##### tags: `CDA`

# Web Search and Evaluation

The only one you can trust is yourself. When it comes to news and information on the web, it is difficult to determine what the full story may be and what points may be missing from the entire picture. While there are outlets that claim complete objectivity and truth, there will always be unavoidable bias, as stated by Valenza. On extreme far-right or far-left media outlets, we often come across coverage that is formed by subjective views.


## Google Search Exercises

In our exercise to utilize Google Advanced search, to find out how many pages on English Wikipedia contain the exact phrase "Northeastern University", I searched "Northeastern University" site:wikipedia.org. However, I did catch that English Wikipedia is a slightly different URL, so I changed the search to "Northeastern University" site:en.wikipedia.org. I got 4,830 results from the search. For my query about skate fish, I searched "skate fish OR ice OR rink -ice rink" and got 2,930,000 results. I did test using a hyphen versus an en dash, but saw that it only added to the results. For other results, I did utilize the Advanced Search to refine my search.

For example, to search for the top image for "penguin pair" with Creative Commons usage rights, I used Advanced Image Search. The image I found was this:


## Verifying Web Pages and Information
Furthermore, to apply the criteria mentioned in the articles we read, I went to [Vatican News](https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-09/pope-appeals-for-prayers-and-closeness-to-people-of-ukraine.html) to read about the ongoing war in Ukraine. The first thing that stood out when analyzing this page was the undisclosed author's name. It was written by "Vatican News staff writer", which does not allow me to look at the author's background and, thus, brings the article's credibility into question. In addition, the url ended in "URL.va", which I am unfamiliar with. Also, the story itself is extremely short and only goes into the thoughts and prayers of the Pope in regards to the people of Ukraine and fails to mention any other updates in relation to the situation. On larger sites with more information, I would continue to practice these rules of thumb to determine the credibility of the site.

For "Joseph Reagle" Wikipedia article, changes I would make include using cited material that contains the detail stated. For example, the statement that Professor Reagle was part of the World Wide Web Consortium links to a Wikipedia page about said group. However, when searching that page, it fails to mention Professor Reagle anywhere. The same idea applies for his "best selling" book *Good Faith Collaboration*. Looking at the page history, this page for Professor Reagle was first created August 1, 2011.