Evaluating Sources

In the past week I searched for an appropriate article that would allow me to evaluate sources and information. In this search, I came across a piece in the science section of the The New York Times written by Jim Robbins, Paying farmers to welcome birds (2014, April 14). It was an interesting and informative article that delved into the need to increase the number of wetland habitats for migratory birds in the overly developed areas of Central Valley, CA (Robbins, 2014). The article also attempted to shed light on a project called BirdReturns out of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The BirdReturns program uses information from birders who track migratory patterns by recording the information on an online application and submitting it. This data is then used by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to identify the areas in most need of manufactured wetland habitats (Robbins, 2014). Farmers and scientists are working together through initiatives to recreate the wetlands through man-made processes (Robbins, 2014).  

The article cited many sources; mainly focusing on experts in ornithology from Cornell and the University of Connecticut and also nature conversationalists. A local farmer who was not cited as having any particular expertise or familiarity in birding, was also cited as a first hand witness to the work that was being done to populate the wetlands with migratory bird species. 

I was able to vet the sources named in the article using the suggestions included in Criteria to evaluate the credibility of WWW Resources(1998) by Virginia Montecino. I first identified what affiliation each source was linked to and made sure the expert credit that they were given was in fact correct. I then checked to make sure the projects that were talked about in the article i.e. BirdReturns were in fact legitimate and current. My research has led me to believe that the article and its sources hold brevity and are reliable and credible. 

I was able to substantiate the information in this article through the knowledge that I have and the research I conducted. Thankfully, the information in Paying farmers to welcome birds was accurate and well balanced. However, this is not always the case in online mass media resources. Just about anyone can post information that is not correct and cite sources that are not reliable. When incomplete data is out there on the web, it can be a dangerous thing and lead to the proliferation of material that shouldn't be there in the first place. It is always important to check for the validity of information and sources relating to any mass media content you are consuming. If I were to be negligent in checking sources found in an article and re-post it on social media or tweet it out and then find out the information was inaccurate, I would be just as responsible for that content as the original creator. 

REFERENCES: 

Robbins, J. (2014, April 14). Paying farmers to welcome birds. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://nyti.ms.Ris1Dp

Montecino, Virginia. (1998). Criteria to evaluate the credibility of WWW resources. Retrieved from http://mason.gmu.edu/~montecin/web-eval-sites.htm

Social Media as a Source

I check various news sources throughout the day to learn what is going on in the world. The sources I most often turn to are CNN for national and global news, The Boston Globe for local news and events, Discovery News online for updates on technology and science and People Magazine for entertainment news. On a daily basis I strive to obtain a variety of news on a broad range of subjects so that I feel as though I have an educated and well-rounded view. 

Occasionally, I also come across factual news information on social media.  For example, I learned through a Facebook post today that former President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton watched the final game of the NCAA championship together. This post struck me as very interesting considering President Bush and Clinton's differing political views. After reading the post I confirmed that it was correct through CBSNews.com. CBS similarly reported the story with an accompanying eyewitness photo of the former Presidents sitting in the stands next to one another. 

Social Media can certainly prove to be a reliable source of information. However, it is always important to remember that it can also be a vehicle for unreliable information. In order to be certain that a story or post you are reading from social media is in fact correct it is good to follow up and fact check on your own. Looking for the same story from a reliable news source is an effective way to double check the facts of a story from social media.