1. False Reporting on the Internet and the Spread of Rumors: Three Case Studies
By Paul Hitlin (2004)

2. Four Main Reasons for Errors in Cyber-Journalism
Need for Speed
The Desire to Attract Hits
Political Gain
Attraction to scandal

3. TWA Flight 800 Crashed July 19, 1996 Three Main rumors surfaced
Terrorist bomb
Mechanical Failure
Surface to Air Missile
Investigation rejects terrorism, but internet rumors remain

4. Sidney Blumenthal vs. Matt Drudge
Drudge ran a one man internet reporting operation
Accused Blumenthal, a white house aide of beating his wife in 1997
Blumenthal sued and Drudge retracted his story

5. Vince Foster Suicide
Foster was a white house aide, shot himself in the head in 1993
Rumors that he was murdered
Four investigations concluded it was suicide
Websites on internet still claim it was murder

6. Conclusion False information spreads rapidly over the internet
Inaccurate reporting exists in all forms of media, but it is the hardest to fix on the internet
The only solution is for internet reporters to adopt stricter guidelines