You know you can trust the Encyclopedia Britannica more than Judy Brown’s
website. An article in Science or National Geographic Magazine will be much
more likely to contain accurate information than an article in Popular Science
or Science & Theology News Magazine. Why, because the first two magazines hold
as their mission the reporting of facts. The later magazines have as their goal
appealing to a particular audience’s viewpoint.
You can usually trust any source called “The Journal of…” but people have
been known to abuse this title too. If you recognize the organization for which
the journal is published, then the content is fairly safe, though
understandably written with that organization’s purpose in mind. For example,
would you refer to a paper in The Journal of Pharmacotherapy in Community
& Public Health or The New England Journal of Medicine when
wondering what to do about Avian Flu? Not always simple is it? Actually, the
first journal has been discontinued so would not contain information recent
enough to cover the current Avian Flu epidemic. The New England Journal of
Medicine has been a trusted source since 1812.
Newspapers
In America
most newspapers, radio broadcasts, television broadcasts, and Internet news
feeds come from one of two sources, the Associated Press or Reuters. These
organizations hire reporters to cover news events across the world. Local
reporters still often report local news, but the majority of our information
comes from these two service agencies. We are at their mercy as to whether or
not the information is correct, and with timelines for news reporting these
days, facts are checked only after initially reported, usually by other
skeptical reporters. Therefore, a long running story is more dependable than a
late-breaking one.
Pamphlets and Other Advertising
By nature, pamphlets, flyers, stickers, billboards, signs, posters, and the
like are marketing materials. Their purpose is to advertise. Advertising is the
art of showing a product or service in its best light, creating a demand for
that product or service. If you have ever taken a communications course, then
you probably remember some of the dozen or so persuasive techniques used by
advertisers (e.g. repetition, bandwagon, testimonials, emotional appeal,
slogans, controversy, and subliminal messages). Beware advertising methods in
any medium. If a message stirs your emotions, confuses you, or you feel
pressure to agree, suspect that it is not trustworthy.