bruno_kunda but can we trust you?

[@VictorianTransportSpotter]

I’ve also been there

[@gorillaau]

@@VictorianTransportSpotter But can we trust you as well?

[@gorillaau]

@@EduardoEscarez I don't trust us Australians either. The truth is out there.

[@lenschwedt9646]

How could there be an australia?It is upside down and would have fallen of years ago? (Please dont punch me for my taste in humor) XD

[@BrushEm]

Tom: "Don't trust me" Everyone: *Trusts him even more* Tom: "Am i a joke to you?"

[@RainaRamsay]

XD

[@joshl90]

Kye excellent

[@demonsXneverXdie]

XD

[@hughjanus3186]

eks de

[@boobah5643]

It's a well known bit of confidence lore that one of the best ways to get people to trust you more is to explain why they shouldn't trust you.

[@chiffmonkey]

BBC News: "Why you can trust us." Tom Scott: "Why you can't trust me."

[@anawesomepet]

Kurzgesagt: Can you trust us?

[@feelthebern795]

Richard Nixon: “Why you can’t trust me.”

[@thepixelkings3491]

@@anawesomepet Does trust actually exist?

[@enteredyournamecorrectly9682]

@@thepixelkings3491 Trust - in a nutshell

[@HolyKhaaaaan]

KZbin political pundits: Don't trust us, but DEFINITELY don't trust them!

[@ForgedEggs]

"Why you can't trust me" I don't need 10 minutes of explaining, you're too handsome to trust.

[@jotunn8021]

Tom: This summer they broke their record 118 degrees Also Tom wearing a jacket

[@dawidkrzyczkowski4289]

The video is called "why you can't trust me"

[@thelem0njnr_393]

It’s the morning and it get gets to just above 0°C

[@capivara6094]

if the temperature is above 36Cº. wearing a lot of clothes would actually help

[@pigeonwithagun7986]

Jackets dont just keep you warm, they protect you from the heat too. Why do you think people who live in the desert wear lots of layers

[@gave722]

this video was uploaded in july which means that is was winter in australia at the time of filming

[@CarthagoMike]

As a historian, I can understand the problems and pains of conflicting sources all too much. In the end, you have a story to tell, so the best thing to do is making _presumptions_ based on what those most knowledgeable say, and then put the conflicts of the sources in a footnote. Just make sure never to _assume_ something when your sources do not align. Personally I think you are doing a great job with your research, as well as explaining things in this video. Few youtubers go out of their way to fact-check their sources to the degree you do. Keep up the great work :)

[@friedmule5403]

Great advice, but I may dare to add to your line "Just make sure never to assume something when your sources do not align." and even if they do, assume that not all is as told. :-)

[@MrNuclearPsychopath]

I feel like history's squabbles are about *who* is most knowledgeable as it seems that once they have enough supporters, despite some having conflicting evidence, their theories are now the facts as people know them and sometimes even taboo to debate.

[@friedmule5403]

@@MrNuclearPsychopath I think you are totally right, there are some "stars" who seems to dictate what is the right theory and if you walk outside there border, you are not a real scientist.

[@andie_pants]

From a historian, I can't think of a higher compliment.

[@AdamOpie]

I think Tom holds himself to a higher standard than anyone else on KZbin, very commendable 🙌

[@HuntingTarg]

Not _anyone_ else, but he's definitely in the top fraction of a percent of active uploaders.

[@jasonreed7522]

Not the absolute highest (would be hard to objectively prove) but definitely in the highest teir of creators. (Like Kurzgesaght and CGP Grey)

[@jnburch]

It’s crazy how refreshing honesty and the acceptance of mistakes can be.

[@Rihnoswirl]

Gotta say Tom, that was a really classy and humble way of addressing a flaw in your work. Almost to the point that I´d want future videos to follow this "Edited video to free-form discuddion"-format. Absolutely wonderful look at both Coober Pedy ad your own work.

