INTERNET INTRIGUE

The most unique feature of the internet - and its most dangerous - is the instant accessibility to limitless numbers of people that it affords to anyone with a computer, or for that matter, an iphone. The problem, of course, is that the reliability of the information one receives is very low and the accountability is zero.

An interesting example is a notice flying around the net at the moment, promoting a new, constitutional amendment. The 28th Amendment would, in essence, require all laws to apply equally to both citizens and legislators. Hmm. Sounds reasonable. But the motivation behind the amendment - the fact that congressmen can retire with full pay for life after a single term and don't have to pay into Social Security - is false! Check out a web site called Snopes.com for the full story.

Here's an even better one. The other day, a law professor wanted to demonstrate the necessity for verifying facts. He began his class by reading a brief notice - purportedly from a news source - that Chief Justice Roberts had decided to step down from the Supreme Court. That's all he said. He then went on to teach the rest of the class. Before a minute had passed, several students had their Blackberrys out and were texting friends about the "news." The story was picked up by Radar.com, which is I believe the digital arm of the National Inquirer, and went out over the internet. NBC news anchor Brian Williams saw it on his way to work and made frantic calls to his office to try and lock in a "look-back" at Justice Roberts's brief career on the bench. The story was cleared up within an hour, Radar.com apologized, Brian Williams blushed, and everyone went back to their lives.

The other great feature of the internet, by the way, is that a maximum of information is available with a minimum of effort. A quick trip to Google or Yahoo will tell you just about anything you want to know. The point is, the information we are given, either from the internet or on the nightly news or our mothers, should always be questioned.