Web sites are an excellent source to obtain information because it is international and contains information from many sources creating a variety of ideas and opinions. However, as there is so much information, it takes as much time sorting out the relevant material from the inconsequential material as it takes to get up and go to the library. Also, as it is fairly simple to learn how to set up a web site, the content of the web site can not be totally reliable. There is no way of knowing who created the web site, so it could have been created by a child. There is also the risk of hackers changing the content of the site without anyone realizing it. The web sites are also not required to go through publishers so there is no guarantee the information is correct.
The reliability and precision of the media is dependent solely on the person responsible for its publication. Most media products such as newspapers, magazines, and television shows are concerned mostly with how it is rated and how many people buy into it. Only by attracting the public, will ratings and the number of people subscribing increase. This makes the media more money. Because of this, not so pure drive to inform the public, they will attempt to exaggerate the material in an effort to present the writing or television shows in a more interesting and attractive manner in order to raise the ratings and in turn earn more money. Inevitably this exaggeration of events will lead to an ultimate distortion of the truth. Another aspect to consider about media knowledge is the value of time. In the media it is "first come first serve". Whoever releases the information first has a greater chance at receiving a profit for the release of the information. However, because of the unpreventable rush to publicize the news in order to have "first dibs" on the profit, there is rarely enough time to verify the facts of the situation before it is released publicly.