[@ColdWarAviator]

I appreciate the sentiment and the basic disclaimer nature of this Video, but I think you are taking on a disproportionate part of the responsibility here. We understand that content producers generally do their best to get the facts straight but the Viewer always bears an equal responsibility to consider all the factors involved. Time constraints, sources, etc. I am glad you made this Video and the list as well which must have been a headache in and of itself. You have done your part, now it's on your viewers to evaluate the information. We love what you do and I think in the end you present what you know and it's our responsibility to use that as well as OTHER SOURCES to come to our own conclusions. Thanks again. Rob

[@DFPercush]

You bring up an interesting point about viewer responsibility. Destin aka SmarterEveryDay talked about that in his social media manipulation series. Because of how fast the news cycle moves and everyone competing for fast clicks, often not taking the time to do diligent research, it's often left up to the reader/viewer to determine the truth. There are some tips, but the truth is evasive sometimes.

[@ColdWarAviator]

@@DFPercush I love Destin. I've been a fan for a while and I followed that series closely. The segment on Twitter talking about bot accounts was interesting.

[@Elonyx.studios]

The problem with expecting people to be equally responsible in their fact checking, is that it doesn't account for the fact that most people are lazy, and that it's a lot easier to take things at face value than to do reaserch yourself. In this day and age I think there SHOULD be more responsibility on content creators to fact check themselves, because not only does mis-information spread so much faster now, it's more potent has far more tangible consequences.

[@steveoh9025]

@@Elonyx.studios People don't abide SHOULDs generally. If one is "buying" the BS content being sold, it's on them. Caveat emptor, etc.

[@Sivah_Akash]

@@Elonyx.studios, rather than people being lazy, I feel like it's more due to people not knowing of the problems with relying on a single source. This I believe is because we used to be dependent on Newspapers and such which used to be quite comprehensive in their research(and largely still are I guess) and people expect the same coming into the digital age too. Just think about yourself before you had this realization of being dependent on a few sources. But yes, with people consuming more information, the creators have to be more sure of what they say, since people either don't know the problems or just don't want to fact-check everything they come across online(which is a lot of stuff) or as you said they are plain lazy. That's why Good creators like Tom have to make Videos like this to make people aware of biases on their own stuff and also on stuff by other questionable creators. PS: Don't know why but this reminds me of the Climate Denial and Geocentric people who just rely on single sources and become trapped in the echo chamber effect online.

[@rustediron4062]

4:28 I sneezed twice both times right before you paused to try again as if I was interrupting you, gave me a bit of a startle.

[@yeoldmatey1118]

That has got to be the best ad anyone has ever delivered

[@sentauri43]

Wow, never have I seen a KZbinr take so much accountability for the research they share. This vid clearly had the opposite effect, I trust you even more from now on.

[@vodkawhisperer3923]

Its because hes passionate about youtube

[@ledosworld4869]

Now u trust him that's the idea of the vid but u can't trust him bcs if the title

[@PaulPaulPaulson]

So, Citation Needed is back? 😎

[@Briantho2010]

Paul Paulson The whole time I was waiting for a “ Citation Needed” joke.

[@cdw2468]

This would have been a good park bench

[@mukrifachri]

It has been a constant Technical Difficulties...

[@MrHack4never]

It makes Tom seem questionable

[@luigigaminglp]

Wow, all those amazing punces

[@Painless_]

"A story always sounds clear enough at a distance, but the nearer you get to the scene of events the vaguer it becomes."

[@johnfrancis2300]

Nice work, I wish more people, even with research would say, "I don't know" instead of thinking they understand complex and changing situations that actually have unpredictable outcomes

[@goatythecringeyone7686]

A lot of English students are expected to write as if what they are saying is factual. It is wrong to write in an essay or SA that 'I believe this is the case' or 'This seems to be the case'. It is required that students write that 'This is the case'. Whilst, it works well for writing persuasively and showing confidence of one's efforts, it doesn't translate well into actual journalism, as it has caused people to state interpretive views as fact.

[@slushpuppie19]

It's hard though, we like to think we understand things. Knowing that we know nothing is a bit depressing ha

[@peppertalks6948]

You can’t tell me what to do. I’m going to trust you implicitly now, out of spite. Take that Tom.

