Internet Fact or Fiction

Many people believe that because something is in writing it must be true. With the advent of the Internet, individuals are exposed to a much broader spectrum of "writing." This has increased the danger of information being accepted as fact simply because it exists. While the Internet has opened doors of opportunity to access information, not all of the information found there is accurate and some of it is specifically designed to create conflict. It is important for any Internet reader to evaluate information before accepting it as fact.

If a reader applies critical thinking it is possible to make a determination regarding the validity of information found anywhere on the Internet and particularly on activist and special interest websites. Looking at an example, in the piece titled "Shocked and Horrified," by Larry Mosqueda (Mosqueda, 2001a), many facts and figures were presented in an effort to place the events of 9/11 into historical perspective. There is no attempt to minimize the event or take anything away from the pain and suffering caused to Americans, yet there is a dedicated effort to impress upon the reader the fact that the United States has, in its own history of action, caused significant loss of life and suffering outside its borders. The article puts the total loss of life at around 8,000,000 as of one week after 9/11. Since the article only cited events back through the late 1940's it did not include the thousands of Native Americans and African slaves killed within the United States borders, so this number may not be high enough in total United States history time. If one were to require a more accurate number, there should be resources available within the National Archives for research (National Archives, 2004). This research could validate or invalidate facts and figures presented.

Setting aside all of the statistics, this article does ask the reader to think about the reality of how America may be perceived by other countries and how this country's media may be biased in its reporting. If we examine the focus of most American press coverage with a critical eye, we see it is focused on Americans and their values. It would be logical to assume then that another country's press, say Japan, would focus on Japanese and their values. If one were interested in creating a more accurate picture of events for 9/11 or any event involving violence in history, it would be necessary to analyze information from all sides of a conflict and from the perspective of outside observers, preferably those without a vested interest in the outcome.

In the pursuit of validation, from a critical thinking perspective, we should evaluate the author. The writer of this article is stated to be a Professor Of Political Science at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. A review of the faculty list at Evergreen State College revealed that a Larry Mosqueda is on the faculty and has a B.S. in Political Science (Evergreen State, 2004). This would support the information provided regarding the writer's identity. On the faculty page there is a link to the writer's home page that contains some interesting questions with some even more interesting answers (Mosqueda, 2001b). From his other writing one can infer that he likes to challenge popular and/or traditional thinking and that he is a truth seeker.

All in all, taking into consideration the information provided, the ability to validate its accuracy and the fact that the author appears to be a legitimate member of the collegiate world, one could consider the information reliable and truthful.

All activist and special interest websites have one element in common in that the information presented by the individual or individuals expresses an opinion or promotes a cause about which they feel strongly. Depending on the skill of the writer the potential is there for someone who is not a critical thinker to be quickly roused to emotion or action either for or against the topic covered. An example of a non-critical thinker (Rodger, 2001) responded to the Activist website with an especially good example of his lack of critical thinking skills and an even better example of his bigotry and racial biases.

When you read something on the Internet, be a critical thinker. Ask yourself some questions:

· Is the source of the information credible? Who are they, what do they do and why are they presenting this information?

· Is their claim or are their statistics something that can be validated elsewhere? Do they cite sources of information or do they just pull numbers out of the air?

· Is this the only possible perspective on the idea being presented? Are there conflicting views? Have you reviewed other sources?

It is always up to the reader whether or not they accept or reject the information they read. However, it is in the reader's best interest not to be too easily persuaded. Take a tour through some of the websites in the reference section and see what you think. Practice critical thinking and decide what you believe and what you don't.