[Air-l] RE: verify info

[John B. White]

Anabel Quan Haase wrote:
> 
> Dear  John White,
> there is also a report on the Pew Internet and American Life Project's
> Web site:
> http://www.pewinternet.org (see under reports).
> 
> --
> Anabel

I should have clarified my point.  The current spate of reports about online
health information, for example, criticizing much of what is available to
consumers online, misses the point.  Despite years of regulation, print media
mailers, magazine adds, tv info-mercials, etc., continue to push marginal or
downright fraudulent claims.  The FDA has been unable to create a medication
insert that the average American can read, interpret, and accurately represent
possible effects.  This is an example of one of the most heavily researched and
verified pieces of information available to consumers.

Thus, from my perspective, I find the discussion of "verifying" internet
information to be somewhat misdirected.  You use the same tools you are supposed
to apply to any other media or source.  I'm not convinced that the fact
something is online makes this unique enough to require separate
techniques/books/etc.  In some ways, researching the veracity of sites/claims
online is somewhat easier since you have a variety of tools available to examine
the source and other commentary on its message.  I am not a media scientist, so
I may be entirely incorrect in saying we have no real basis for saying
information from the internet is any worse, or for that matter, better, than
what can be found in other more traditional media.  

The sole exception to this seems to be impermanence of the content.  Is this
enough to justify a separate standard of confidence?

JW

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John White, Ph.D.               |         O: 270.745.5867
Associate Professor             |         F: 270.745.4437
Dept. of Public Health          |         W: http://www.wku.edu/~whitejb
Western Kentucky University     |         E: john.white at wku.edu
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