SourceWatch
SourceWatch is an online platform established in 2003 by the Center for Media and Democracy, originally known as Disinfopedia. Its mission is to monitor and report on efforts by various organizations and propagandists to influence public opinion, particularly regarding political and environmental issues. A significant focus of SourceWatch is climate change, which has garnered attention due to the numerous front organizations involved in the debate. The site operates similarly to Wikipedia, allowing users to contribute, but it requires registration for editing to enhance content regulation.
While the platform exhibits a liberal and environmentalist stance, it generally maintains a non-polemic tone, though some articles may reflect a sarcastic edge. SourceWatch is known for its extensive references and serves as a resource for users seeking to understand the affiliations and funding behind various opinions and organizations. It is also a valuable starting point for exploring related topics, as it links to other informative sites managed by the Center for Media and Democracy, covering broader issues in politics and the environment. The site emphasizes the importance of cross-checking information and understanding the context behind different viewpoints.
SourceWatch
- DATE: Established 2003
Mission
SourceWatch has a general mission of monitoring and reporting on efforts by propagandists and public relations organizations to shape public opinion. Although climate change is not its sole mission, the large number of front organizations active in the controversy make climate change a major area of concern, and SourceWatch has a portal dedicated to climate change.
SourceWatch is a Web site run by the Center for Media and Democracy. It began as Disinfopedia in March 2003. The name was a conscious play on Wikipedia, and, like Wikipedia, Disinfopedia was a wiki-based (user-written and -edited) reference site. The name was changed to the present SourceWatch in January 2005. The site has a strong resemblance in format and appearance to Wikipedia, but it uses different logos and color schemes to distinguish itself. Also, in an effort to regulate editing, the site adopted a policy in 2006 of requiring users to register before being allowed to edit content. In addition to SourceWatch, the Center for Media and Democracy hosts numerous sites, such as Congresspedia, which reports on Congress, and wikis devoted to the tobacco industry, nuclear issues, election protection, and climate change. All of these sites are cross-linked.
Significance for Climate Change
It is important to realize that being funded by industry, being supportive of industry, and working to influence public opinion do not automatically make someone’s ideas wrong. Knowing that an organization has a secret purpose or source of funding can be useful, because it demonstrates the need to beware of distorted facts and arguments and the need to cross-check information against other sources. However, the simple fact that someone has connections to industry does not prove anything about the truth or falsity of that person’s statements.
Although SourceWatch has a political stance that can be described as liberal, environmentalist, and critical of corporations, it generally avoids a polemic tone, although a somewhat sarcastic tone is evident on some of its portal pages and lead articles. Most of the articles are quite short, with longer commentary and analysis found on the other sites linked to SourceWatch. The political orientation of SourceWatch is evident not so much in the content of its articles as in the selection of topics it chooses to include, as well as the other sites it links to.
SourceWatch’s portal on front groups includes many references to organizations secretly working on behalf of industry, but none to groups opposed to tort reform and secretly supported by the legal profession or to groups with hidden ties to radical leftist movements. SourceWatch does have the virtue that its articles have extensive references. SourceWatch can provide a quick overview of an author’s stance on political or environmental issues, as well as information about groups that sponsor the author’s work. It is also a useful starting point for finding links to additional information on people, organizations, and issues related to politics and the environment.
Bibliography
"Ground Rules." SourceWatch, 18 June 2018, www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/SourceWatch:Ground‗rules. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.
Herman, Edward S., and Noam Chomsky. Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. New York: Pantheon, 2002.
Ordway, Denise-Marie. "Five Reasons News Stories about Research Need Source Diversity." The Journalist's Resource, 8 Nov. 2023, journalistsresource.org/race-and-gender/5-reasons-news-stories-about-research-need-source-diversity/. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.
Union of Concerned Scientists. Smoke, Mirrors, and Hot Air: How ExxonMobil Uses Big Tobacco’s Tactics to Manufacture Uncertainty on Climate Science. Cambridge, Mass.: Author, 2007.