The evolutionary path that the media have traveled to date, and the rapid development of the Internet, clearly indicate that modern people are not at all threatened by information hunger. In the arsenal of the current generation there is always relevant information to answer almost any question.
However, another problem arises before humanity. There is so much information, including constantly updated, that there is a need for reliable information.
Indeed, in an endless stream of articles, notes and publications, texts often written by incompetent authors, or those who deliberately misinform society, often come across. How to gain confidence that complete reliable information has been received on a particular issue? To do this, all the data must be learned to distinguish from those that only mislead the reader.
Concept of information
In the learning process or as needed, we receive information about various events, facts, persons and objects. This is the information we need, which can have various forms of presentation. However, it can be both reliable and not.
It so happens that the information we receive does not correspond to reality. It provides us with information about phenomena and objects that did not exist at all. Such information is classified as unreliable.
In contrast, the information we have received may be real, genuine and without any doubt. Examples of reliable information are those publications that are confirmed by legally correct procedures using witnesses, documents, examinations, etc.
Sources of information received
Where does reliable information come from? Examples of sources for its production are diverse. They may be:
- individuals, by virtue of their authority and position held, have the information that interests the media;
- official documents;
- human environment (urban, natural, as well as subject matter);
- printed publications with output data (encyclopedias, books, textbooks, articles in printed journals, etc.);
- information environment of a virtual type;
- sites on the Internet.
The most common sources of information are government officials. Providing the population with accurate and objective information is their direct responsibility.
In the Russian Federation there is a norm guaranteeing the right of citizens to reliable information. It is enshrined in the legislative act "On the media." According to this document, citizens of the country have the right to receive truthful information regarding the activities of state organizations and bodies, as well as various public associations and about officials working in them. These are reliable
sources of information. They transmit the information they have, either at the request of the publishers, or through conferences, mailings, statistical and reference materials, as well as using other forms.
Where there is a right, there is a duty. So, the editorial staff of the media should transmit reliable information received from official bodies to citizens.
Information Properties
The value of various publications, articles, news and messages for the daily life of human society is great. The economic development of states, as well as the health and life of people, depend on their properties.
In any situation, an analysis of the properties available about the received information is necessary. This will help to understand how this information is useful and relevant to others. At the same time, it also evaluates how reliable the information is. Examples of truly truthful information are quite diverse. It could be a television program. In most cases, it contains relevant information for a person and quite reliable information.
However, there are situations in which slightly different properties of the information received are important. So, the given examples of reliable information are clearly insufficient for young children. They need to voice the text, consisting of simple sentences, which, moreover, should be illustrated. Only in this case can the information possess the property of comprehensibility and accessibility.
A person is fully able to use the information he received if they are relevant, accessible (understandable), reliable, adequate, representative and complete. Let's consider these categories in more detail.
Relevance
The information obtained should be important for the individual and society as a whole. At the same time, they will be considered relevant if they can be used to solve a particular problem, as well as when a specific situation arises.
This property is directly dependent on the time interval that separates the moment of the appearance of information and its further receipt, as well as on the speed of change of the situation. Only truthful and timely information will help to solve the task.
Examples of reliable information, which is also relevant, are data on the eve of impending hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. Of great importance in human life and society is the weather forecast.
Availability
All information must be submitted in a form that is understandable to a person and in the language that he perceives. Only in this case can we talk about the availability of the text.
For example, the information necessary and reliable is contained in a chemistry textbook for grade 10. However, it is incomprehensible for eighth graders who will encounter unfamiliar formulas and terms in the text of the paragraphs.
This property of information is taken into account by bookstores and libraries. On their shelves indicate information about the literature for what age is in a particular section.
Credibility
All information received should reflect the state of that object, phenomenon or process that really exists. No wonder the citizens of any country have the right to reliable information. Indeed, false data can lead to an incorrect perception of the situation and the adoption of an erroneous decision.
Sufficiency (fullness)
Reliable information should include a minimal, but at the same time strictly defined data set to make the right decision. In this case, we can talk about the completeness of the information received. However, it should be borne in mind that the effectiveness of decisions is lost not only with incomplete, but also with an excess of information.
