Appeal: Use the internet!

Appeal: Use the internet!

A Danish newspaper in September 2005 published a series of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammed. What happened since has become world news.
As a librarian and search engine expert, I have noticed a great deal of misunderstanding and a worrisome lack of information on the part of all who have commented on the conflict. Such information gaps could have been avoided if only the commentators had used today’s most powerful information instrument: the internet and its search engines, thousands of news sites, weblogs and websites.
Electronic media are used every minute of the day to spread false information. It is necessary for any responsible person to do a little research before jumping to conclusions. And with the internet, such research is easier than ever. So before you decide: Check your information, be critical. Even you can be misinformed and thus manipulated. Use the internet and its unique opportunity to check out what is really going on. Consult more than two or three of the “standard” sources … dig deeper. And always ask yourself: Who is speaking! What are the motivations that might drive the messages and stories featured here? What does the other side have to say?
Whatever you plan to do and wherever your sympathies are, consider this. You could be wrong. You could be misinformed. So take the time to do your homework before it is too late and you find yourself regretting something you said and did … that can’t be unsaid or undone.
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