Building Your Portfolio

BUILD YOUR

EXPERIENCE 1 2 3 4

4 BUILDING YOUR
PORTFOLIO

In the Know Reviewing multiple sources of information can help you get the whole story, which is especially important when using the Internet as a research tool. Although the Internet is becoming a primary source of worldwide news, there is no overarching quality control system for information posted on the Internet. Regardless of where you are gathering your information, you need to read with a discerning eye to make sure that the source is credible.

  1. Choose a national current event. Carefully read about it in two places:
    1. On your favorite news Web site (e.g., www.cnn.com).
    2. In a traditional print national newspaper (e.g., New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or USA Today). Your campus library will have these national newspapers.
  2. In a Word document, compare and contrast the differences in the way the event was portrayed by the two sources.

    Are there clues that the authors are taking a biased stand in reporting? If so, describe these clues.

    Were the authors writing for any reader or specific readers?

    Were the facts presented the same way by both the Internet source and the print source? Explain your answer.

    Were the writers’ information sources listed? If so, what were those sources?

  3. Save your responses in your portfolio or in the Cloud. Use this process as a tool to make sure that you use valid resources when you do research.