I think, that you have described two different situations. The first situation is, that you get neutral information, that could influence your life. Now you have to decide, whether it is true, how much it is true or if there is a little piece of information within the information, which is not true. This is always the case with Newspapers and news on TV. The second situation is, that an authority like your mother or your father or perhaps your teacher says to you, what to do and what not to do. This situation is difficult to handle and you have more than one option to react. Sometimes it is wise to do as you are told to, sometimes it is better to explain your point of view and to try to persuade. It is rarely a good idea to do the oposite without any explanation unless you do not care about the person.