Finding the Truth Online: Misinformation and Intellectual Freedom

Whether it is from an angry political pundit, a wide-eyed activist or a religious fundamentalist, we've all been exposed to views so radically different than our own that we're left somewhat baffled at how a fellow human being could come to such outrageously misinformed conclusions. While perspectives based on ignorance or fear have always found fertile ground to grow amongst a segment of our population, the decentralized nature of the internet has proven to be a dangerously powerful fertilizer.

Rather than depending on trusted authorities for news, science and editorial opinion, an increasingly large segment of the community also looks to the information provided by blogs, social networks, independent video and other new sources of information. Because human nature encourages us to gather with like minded individuals, people are increasingly relying on networks of information that are more dedicated to furthering an agenda than to inform. As a result, the strength of one's convictions can lead to being incredibly misinformed for more of us than ever.

Of course, even the most revered authorities are rarely objective. As a native to the Washington metropolitan area, the two classic examples of reputable sources with differing political stances in my mind are the Washington Post and the Washington Times. Due to the values of the editorial staff and their readers, both papers cover important stories in drastically different lights. However, you can generally rely on both of them to not falsify information or cite some crackpot's blog as a source. The same can't be said for some of the sources of independent media found online. Due to the dynamic discussed above, individuals who are looking for information solely from like minded sources will be consume and generate content based on consensus rather than confirmation.

The question is whether this the result of the disintegration of trustworthy media or the cost of the incredible intellectual freedom available on the web. Being free is all about having and making choices, and there is certainly no limit to the freedom and choices that are available online. Whereas we were once bound to depend on the information passed down to us by a handful of authorities, we now have power to investigate, explore and come to our own conclusions. Whether it is regarding global warming, national security, local restaurants or movie reviews, we now have the power and responsibility to figure some things out for ourselves. The burden now falls squarely on us to decide whether we want to know the truth or or to simply feel right.