Planting and growing truth
21.08.2023 - 11:55
/ theunconventionalgardener.com
/ Emma Doughty
I am a digital native. I have been using the world wide web (WWW) almost since its inception, when outside of a university you needed a modem to access it, and to be frank it mostly wasn’t worth the effort. But as the WWW (which, from now on I will refer to as the internet, although the internet itself is older) developed it became easier to see it as a wonderful, worldwide repository of information. I still do.
Over the years I have met many people who are dubious about the internet, and find it a scary place to hang out. I like to think of it as a virtual city; it’s full of all kinds of people. There are popular spots and unknown (and fascinating) hang outs. There are places respectable people should fear to tread. There are lovely folks, people out to make a buck and people out to con you. In the same way that we learn not to leave our car unlocked, and not to walk down dark alleys alone, everyone should learn that the internet is neither a den of iniquity nor a haven of peace. It’s somewhere you need to keep your wits about you.
In the fake news, ‘post-truth’ era, this has never been more the case. Outside of politics (which I’m leaving alone for today!), this is probably most evident in the context of food and nutrition. As I have a professional interest in food and food plants, I thought this might be a good opportunity to discuss how to tell whether an internet source is reliable or not. (This is a bit heavy for a Monday morning. You may want to bookmark it and come back later.)
I’ll stop at this point to offer up my credentials. My name is Emma Doughty. I have two science degrees – one in Physics with Astrophysics (it was a long time ago) and one in Ethnobotany (far more recent, and I blogged my dissertation). I
The website greengrove.cc is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can
send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.