"60 Minutes" and Web Site Evaluations

[Mary-Ellen Mort]

Yes I saw it.  There was a lot to be amused (or alarmed) by in that report!
My favorite moment was when Lesley Stahl asked this goofy net guy if he 
had ANY proof when he said that missles shot down the TWA flight on his 
website. He said something like "Well, you can believe what you like."
And she said "Then you have no proof at all?" He said "So?"

Those of us who work with the public know that far too many people believe
that if a document neatly typed then it must be true! We librarians, as
the ultimate suspicious data consumer, have much work to do! 

Mary-Ellen Mort
JobSmart Project Director
memort at netcom.com

On Mon, 3 Mar 1997, Linda Absher wrote:

> 
> 
> Okay--I'll be the first one to bring this up:  did anyone watch the "60 
> Minutes" report on the difficulty in determining the 
> authority/authenticity of info presented via the web?  I know tv ratings 
> thrive by presenting a subject as if it were The Next Big Catastrophe, 
> but I was taken aback by its ominous, cataclysmic tone, and its attempts 
> to suggest that children may be yet again at risk when using the web.  
> 
> And not even a faint mention of the ability of libarians to evaluate 
> information available on the web....
> 
> LInda
> 
> --
> Linda Ueki Absher		absher at lclark.edu/lindaa at info.berkeley.edu
> Reference Librarian		(503) 768-7287       FAX: (503) 768-7282
> Lewis & Clark College 		Portland, OR 97219
> --
> "By doing just a little every day, I can gradually let the task completely
>  overwhelm me. -- Asleigh Brilliant 
> 
>