Consequences of Unrestricted Web Publishing

When thinking about the impact that unrestricted web publishing has on the dissemination of information, I immediately think of social networking. Social media gives people from all different ages and backgrounds full access to post whatever they want whenever they want. Even though many social network sites have their restrictions, these usually don’t take effect until the damage has been done. For example, Instagram may delete an account for posting inappropriate pictures. Even though the account was eventually deleted, the pictures were still posted, seen, and passed on to others. What if something was posted that wasn’t true? What are the consequences then? Since social media is so fast-paced, false information catches on like wildfire and just spreads. While reading The New York Times, I came across an article called, “After Prank by Dutch Girl on Twitter, Real Trouble.” The article is about a 14 year old Dutch girl who impersonated a Middle Eastern terrorist via Twitter this past Sunday. She sent a threat as a joke to American Airlines and quickly learned that this has serious repercussions.

Evaluating Source Credibility

The article was written by Dan Bilefsky. I clicked on his name and was able to see his other articles. He had 668 articles on the website and also writes for The International Herald Tribune. I looked it up and it was founded in France around 1887.  Bilefsky writes many international stories and seems to be an expert in this area. This made me feel confident that Bilefsky was credible and an experienced writer since The New York Times, a very established print and online newspaper, trusted him to write so many stories.

The next source is Twitter. Anytime I read an article about something that happened on Facebook or Twitter, I always go and check it out. Bilefsky (2014) stated that the girl’s Twitter account is under the name Sarah and that her Twitter handle is @QueenDemetriax_. I immediately looked this up and sure enough there were hundreds of tweets, retweets, and mentions regarding the situation with this name. However, the account is no longer up and American Airlines deleted their tweet stating that they sent her information to the FBI as a response to the threat.

In the article, Bilefsky (2014) stated that Sarah was supposed to be arrested by the Rotterdam Police. However, it does not state where Rotterdam is located. This is very confusing because the article says Paris in the beginning. I am not big on geography and had to use Google in order to find out that Rotterdam is a city in the Netherlands. To confirm the arrest, I did a little research and was able to find the Rotterdam Police Twitter account where they tweeted below.

Dutch girl (14) from Rotterdam arrested after American Airlines threat. Investigation continues. #Rotterdam #Police #Force @americanair
— Politie Rotterdam eo (@Politie_Rdam) April 14, 2014

Bilefsky (2014) stated, “Tinet de Jonge, a spokeswoman for the department, said by phone that the girl had been released Monday but remained a suspect, pending an investigation” (para. 6). This leads me to believe that Bilefsky was able to speak with her by phone to get more information or that he saw this information somewhere else. Sources from government organizations or businesses are typically good because they are experts in their field. However, I visited the Rotterdam Police website, translated it, and found a list of their spokespersons for media and de Jonge was not listed. Many other articles also quoted her as a spokeswoman for the department. I am unsure as to why she is not listed on the website.

The article also used Mark Miller, a spokesman from American Airlines and Sarah’s father as secondary sources. A family member as a source is not as effective in this situation because their statements can be biased since they do not want to see their loved ones in trouble.

Bilefsky writes in an objective tone and doesn't state his opinion on the matter. All the links in the article work and back up what he claims. The article also states that an Esther de Jong contributed to the story from Amsterdam.  There are no links or information regarding her other than this, so there is no way for a reader to tell how much she contributed and if de Jong is a credible source or not.

Impact of Sarah’s Unrestricted Publishing

This article is the perfect example of the impact that unrestricted web publishing can have on the masses. This story went viral and quickly became a global issue. Many people are still dealing with the pain from 9/11 and now this incident happened right at the April 15 anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. This caused a huge upset not only with Americans, but many people around the world. Several tweets surfaced about racism and terrorism.

Teens see social media as a casual landscape where they have the freedom to say and post whatever is on their mind. Many teens do not realize the consequences of their actions and it’s our duty as parents and adults to teach adolescents about the restrictions regarding their online use. As of today at 4:30 p.m., Bilefsky's article had about 94 comments.  Many people like Rachael Harralson from California stood up for Sarah saying, “It was appropriate for American Airlines to take this seriously - until they understood the situation. To now continue treat it as a real threat and prosecute this girl is wrong.” Others were harsher, saying she was stupid, greedy, and enjoyed attention. Regardless of the intention, no one online should just assume something is true or false without doing the proper research and investigation. Unfortunately, the article stated that the impact continues as the airline began to receive several copycat threats following the incident.  

The story was covered by several news outlets such as USA Today, Washington Post, NBC news, LA Times, and UK’s Dailymail. Overall, the article did have some questionable pieces but I still say it was for the most part accurate.

Bilefsky, D. (2014). After prank by Dutch girl on Twitter, real trouble. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/world/europe/dutch-girl-twitter-threat.html?hp