Precise: Chapter Seven

Clesson

February 6, 2009

Precise: Chapter Seven

The Internet is used to find solid facts that you need. It is accessible by everyone, but you need to know how to sort the fact from fiction. Many Internet users post false or misleading information. You can say whatever you want on the Internet, and even post comments anonymously or under a false name. You must be able to sort the correct information from the false information.

An example of false information that was widely believed happened just after September 11, 2001. An e-mail was sent out to thousands of people. The e-mail claimed that Oliver North, former Lieutenant General of the Marines, had warned Congress in 1987 that Osama bin-Laden needed to be stopped. It stated that Al Gore questioned North about bin Laden and that Gore did not want to do anything about him. Because this e-mail was sent during the hype of September 11, many Americans believed this information. But evidence proves that message was totally false.

In order to determine this, you must dig a little deeper. If you enter “Oliver North” and “bin Laden” into Google, dozens of articles will be displayed. The very first article that comes up is called “Oliver Twisted.” This article comes from Snopes.com. The website has been around for many years and is run by two American folklore experts. The article claims that the e-mail is completely false. Because this website has no political agenda, one can assume that the information on the website is true. If you return to the search page, you will even find an article on the page of the U.S. Senate explaining that the information in the e-mail is false. Also on this page is the actual transcript from the testimony that Oliver North gave. Al Gore was not even present at the affair when North gave his testimony.

The Internet contains a wealth of information. However, there are no regulations or penalties for posting false information on a website. In order to find the good sites, you must learn how to weed out the bad ones. First, check to see who is behind the source. If the claims are anonymous or untraceable then assume that they are false. Find sources that have credibility and authority. Examples of these are sites that are run by the government. Reliable government websites will have the “dot-gov” extension at the end of the web address. The “dot-gov” extension is given only to federal and state government institutions. While visiting government sites, be sure to look out for one-sided sites, such as one run solely by Democrats.

Other credible sites are ones run by educational institutions. These websites have “dot-edu” extensions. Only universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher learning are allowed to use this extension. But the same rule that applies to “dot-gov” websties also applies to the “dot-edu” extension: you cannot trust all information on these websites. Some professors post research papers on their websites. These papers are only the idea of one professor, and you need to search a little more to see if the information is correct. Also, some colleges give out web pages to their students. On these websites, students can post whatever they want, and they still have the “dot-edu” extension. Any information you find on educational websites needs to be backed up with additional research.

Many news programs also have respectable websites. These websites can be trusted as much as you would trust the news program itself. One credible website is the one run by BBC News. This site offers news that is often ignored by U.S. news programs. Some local newspaper and news program can also have beneficial information. For example, during Hurricane Katrina, the New Orleans newspaper Times-Picayune contained the best information on what was actually happening. Because other newspapers could not reach New Orleans, these articles are the only ones we have where the journalist was present at the event.

You can also register for news sites such as Nexis or Factiva. These types of sites carry news and magazine articles from the past two decades. The only problem with these sites is that they sometimes have a fee. However, many libraries subscribe to these services, and there you can use them for free.

Wikipedia is a good place to begin the research process, but cannot be trusted wholly. Because anybody can edit and add information at any time, it is very prone to errors and mistakes. Also useful can be blogs. Some blogs provide completely true unbiased information. But obviously most blogs contain wholly biased information. Statements that appear on blogs are hardly ever verified. For this reason, you should not count on a blog for correct information, but verify it on your own.

In order to check out the credibility of a website, you must use a little bit of due diligence. This term refers to a way of checking out specific information to see if you can trust what the website says. A way to check if a site is credible is to see how it treats its errors. If it corrects them quickly and openly, then most likely it is a credible site. Other things you should check are the product they are selling, their reputation, verification, the organization behind the website, where the money comes from, and the people who run the website. Be sure that the things listed above are credible and unbiased. This is the best way to ensure that the information you are reading is purely factual.

Due diligence is like investigating a companies reliability before purchasing a product from them. For instance, if you found information on a miraculous weight loss product, you should first use a search engine to find out what consumer reports or a “buyer guide” has to say about the supplement. These types of websites will most likely have unbiased information. Along with checking consumer reports, you should use your own judgment. Ask yourself “What are they selling?” and “Who is selling it?” Websites that sell things are usually biased and misleading, using weasel words to deceive you. Use the “about us” link to learn the websites values.

You should also consider the reputation of the website. If there is a credible website questioning the effectiveness of a product, it should be taken more seriously than the website trying to profit from the profit. Quackwatch is a good website to advise consumers about misleading products. It is also important to check to see if the information can be verified. You should look for special links or footnotes that will lead you to the original source of the material. Many websites, even politicians, like to make references to “studies”, but unless there is substantial evidence from where the “studies” came from, they should not be taken seriously.

Although a website may have all of the credentials, it is essential to know when the information was updated. Outdated information may be inaccurate. The internet is a wonderful tool to be able to use and it will connect you to high-quality information. Being able to find good information and weed out the bad is a skill, but it can be developed through experience.

Finding the correct information on the Internet is a task that takes both time and effort. It is not easy to weed out the bad sites from the good ones. But after you learn how to do this, the information you find will help you immensely.