They wouldn't print it if it wasn't true!

They wouldn't print it if it wasn't true!

I'm no dummy.

I know how important it is to keep informed about what's going on in the world around me, to stay up on current events, to constantly be learning. Information is power. Knowledge is power. Enough said.

By Natalie Herd

That's why I read everything I can get my hands on - newspapers, magazines, books, flyers, tabloids, etc. In my experience, there's no form of communication more reliable than the printed word. If information has been mass-produced in a paper format, you can be damn sure that every word of it is the God's honest truth. They wouldn't print it if it wasn't true!

Think about it: why would someone go out of their way to research, write, print and distribute a falsehood? What could they possibly have to gain? It just doesn't add up. That's why I instantaneously believe every single thing I read.

These reporters, editors and publishers are professionals - many of them have even attended college for a number of semesters. Not just any bum off the street can start publishing news and information; it literally takes hundreds of dollars to print a small newspaper or flyer or magazine. So the print world remains pretty exclusive to the rich, smart people who are only interested in truth and facts. This is why the media form is so reliable that I can blindly accept all printed word as absolute truth.

Occasionally, I'll pick up a newspaper or magazine and read a story that seems absolutely unbelievable - which to me means it has to be true. Who was it that said, "Truth is stranger than any fiction?" Whoever it was, from what I've read on occasion, he was certainly right.

Like the other day, I read a story in a newspaper (I didn't take time to notice which one it was, but it was on newsprint, just like any other newspaper is) that the Supreme Court had banned the medicinal use of aloe vera. I know! It seems preposterous, but I read it was true!

When I find one of these amazing stories, the first thing I do - rather than researching the subject more thoroughly or even fully reading the publication in which it's printed - is get online and hastily post messages about the news on bulletin boards and newsgroups. I feel it's my duty to spread the word as quickly and to as many people as possible about this story I read in this one source.

Speaking of being online, I have found that information found on the Internet is just as reliable as that found in print.

The World Wide Web is perhaps the most comprehensive information source known to man. If I've got a question, the web has the answer. Search engines such as Google and Yahoo! send me to fact-filled web sites that cover every subject imaginable. Beyond that, private bulletin boards and newsgroups are filled with knowledgeable people who are genuinely interested in keeping each other informed. I can truly feel the unity of mankind when I'm online.

What's important to realize about the Internet is how complex it is. Not everyone can even use AOL let alone program a web site! The people who make web sites are, again, highly educated people who wouldn't waste their time posting hoaxes.

Because, again, what could they possibly have to gain?