“I Read it on the Internet; It Must Be True!” Ways to be a good consumer of Internet information. By Judy Henning Kearney Public Schools Director of Media Services Kearney High School Media Specialist

You need to apply critical thinking skills in evaluating web site information. If you don’t, you could look like a fool!

Made to look like a fool: l Pierre Salinger Former White House Press Secretary during the Kennedy Administration ABC News Correspondent Believed false report of TWA Flight 800 being shot down by US Navy missile

FBI interviews Salinger on TWA, discredits ‘friendly fire’ documents November 10, 1996 Web posted at: 10:20 a.m. EST SMITHTOWN, New York (CNN) -- FBI agents interviewed former White House press secretary Pierre Salinger at his Paris home Saturday and dismissed his document claiming a U.S. Navy missile shot down TWA Flight 800 as nothing more than Internet chatter. "The document is the same one we have already seen, thoroughly investigated and discounted," said James Kallstrom, head of the FBI's criminal investigation.

The Internet if full of rumors, gossip, hoaxes, exaggerations, falsehoods, ruses and scams.

There are NO Internet Police! The United States Bill of Rights gives everyone the freedoms of speech & expression

6 Steps to Website Evaluation: l Don’t be fooled by appearance l Where did this originate--URL? l Who’s behind the information? l Why was this information posted? l Look for the date the information was created or modified. l Try to verify the same information elsewhere.

1--Don’t be fooled by appearance. A flashy site can be merely a marketing front for quack health remedies or a propaganda ploy for a racist conspiracy theorist.

The result of a search using the keywords--White Western Culture:

This is a dangerous website: l Stormfront is a white supremacy organization that teaches people to hate. l There are games for people to play. l There is also a Kids Stormfront. l This web site has links to the KKK.

2--Where did this website originate--URL? l gov=government l.edu=4 year, degree granting colleges/universities l.com=commercial l.int=international organization l.org=misc.,usually non-profit organizations and individuals l.net=network organizations l.mil=US military

Check out:

What does this website say? l Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is perhaps the single most prevalent of all chemicals that can be dangerous to human life. Despite this truth, most people are not unduly concerned about the dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide. Governments, civic leaders, corporations, military organizations, and citizens in every walk of life seem to either be ignorant of or shrug off the truth about Dihydrogen Monoxide as not being applicable to them. This concerns us.

Hazards of DHMO:  Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.  Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.  DHMO is a major component of acid rain.  Contributes to soil erosion.  Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.

More Hazards of DHMO:  Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.  Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.  Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.  Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere.  Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.

Do you think DHMO should be banned? l A poll showed that 86% of the people who visited this web site thought DHMO should be banned. l All the information is factual.

Seems like an open-and- shut case: l Until you realize that this chemical compound is plain old l WATER! l Two hydrogen molecules bonded to one oxygen, or H 2 0, which can drown you, scald you, and rust metal.

3--Who’s behind the information? l Who is the author? Is the author or creator identified? l You should be VERY skeptical if no authorship information is provided.

4--Why was this information posted? l Was the website created by a professional organization, trade organization, government agency, nonprofit organization, for-profit company, educational institution, individual researcher, political or advocacy group? l Determine the agenda of the site.

5--Look for the date the web page was created or modified. l Unless you’re doing historical research, current information is usually more valid and useful than older material. l If the web site isn’t dated, check out some of its links. If more than a couple are not working, the information at the site may no longer be up-to-date.

6--Try to verify the same information elsewhere. l This is especially true if the information is at odds with your previous understanding or runs counter to common sense. l Ideally you should confirm the information with at least two other sources.

Check out the Committee for Open Debate on the Holocaust: l One of many organizations with web sites that deny the stories of the Holocaust are true or that the Holocaust ever happened. l This should make you wonder about the accuracy of the information.

Free Search Engine vs. Subscription Database: l Free Search Engines: Yahoo, MSN, Google, Alta Vista, etc. l Subscription Database: SIRS, Electric Library, EBSCO, Newsbank, etc.

Like Network TV vs. Premium Channels l HBO and Showtime are void of commercials that you find on network TV. l Information from a subscription database is usually more reliable.

Bottom Line: l With so much information available on the Internet, the watchword is a Latin phrase: l “Caveat Lector” l Meaning--Let the reader beware!