Unrestricted Web Publishing

     Publishing articles on the web has become so easy that almost anybody can do it.  This is the main reason we need to do a thorough job researching which sites have good solid information, and which ones don't have all the facts.  Many online publications can be based more on opinion and less on information, and this can make it tough for a reader to filter.  I am always trying to keep up with anything scientific or environmental and I found and studied an article on the Huffington Post today.  The article, Supreme Court Declines Exxon Mobil's Appeal In New York City Water Pollution Case, didn't seem to have many cited sources, however Reuters had published the article about 20 minutes before Huffington Post.  Reuters has a reputation for being very professional and efficient for any news published. 
     Although this story is breaking news, it stems from an incident 5 years ago regarding chemical leaks into the water supply.  The appeal from Exxon was denied, because they had used possible carcinogens for a couple of decades.  Exxon claims to have used the substance methyl tertiary butyl ether as a fuel additive to help vehicle emissions.  However, they seem to have ignored the dangers of contaminating the backup water supply for Queens in New York.  This story definitely holds up to being valid, and has very credible sources.  However, if someone was to simply start mass posting this across social media outlets without showing sources the whole story may end up skewed after some time.  Although this article itself is well written and well researched, people have a tendency to start adding opinionated comments when publishing on social media.  If people were allowed to publish professional articles without regulations, stories and articles would be almost impossible to validate.  There is also the possibility that writers wouldn't cite their sources, which is ethically wrong to begin with. 

Hurley, L. (2014, April 21). Supreme Court Declines Exxon Mobil's Appeal In New York City Water Pollution Case. The Huffington Post. Retrieved , from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/21/supreme-court-exxon-mobil-nyc_n_5185486.html?fb_action_ids=10201966618792672&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210201966618792672%22%3A788439304518937%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210201966618792672%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D