Public Speaking

Think Critically about the Material (^89)

M = Message

Rate the message or content based on the following tips:^29

1. Is the material biased? Does it emphasize a particular perspective, or is it relatively
   objective? Is it free of stereotyping? Does the source have an established position on
   the topic? For example, many news sources have a bias. The leanings of reporters
   and commentators on Fox News compared to MSNBC are well known. Materials
   on topics such as environmental or social issues often promote one side or another.


2. Is the language loaded or neutral? Do the words used portray one side of an issue
   more positively or negatively than another perspective?^30


3. Is it up-to-date? Is the information (especially factual or statistical data) current?
   What’s the date of publication of a book or magazine? Are the Internet pages
   maintained regularly? Look for the most updated sources unless you are doing
   historical research.


4. Is it accurate? Does the material match what you find in other credible sources?
   Would reputable sources accept the ideas as plausible and accurate? On the
   Internet, look for links. Do linked sites appear reputable? Does the document list
   a bibliography drawn from reputable sources? Do the cited studies or polls include
   the methodology, subjects, and questions asked?


5. Is it original? The Internet makes it especially easy to cut-and-paste material from
   other sources, which makes it difficult to find the originators. For example, identi-
   cal information about the composer Frédéric Chopin appears on many .com sites,
   which present the material as if they originated it.


6. Is it organized well? If you must decide among documents that appear to be equal
   in accuracy and quality of information, choose the one that is better organized and
   easier to use.

A = Author (or Source)

Learn as much as you can about the author or source of the data. Critically evaluate the

source as primary, secondary, or tertiary, and look for the domain of Internet sites to

figure out the source’s perspective.

Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary Sources^31

Ask yourself the source’s relationship to the material. Is it firsthand or derived from

other sources?

•   Primary sources, materials created by individuals and groups who are directly involved

in events as they take place, fall into several categories. Original documents are

items such as diaries, emails, news footage, autobiographies, and minutes of meetings.

Creative works include books, paintings, poems, and dance performances. Relics or

artifacts are cultural objects such as jewelry, tools, clothing, and other created items.

•   Nonparticipants who summarize or interpret original events are secondary sources.

Some, such as movie reviewers, create their works when the events occur; others,

such as biographers, historians, or other authors, create articles, books, textbooks,

and so on at the time or months, decades, even centuries later.

•   Tertiary sources distill primary and secondary sources into collections. Dictionaries,

almanacs, and encyclopedias fall into this category.

The source types can overlap. For example, an audio recording of the NASA control

room made during the Phoenix Mars Lander’s final touchdown and a photograph the

spacecraft sent from Mars are primary sources, but a news article about the landing is

a secondary source that summarizes the events and what led up to them. However, the

news article could be a primary source if your topic were media coverage of the Phoenix

primary source informa-

tion from a person actually

involved in the event

original document

evidence recorded by a

primary source such as

a letter or autobiography

creative work poem, dance,

painting, writing, or other

aesthetic creation

relic or artifact culturally

significant creation such as

a building, jewelry, or a tool

secondary source

summary or interpretation

of an event or a person

provided by a nonparticipant

tertiary source condenses

primary and secondary

materials into collections

such as encyclopedias

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