Assessing Sources


In her lecture about the assessing sources, Amanda Strong, a professor in the

Medical Genetics Department at McGill University and she graduated from

Concordia University. However, she talked about this subject in different areas

for example, how to find the good and bad websites, with a nice explanation to

each supporting point.


Amanda started talked by general ideas and she said the media is not

always true , especially on the internet. We should be careful when we use it

sure it's very helpful and useful and an important in our daily life. But, don't

trust everything because sometimes it could be dangerous , and she added if

we want to use it for a background information that will be much better. She

mention some ways and steps can help us, to know the truth and to find the

reality on the internet. For example, since you discover unclear information

to not use it and you must know from where it come as journal, public
opinion. Also, make sure who is funding the websites and is it something

official or just known sector and she considered evidence in order to deal

with this compound problem. Firstly, if you find a missing number or the date

maybe it's a truth information, but it from long time ago. Thirdly, ask your self

where are the references and does the information updated frankly. Moreover,

the bad or fabrication websites will not have a strong statistic and in this

situation she said, leave it and ignore those kinds of web pages. On the other

hand, you will find an excellent statistic on the good web pages, as the

government or news. Amanda focused on the paid advertising one of the huge

issues for example, she found that some companies are paying to be on the
first page as a result to our researcher. In addition, some of them they put

big flashing pictures to attract us for example, losing some weight or any

interesting topic. So, when you found yourself on this condition go and look

for the sources where it come from. Like when google something *keep in your

mind* about the background information, is it original source. If it an article on

the newspaper or magazine who are the reporter, because maybe it's look very

nice. But, in fact that doesn't give the right information. Finally, she pointed out
that the untruth websites used a popular logo to except more people for

example, CNN or FOX news. Also, she said it's difficult to deal with it, but

"be aware about it" that something very necessary and could avoid the

problem. She ended with an example of buying blue pen either than the black,

to show us how we could trust the positive opinion.


In my opinion it was wonderful lecture and kind of exciting subject and the
presenter was also a good professor. But, as I told my group the problem we

cannot make a presentation it just good to watch it, maybe there wasn't enough

main idea.

I enjoyed at the end and I think we learned from the topic and this experience.