[@peppertalks6948]

Can confirm complete trustworthiness, 2 out of 3 times.

[@uniquenamehere8582]

4/3 tomes

[@CrippledMerc]

That “et al” person must be a super genius alien that never sleeps considering how many scientific papers they’re cited in...

[@josephbrennan9712]

Actually his name is just Al, the 'et' just means 'and'. Nice guy, very knowledgeable - I think it's short for 'Alex' but I have no citation

[@MLB9000]

@@josephbrennan9712 Almost as prolific as Reg Design

[@leiivanjuarez5994]

are they friends with feat? the singer? hes always collabing with a lot of singers

[@EnclosedPoolArea]

@@josephbrennan9712 Not to worry, you yourself are now a citation in a paper I'm writing about Al - "short for Alex (Brennan, 2021)"

[@md-nv4rg]

I recently heard their music alias is "various artists"

[@isaaccervantesgarcia]

"You can't trust me, trust me on this one."

[@clovernhorndestroyerofmars3765]

Paradox

[@Headlock123456789]

Error. Error. Error. Multiple systems have crashed. Would you like restart Brain.exe? Y / N

[@omaewamoushindeiru584]

@@Headlock123456789 No I dont think I will

[@DaxyGamer]

@@omaewamoushindeiru584 ...Postponed to eight hours...

[@anti_nana4463]

This is the greatest piece of content I’ve ever watched. It’s like seeing the way my brain formulates things put out in front of me in a consumable form. Subbed!!

[@kylosalvesen]

Videos like this is exactly the reason why I trust you, Tom. Keep it up.

[@benjaminmellingen5340]

This is probably Tom's worst nightmare

[@cr-ew8od]

So true

[@_LilRascal_]

Me: *scrolling KZbin* Tom: “Why You Can’t Trust Me* Me: “Golly gee, I wonder what this is all about” Tom: *standing behind me, breathing heavy, slowly raising the revolver to the back of my head*

[@janreiafrica]

"Peace was never an option"

[@thenumberfour6455]

_truth is, the game was rigged from the start_

[@ToddHowar.d]

“I am no longer asking”

[@thenumberfour6455]

I have summoned our Lord and savior, Todd Howard

[@guscox9651]

@@thenumberfour6455 lazy purple reference?

[@TheTHX1138lives]

I'm not Australian, but my impression is that Coober Pedy is one of those places that collects non-conformists, so I'm not surprised you got many different takes from the people you interviewed. Kudos for admitting that you couldn't really cite a lot of that as fact and admitting it was conjecture. It's especially refreshing at the end of 2020.

[@MononymousM]

I am Australian, and you're not wrong.

[@bigh.9355]

Honesty. Just the concept of being as truthful as one cam be, even if they get it wrong periodically. I appreciate you so much for this. Thank you

[@joesjunkyard935]

Nice try Tom. Heres my SSN, bank account and all passwords

[@relda9270]

Where?

[@garyvte]

Relda Here: XXXX XXXX XXXX oh wait I forgot KZbin detects this stuff and automatically censors it :(

[@jas2800]

*Shrek* 4829 6282 0182

[@jas2800]

No it doesn’t

[@YansenQT]

@@jas2800 i hope thats not a real credit number

[@nullpoint3346]

"Trust no one, not even yourself" "Correction, *_especially yourself."_*

[@nithen8179]

Noooooooo! I won't trust you!

[@emmilyn362]

I trust other people more than I do myself.

[@crooker2]

This sounds like an apology... Even though your channel is more interesting and more credible than 95% of the channels on KZbin. Keep the content coming.. And if you find out you were wrong... Just tell us. No apology required.

[@brkscat92]

95%? Is that a reliable source?

[@macforme]

@@brkscat92 70 % of statistics are made on the spot 🤣🤣🤣

[@ausernamethatstotallyorigi1442]

80% of statistics are wrong

[@Fede_uyz]

@@brkscat92 to be fair 95% is the mininum level of trust used in scientific literature

[@Honey_Beef]

@Raido this comment did not quote any data

[@ninjanerdstudent6937]

This is a good lesson in journalism.

