Explanation:
Not all written sources are reliable, no matter how sound their arguments may appear to be. To evaluate the reliability of a piece of writing, you must consider several issues related to the subject and to the person or publisher that presents it. Is the information current? Is it related directly to the topic it discusses? Does it provide sources for supporting ideas? Are these sources reliable? Is the purpose of the information to inform, to persuade, to sell, or even to entertain? Has the information been written and published recently? Does a date of publication appear? Finally, who is responsible for the information? Is an author or publisher listed at all?
Some topics (such as medical research and new technical information) must be up-to-date to be valuable to readers. However, bias and opinion compromise even recent information, keeping it from being objective and trustworthy. Certainly, any organization or individual is entitled to a perspective. However, that doesn’t necessarily make the perspective one which readers can rely on. One person’s opinion is not necessarily informed. Likewise, some organizations, particularly companies who want sales or politicians who want votes, want readers to agree with their views. Few advertisements present credible supporting information for the positions they present! In general, objective information with a listed author and/or presented by a reliable publisher is far more credible than anonymous information published by a commercial or an anonymous source. It’s up to you – as critical reader – to determine the bias and the source of what you read.
