One way
to begin evaluating online sources is by noticing the suffix in the URL. The suffix org was
originally used by non-for-profit organizations, as contrasted to com, which was used by
businesses. In addition, when landing on the web page, one can find numerous indicators as to
whether the organization is nonpartisan, affiliated with a political party, or otherwise
biased.
The journalism section that sponsored this article is part of the
Pew Research Center, which is one of the major nonpartisan, think tank type research centers
in the United States. At the bottom of the landing page, a paragraph clearly identifies what Pew
is:
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that
informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.
That paragraph also includes an embedded link to the Pew Charitable
Trusts, which sponsors the research center. Further, one can look at other articles that also
appear on the site to see what type of materials the organization produces.
This article includes several graphics based on a survey that Pew conducted in January
2016. At the bottom of the landing page, there is an icon on which to click for a PDF of the
complete report. The easy availability of the complete body of research on which the graphics
are based lends credibility to the article. In addition, the article also includes an embedded
link to the organizations past research.
In terms of ideology, the article
gives information about the sources from which American people in a large number of demographic
brackets obtain election-related information. The article mentions the political party
affiliation as one aspect of demography about which the survey asked. One example is a
conclusion drawn about correlations among other factors related to party affiliation:
Age, education level and political party account for some of the
differences here. Cable televisions overall popularity is pronounced among those who are 65 and
older and also among Republicans
The article does not
advocate for any party-related position. In several places, it presents results from the survey
that compare Democrats and Republicans, naming other differences in their sources of
election-related information. For example:
Republicans are
almost twice as likely to say cable news is the most helpful than are Democrats (34% vs. 19%,
and 24% among independents).
These are among the strong
indicators that this source is unbiased and credible.
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