[@snowcraft-d3d]

This video, ironically, proves exactly why we can trust Tom Scott. Always own up to your mistakes; be more like Tom.

[@averyeml]

Seriously, you’re the most morally-decent guy I have seen do research and reporting in a long while. I tend to trust what you say because you always make it clear you try your hardest to put research into it, but of course if/when you have conflicting points or tell me to do research and come to my own conclusions, I do so. Ditto if it just sounds odd or unbelievable to me. I think trust is earned and maintained. There are reporters who I read and trust because I’ve checked enough facts to see their research trail, and there are ones who either tend to pick questionable sources or make mistakes and I know to double check before I go blindly along with what they say.

[@Zyzzywyz]

It honestly felt unsettling for me seeing that video title and thumbnail together, for some reason. We admire your integrity, Tom! Cheers!

[@braddoherty5984]

I really respect your attention to facts and credibility of your sources of information, and willingness to admit when you may have got something wrong, or like in this case, where the facts are conflicting. Too few of us as a society are willing to do that. Keep up the great work.

[@J.J.1798]

I live further eats on the Artesian basin, it’s a system of sometimes connected aquifers and loosely grouped basin systems. If you look at maps based on geological information showing Australia a few million years ago, you will see a huge body of water that covers the same area as the Artesian Basin. Now that its underwater, the idea that its a single system is complex, if the water level were to be high enough and consistent enough, Coober Pedy could be sustainable. However, due to frequent fluxations due to both human use and the 1% loss of water due to seepage, the basin area that Coober Pedy sits on is often isolated from the rest of the basin. The water that is below Coober Pedy is from the Artesian, but not directly and depending on use of water further up the basin. Lake Eyre also has a large impact on that area in the basin and it’s a seasonal lake. You where dead right to say that no one knows if the town is sustainable. Worse still, most of the basin is in Queensland or New South Wales, and they are know to make water regulation that doesn’t consider the affects on other states. There’s not a soul on Earth that could tell you weather or not all of our bore towns on the basin are actually sustainable.

[@gabrielmalta1962]

Sounds considerably complicated. So, that specific part of the basin (or not-the-basin) isn't enough to sustain. C.P. But if the town were to buy water from somewhere else under the actual Artesian, would that be sustainable? Could the basin take the hit of one more city?

[@rua5910]

@@gabrielmalta1962 I wouldn't call Coober Pedy a city

[@jamesalderton7748]

Me: Can I trust you Tom? Tom: Well yes, but actually no

[@EliteXtasy]

Something something Kurzgesagt.

[@Psrj-ad]

I read his line in his voice

[@bobsquirrelking]

I don't trust his claim that we can't trust him.

[@Philboh8]

Every single video you post I think "this HAS to be clickbait" but no. Once again you have impressed

[@iamShorteh]

Thanks Tom for showing integrity and accountability

[@ckm-mkc]

The fact that you are willing to put out this video makes your 'reporting' more transparent than most. Most journalists make mistakes and never correct them, plus they never really sort out conflicting truths, the best they can do is just expose all sides and that's only if they don't take sides (which is rare) - I say this as someone who is closely related to an investigative journalist who went to the most prestigious journalism school in the world....

[@jay-tbl]

I have a huge amount of respect for Tom and CGP Gray for taking factual errors way more seriously than it seems like many other sources care to do

[@lukericker8325]

Dude, this is basically the story of anyone who’s written a History paper. You would be amazed how often sources/historians/data disagree. You just sift through it. Sometime you just pick one you like.

[@gorillaau]

The dingo ate my baby case. Experts got that very, very wrong initially.

[@iamthinking2252_]

Had that feeling when doing a report on Malaysia, and the section about the government promoting the majority Malay Population (I think)

[@Dhguitarjunkie032492]

This restored some faith in humanity. To be able to honorably acknowledge an error and misrepresentation… and use that as an example of how easy it is for all of us to be wrong and encourage true research… best video on KZbin.