User talk:81.64.82.190

I have reverted additions of links to the Voltaire Network, a French left/conspiracist site. I followed several of the links and, like LaRouchite material, they start from elements of fact and add a twist to the storyline based on an unreferenced claim. For example the Jessica Lynch link claimed the whole story was orchestrated by the Rendon Group. Of course it could have been but I haven't seen the evidence that it was and nor did the linked article reference that claim. Without the adequate referencing of key claims like that I think we are doing SW readers a disservice by including links to articles that are unreliable (unless it is to illustrate just that point). References are only useful if they help readers distinguish fact from fiction or provide something beyond what is already known. VN links I followed don't. --Bob Burton 14:38, 21 Dec 2005 (EST)

Oh, Bob, I'm sorry to see this. .... "I think we are doing SW readers a disservice by including links to articles that are unreliable" .... of all things. What makes you think that articles from the the official government and corporate media channels (White House, NYTimes, etc.), or left-wing bloggers, are anywhere near "reliable" ??? --Maynard 14:59, 21 Dec 2005 (EST)

The question of what articles are reliable is always going to be something of a judgment call, of course. We'd like to develop some guidelines to help in making those determinations. (I think librarians refer to such guidelines as "heuristics.") In the case of the Voltaire Network, however, I concur with Bob. I think I've read every piece of journalism that has been published about the Rendon Group, and I've never come across any evidence that they played a specific role in promoting the Jessica Lynch story along the lines that the Voltaire Network describes. Worse yet, the Voltaire Network's piece on Jessica Lynch attempts to fill in gaps by drawing on material from a fictional movie ("Wag the Dog") and pretending that the movie is somehow a blueprint for the Rendon Group's strategy for Jessica Lynch.

I'd also point out that in certain ways, "official government" channels are very reliable sources for information. For example, WhiteHouse.gov is absolutely the best place to go for a transcript of what George W. Bush said during his speech on Sunday. The speech itself is full of assertions that I question, but if the question is simply, "What did Bush say in his speech on Dec. 18?" I'd rather quote directly from the source than indirectly from some other source. --Sheldon Rampton

points well made and received; thank you. --Maynard 17:25, 21 Dec 2005 (EST)

Please read and respond to input

Dear contributor,

As you will see on this page, the SourceWatch community has concerns about the information provided on the Voltaire Network website. Please do not continue adding links to SourceWatch articles that link back to Voltaire Network articles.

Thank you, Diane Farsetta 10:51, 22 Dec 2005 (EST)