I first came across this article about 4 years ago. I find it is even more relevant now. Today people who wish to assert their opinion over anything else merely decry, “Fake news!” and then anything said after that is suddenly supposed to be both morally and factually correct. One of more useful things about basic philosophy and reasoning is that you can follow the chain of steps from one concept to another. At the beginning is a fundamental principle- Water is wet, fire is hot, etc. When you get to the point in society where people cannot conduct a reasonable discussion with another person because the very foundation of things is being deliberately attacked, you have more than a communication issue. We are dangerously close to that precipice now.
http://thefederalist.com/2014/01/17/the-death-of-expertise/