One of the great benefits of the Net is the ability it conveys to discover connections difficult or impossible to make previously. The filters erected by the Big Three networks and the national papers no longer apply. Today more information is available from more sources than was conceivable by even the most experienced news editor of the pre-infowave era. It's now a relatively simple matter to tunnel into stories from any of number of angles, to discover where the information comes from, how pure it is, and how it ties in with other events.Of course, considerable care is required. Wrong connections can be made as easily as the right ones, as we see on advocacy sites, blogs, and comment threads every day of the week. If you don't watch your step, you become merely another conspiracy freak of the type seen all too often. Analysis must be rigorous, commentary must be informed, conclusions drawn with care. That noted, this week's news revealed an interesting juxtaposition of...(Read Full Post)