Bob Schieffer on 'Net Nuts

The great thing about the Internet is pretty much everyone has access to it. The bad thing about the Internet is pretty much everyone has access to it.

Remember the old saying that a lie gets half-way around the world before truth gets it pants on? That quote is often attributed to Winston Churchill, some say it was Mark Twain. Either way, it's a point well taken. The Internet just speeds up the process.

This was all the subject of this commentary by Bob Schieffer of CBS News this past Sunday. Schieffer is "old school" and as a Texan, he talks plain. He makes the point that "Ignorance Travels Fast on Internet." He was reacting to the recent poll about people's perception of President Obama's religion. I won't weigh in on that debate, but do agree with many of the points Schieffer makes about the danger of believing everything you read or see on the Internet.

Schieffer isn't the first person to make the point that the Internet provides a platform for a lot of misguided folks who use the Internet to validate their own misguidedness. Shari Julian, a Texas psychologist says, "When you have a venue for ventilating rage, your belief in that rage is ratified. It increases their belief that their behavior is acceptable. Their behavior is applauded, seconded. In that case, it's scary. It does seem to roll and escalate."

You can pretty much post the most outrageous things about anyone or anything on the Internet. There are lots of websites that provide the platform for you. It's all protected by free speech and the folks who run these websites defend themselves by saying they're essentially a digital book-shelf and not responsible for the content of the books on that shelf.

To be fair, the Internet is an incredible source for information, research and news. But as Ronald Reagan famously said, "Trust but verify."

Just like a good journalist, seek out more than just one source for information. Just because it's on the Internet doesn't make it true. Be especially aware of anonymous posters. Anyone who posts a thought, idea or opinion anonymously makes what they say about as worthless as spit.

Imagine if John Hancock had signed the Declaration of Independence as "FreedomGuy76?"

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
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