Quote:
Originally posted by fintstone
I think it is just the opposite...too many americans are over-informed. Anyone can post most anything on the internet...truth is usually the casualty. The major sources for "news" seem to have political agendas and report the news in that light. Most folks are not well educated enough to separate the truth from the chaff. Others know "facts" but cannot place them in the proper perspective with other information.
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hmm...I'll agree that there is a lack of critical thinking skills in this country. We are in total agreement there. As for being over-informed, I disagree. There is an active minority who gobble "information" at a high rate, and of course the trick is to create *meaning* out of the data.
The web, while providing a forum for every crackpot with a computer and a modem, also provides opportunities for information to be distributed that would *never* make it to people otherwise (ie weblogs from people living in Iraq). While you can argue about the veracity of the stories, the reality is that I question major media just as much or more. And the interesting thing is that vetting with online information takes place within active online communities...like this one. We are now afforded the opportunity to see, experience, debate, and then make much more informed decisions about what is "true."
You can argue about the slant of sites like moveon.org, oneworld.net, freespeech.org, tv.oneworld.net (great site), witness.org, etc, but I don't think you can make the case that the world is worse off with access to these kinds of materials and media.