In life, there are often situations when it is very important that the information received by a person is reliable and sufficient. So, every day we talk on the phone, planning serious matters and meetings. But sometimes we can’t hear all the words of the interlocutor because of the noise in the receiver. At the same time, misunderstood phrases can be interpreted in their own way.
What other examples of reliable information can be given that, due to the loss of completeness of information, can lead to the adoption of an incorrect decision? This is a telegram about the date and time of arrival of the guest, in which, for one reason or another, a mistake was made. Distortion in the text will lead to its misunderstanding. As a result, the guest will have to get from the station on his own.
Adequacy
This is another property of information that allows you to compare the received data with a real object, phenomenon or process. As for real life, in it the complete adequacy of the information provided is practically not observed.
For example, an applicant who wants to get an economic specialty after graduating from school has information from his friends that his chosen profession can be acquired at various universities. Information that appeared from non-official sources is contradictory. That is why, relying on them, a young man is not able to make the decision he needs. In this case, we can say that the information received is inadequate in relation to the current state of affairs.
Reliable information is available in the "Directory for applicants to universities." This publication adequately reflects all the areas of study that are available at universities in the country. Such information will help the applicant to make the right decision, having finally decided on their choice.
Representativeness
This property of information is directly related to its correct selection and formation of data for an adequate description of the properties of the object. For this, similar information is used from various sources. As a result, data are selected regarding the most important characteristics of an object or phenomenon.
An example is the solution to the question posed to the social service of the city, to find out the amount of money spent by each family every week. For this, there is no need for a survey of all residents. Social workers should find out this amount only from that part of the population that can be included in a typical group. As a result, an array of information will be formed, which is called a selection. In the event that the results of the survey are characteristic of the majority of the population of the city, it is possible to talk about the representativeness of the information.
The objective and subjective nature of the information
It is very difficult to give examples of reliable and unreliable information when a person expresses one or another attitude to it. In this case, it is more appropriate to consider information from the point of view of their objectivity and subjectivity. The first of these two characteristics depends only on the content of the information text.
The attitude of a person to him does not matter here. So, reliable and objective information is contained in any school textbook. Its volume, meaning, and also the type of presentation do not depend on this or that student’s attitude to the subject. Subjective information has completely different properties. Its characteristic is directly dependent on the importance that information has for a particular person.
Reliable, but biased information constantly meets us in everyday life. Its presence is indicated by such definitions as interesting and important, harmful and useful, complex, etc. All these words characterize a person’s attitude to the significance of information. In life, you can hardly find information that would be equally interesting and important for each person. That is why all of the above definitions characterize publications, articles and messages in terms of their subjectivity.
Reliable, but biased information is contained in the phrase "It's cold outside." This feeling depends on the person who expressed it. Objective information can be obtained from the message “On the street 15 degrees.” This information gives us devices with accuracy, depending on their error.
There are numerous examples of reliable, but biased information. After all, about any information submitted even by official sources, people have their own opinions and opinions. In this case, the information ceases to be objective, passing into the category of subjective.
Examples of reliable, but biased information can be found in various media. These are responses and discussions of the adopted legislative acts, a description of the events that took place, etc.
Confidence Level Classification
Every day we come across various publications. They contain reliable and false information. How to differentiate it?
There are certain groups of information that distribute all the information provided according to the degree of its veracity. The first of them includes official publications contained on the websites of government bodies, including those of a registration nature. Such information is as reliable as possible. That is why it deserves the highest evaluation criteria. However, examples of reliable and false information can be given in this case. The fact is that in the submission of any information inadvertent errors are not excluded.
The second group includes official publications posted on the websites of news agencies with a good reputation. It is also the source of the highest degree of confidence.
The third group includes information that legal entities disclose about themselves. Such data is placed on their own or specialized sites.
The fourth group of reliability includes information that is contained on the pages of information and news agencies. Such information is also found on electronic media sites that have a good reputation.
Reliable and unreliable information can be collected from various sources. It is placed on thematic resources that have a specific area of activity. That is why such information is referred to the fifth group of reliability.
The sixth level of truthfulness of information includes data that can be read on the websites of companies that produce their own product of information-analytical nature. In this case, the veracity of the information directly depends on the commitment and position of the resource owners.
The seventh group includes “yellow” information. Its reliability is not worth talking about at all.