In today’s world, finding news online or through a social media source is as common as watching the news on TV. However, because anyone can post anything online, it can be difficult to find newsworthy, credible sources. Because of this, many statements can lead to false accusations and libelous situations.

This has become true recently for Ashland University. On the morning of Jan. 6, the university discovered libelous statements on their Facebook page regarding the Steubenville rape case. After further investigation, the university discovered that most of these comments were from a fake source. Due to the amount of information online, reading information online should be done carefully.

“A lot of times you just cannot tell the difference between a credible source and a noncredible source,” Gretchen Dworznik, Journalism and Digital Media chair, said. “What it takes is a little investigation. Get onto that site and start looking around.”

Dworznik said to read “about” pages on sites, and to check the links the sites have posted. However, taking the time to investigate news sites and online sources can be difficult. Dworznik said that most people will judge a site based on how “professional” it looks. Although a site may seem legitimate, investigating what it actually says can be key to finding the truth.

“Say it’s political news, and you’re looking for unbiased, political news… if you start to read about them you can tell… maybe they’re a really liberal organization, so of course that information is going to be coming from a really liberal side,” she said.

Dworznik said that because the Steubenville case is very big and pervasive, it can be very easy to find untrue information online. This information can then lead to even bigger messes, similar to that which the university endured. Dworznik advised students, and others, to be careful when finding information online, and to look for trustworthy sources.

“Everybody wants to have a voice [in this case], and anybody can do it,” she said. “The sheer amount of information that is out there about this case makes it incredibly hard to sift through when you are just simply an outsider looking for info on what’s happening. In a case like this, look for known sources. You can trust that at least it’s coming from a trusted, journalistic source.”

Although there are so many opinions intertwined with facts, especially about this case in particular, Dworznik said that blogs can still be of use to the public. However, she said to be sure you know what you are getting into, and to know that blogs may not have the most reliable information.

“[Go to blogs] knowing what it is,” she said. “It’s an opinion; it’s a place for someone to state their opinion. So read the info, but take it with a grain of salt, and understand that this is a person who has their opinions, has their biases, and doesn’t have to be held accountable for any of it.”

Due to the fact that anyone can create anything online, Dworznik said things can be easily mistaken for reputable and true. She cautioned students to be aware of the easy access to fake a site while finding information in any situation.

“I think students need to understand how easy it is to create something online that looks real,” she said. “It’s really important in anything for students to understand how easy it is to fabricate things on the internet and to really be skeptical of anything they read because it’s just so easy to fake information.”