LM_NET: Library Media Networking
> Now you have
>thousands of web sites staring you in the face, some of which were
>created by Joe and his cousin Moe.------
I was in a conversation about the reliability of sources on the Web
as opposed to sources in print, and I found myself defending print
sources because of their greater level of "checks and balances", with
the various authority checks we all use (is the publisher respected,
who edited/authored the source), adding the argument that when
something's in print, the publisher has to stand by it or get it
thrashed for inaccuracy, and therefore has an interest in accuracy.
I don't believe "they wouldn't print it if it wasn't
true"--obviously-- but the impermanence of the net could easily allow
"Joe and his cousin Moe" to post anything that happens to occur to
them as fact. I felt funny about the argument--I know it's not
unassailable just because something is printed, but I don't feel able
to "trust" just anything found at random on the net, either. (I also
felt like an old fogey arguing against Progress and Innovation....)--
Does anyone have any citations to do with evaluating sources on the
Internet? How does one do it? One can be happy with a source from
the US Geological Survey site, but is there any protection from our
friend Joe and his cousin Moe setting up as the US Geological Survey
folks in an evil attempt at fraud? It seems to naive to just trust
ANYTHING out there. Or am I paranoid (in addition to hopelessly out
of date)?
Shannon Acedo
Assistant Librarian
Marlborough School
Los Angeles CA
acedos@marlborough.la.ca.us
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