Reading Report #1

The report, written by Paul Piper, was in reference to the Internet and how certain websites are not necessarily what they seem. It divided these spurious sites into different groups as well, with all of them falling under the code name of misinformation. Piper was quick to point out, though, that his problem was not with the sites or information that were accidentally wrong, or typos, or unintended omissions. His problem was instead with the sites which contained malicious and intentional misinformation. (82) For instance he compared these faulty sites to a counterfeit twenty dollar bill attempting to feign its way into our United States currency system and pass itself off as real. His research appears very thorough, and he gave numerous examples of these sites. Some of which, in his opinion, were white power sites disguised to seem neutral at first, but under his further review were revealed to be propoganda. One such site was dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr., but it contained information about him which was not flattering. He lists all of his misinformation subgroups and gives examples of each, and at the end of his essay even gives information to the reader telling him what he should do if he encounters a site he believes may be fake. (208)


The paper was a bit long for what I was expecting but it was pretty easy to read and I enjoyed it. I think it was appropriate to see in clearly expressed writing what many of us have wanted to say for a long time. I know we have touched on Wikipedia some in class, and that website is something I continually thought about while reading this article. While the information on Wiki appears to gospel to some, including myself, we sometimes forget, or neglect that anyone can post reports on that site. I try not to believe what I hear all the time anyways, and the Internet for me is little different than TV in that respect. I stay glued to ESPN, and I cannot believe half the things they gossip about on there anymore. It is always nice to be given the reminder that what we see or hear all the time is not true, though. Maybe I am different than most though in my indifference to the sites being allowed to stay on the web. I believe in freedom of speech and know it is impossible to fully dissect which sites are real and which are not. For example, my blog was just given the label of a spam blog, which it certainly is not. His detail of all the misinformation types was quite impressive and my favorite category of his was probably the "disinformation" genre, and how we sometimes believe this junk anyways.

Kyle

News Report #1

"Don't touch that book!" Children's products must comply with new federal lead standards by February 10.

01/17/2009

Marietta Homayonpour

NewsTimes.com

http://www.newstimes.com/localnews/ci_11481614



Coming very soon, within the next month, libraries seemingly may have to begin deshelving much of their inventory it attempts to comply with new regulations passed by Congress. This past August the Congress passed a bill which inhibits the sale of children's products containing more than 6 parts per 10,000 total lead. And yes, this includes books. And yes, this includes not just new books, but books already in existence, too. Many, such as the executive director of the American Library Association, Emily Sheketoff, are outraged. She contends libraries are in the business of providing our young minds with the materials necessary to expand their horizons and jumpstart them on the path of learning. The average small business owner, such as Nora O'Neill, could see the downside of this recent decision as well. O'Neill owns a company which buys and sells adult and children's books. This law could potentially devastate her business, as she does not forsee the ability to potentially deal with the revenue loss anticipated. The good news for both of these women, libraries in general, and most importantly, the children, is that word has come down from American Libraries Association to wait until further clarification of the law is given specifically to them.

I found this story particularly interesting because it touches on a variety of topics to me, whether it intended to or not. I think it is nice to see that we as a country are becoming far more aware of the things we bring into our country from overseas. Especially when the products come from a nation such as China, who is certainly not our best friend at the moment, and is angling for the top spot in food chain which we currently hold by most accounts. I am surprised that a provision of some sort has yet to be passed though allowing for things such as books to be allowed. Perhaps this hasn't happened yet because of the freshness of this story. I would hope that Congress would allow for such an admission; if libraries were forced to relinquish the right to hold children's books, it would be a sad day.

First Post

Well I just created my first blog today. It is an amazing feeling and was easier than I expected.