The internet differs from the other types of mass media such as TV, radio, and newspaper because it is possible for all users to publish any kind of content. These various contents can be hosted by any ISP. The humongous size of the internet, its exponential growth and the liberated environment it represent make it very difficult to exert any kind of control on the content of the broadcast. Unlike television, newspaper, magazines and academic journals, in large part, the internet is not reviewed for accuracy. That is to say there is no internet fact-checker to be heard of.
Because it is common knowledge that the internet if not all accurate, however, the responsibility lies upon the consumer of the information to determine its accuracy. Therefore, there is truly no ethical responsibility of internet publishers to maintain accuracy. While it would be nice to know that everything you find on the internet is accurate, that great wealth of information, accurate or not, is virtually impossible to regulate.
That said, it is also impossible to say how much of what is seen on television and in newspapers is actually true. Much of it is actually political propaganda set forth not only by the government, but large corporations as well as private parties.
In sum, the consumer should know to take all information lightly, regardless of its origin or source. Though we live in the information age, it is impossible to tell how much of the information to which we are exposed is actually true.
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