Section B. Read the following text quickly without a dictionary and choose the best title:

Read the following text quickly without a dictionary and choose the best title:

A. How to use computers in journalism

B. Electronic sources

C. Online versus human sources

Many types of references are now available through computer databases and online services, which make it easy for you to find information.

A database is a collection of information. The term now generally refers to massive collections of information stored in computers.

For daily news stories, such as meetings, local events and other breaking news, checking a database is too time-consuming. (1)_______________. For instance, if you are working on an in-depth story about a crime, a database check would be helpful. By reading other stories you can get ideas for an angle for you story or find expert sources to contact.

Online sources. The Internet, a massive global collection of networks, has become a massive source of public records, human sources and other information for journalists. Here are some of the ways journalists are using the Internet.

To contact sources by e-mail: sometimes it’s easier to reach a source by e-mail than by phone.

To interview sources by e-mail: Although it is not preferable to interviewing by telephone or in person, e-mail is an option for interviewing sources who can’t be reached otherwise or can’t spare time for other forms of contact.

To find source’s e-mail, phone, business or home address: The World Wide Web, the most popular system for storing and retrieving documents on the Internet, contains sources if search tools for finding people. (2)_______________.

To find directions: You can also use the Internet to find maps to any location. That’s helpful when you are going on an assignment and don’t know how to get the address. (3)____________.

To find sources in discussion groups: If you belong to a discussion group about a topic, you can find knowledgeable sources in the field by reading the messages. Many journalists use discussion groups to gain story ideas as well.

To find background about sources and topics: Check any search engine and you’ll retrieve any information you want.

How do you know which of the pages of information on the World Wide Web are accurate? (4)______________.

Is the site or information dated? The information you retrieve may not be current and may no longer be accurate.

Does the site list the name of the company sponsoring the page and the name of a contact? You need to check the source by e-mail or phone.

Does the site list an “About Us” page or other information about the source?

Are the sources of information used on the Web page attributed? Can you check them elsewhere?

If you are attributing information to a Web page, give the name of the page and the site address, don’t just say “According to a Web site”.

For news stories, favour information from recognized newspaper, magazine, broadcast or other media sites, government agencies, and reputable media organizations. And make sure you attribute any information you use.

The advantage of online sources is that you can contact people from all over the world in minutes and often get very prompt responses. (5)_______________. You may not even be getting the person’s real name. You should always verify the information you get from online sources, because anyone can send inaccurate information on these networks.

You should also be cautious about using a person’s online comments for publication without his or her knowledge. Regardless of the legal issues, to be ethical you should ask people if you may use their comments.