Computer networks are developing at rocket speed. The internet has become a major source of information for news media. A new online trend is web news. There are even newspapers collecting and reporting news from the web every day, trying to bring the weirdest stories to readers' attention. In fact, web news has become not just a new player in the news world, but also a kind of paradox.

A major point of news reporting is seeking the truth. Truth is crucial to news reporting, otherwise it is no different from reading comics or novels. However, it is almost impossible to verify the truthfulness of web news, unless the people concerned are interviewed face-to-face, or you can see the real objects. Otherwise, the news may be made up, and the photographs may be fake, or even complete fabrications. The most paradoxical thing about it is that we report web stories as though they are news, diminishing the gap between real news and web stories to almost nothing. At the same time, the stories are welcomed as news. Is it because they seem plausible, or because truth has lost its meaning on the internet?

I remember there was a video clip circulating on the web some time ago. It showed a pair of lovers leading a small pig for a walk in the street, surprising the passers-by. The video clip was clicked on many times. However, a news organisation discovered that the clip was just some company's marketing device, not a genuine news item.

There is no doubt that web news can reflect social phenomena to some extent. However, the flood of web news includes many unverified stories, and the media should be very careful in reporting them, to avoid helping anyone using the coverage to achieve ulterior objectives. As recipients of news, we must be even more careful. Use your reason to judge a story, and never underestimate the impact of web news on you.

by 心米也樂

*Translation from Chinese article.