Authority of Information sources
Based on the the question: In a world of disinformation, social media, and “alternative facts,” how do you identify and vet credible information sources?
There are several of sources out there people obtain information. The importance of obtaining information do differs and so is the value of such information. Not only do librarians and libraries check for the authority of resources to be acquired but also confident about its impact on the population serving. Hence, the credibility of such information sources.
In order to identify credible information sources, it is imperative to first know the best authority behind such information. Election information would be best sourced for from the right election authority rather than a blog or YouTube. The part of identification in term of "who is who" is so important in knowing that you are obtaining the right information (sort of a primary source) and upholding public trust. Over the years, own voices and authorities in information resources have be established and continue to expand every day. The "alternative facts" should not be the first point of call when searching for information resources but the right authorities/voices/professionals.
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Comments (2)
Hi Olanike:
Thanks for joining our conversation. And thanks for adding your questions, Hanna.
I agree that this is the right approach. But getting everyone to trusted sources that are as easily accessible as a blog post is a challenge.
You make some really great points about information authority! So many of the trusted sources can, however, be hard to find or understand; for example, government publications are often not fun to read for people who are not legal scholars! Even when they are, many people do not trust them because they come from "mainstream sources", and that can be really challenging to navigate. For those who do trust the right authorities, I wish libraries would spend more energy on working with patrons so they can learn how to navigate certain sources. What do you think this would look like, for people who trust mainstream experts like Fauci, and those who do not?
I also think access to digital resources comes into play - when someone's main information source on current events is say, Fox News, or even CNN, and they don't have access or skills to look up some featured guest, how to they know the guest is an authority?