The media is the great source of information on local, national, and international issues. Also, the different means of media – such as the internet, newspaper, and television – contain knowledge about various aspects of social life, including education, economics, business, entertainment, technology, culture, religion, and more. However, the media like news reports can contain biased or incomplete presentation of information.
Determining whether a media report or information is accurate and true requires an individual to take critical analysis of certain portions within the report. To understand this, a sample report should be used. Last Monday, February 3, 2014, a news report about cyber crime was issued by Reuters. It was entitled “Secret Service Urges Lawmakers to do more on Cyber Crime” (Reuters, 2014). The entire report goes by saying that there is a need for lawmakers to increase efforts on improving the nation’s cybersecurity and ability to accomplish network investigations. The report is clear and accurate, and the basic information – what is the issue, who is affected, and to whom the issue is addressed – were provided. It is good that it contains specifically what was stolen in the cybercrime: the consumers’ financial data and card records. The report also reflects on the fact that cybercrime has it transnational nature; it can [also] be not merely a problem of certain local store. This is necessary in order for the reader of the report to determine whether such issue is important or not. However, one may deem the report to be lacking in depth. It does not include the information on how the cyber theft was exactly done. Cybercrime can be performed in various ways. Carnegie Mellon University’s website provides a list of “attack techniques” of cyber criminals. These techniques can be recognized as Botnet, Fast Flux, Zombie Computer, Social Engineering, Denial-of-Service, or Skimmers (Carnegie Mellon University, 2014). It is also not stated clearly in the report whether the data stolen by the cyber criminals were taken directly from the store or indirectly through the customers. For instance, a customer’s credit card information can also be stolen during his/her online transactions. When customers unknowingly take part of unsecured transactions or open malicious email content, cyber criminals can be committed. In this case, the customer is responsible for opening the door for cyber attacks. If such is the case, this means that the real need at hand is not that lawmakers should pass more laws but that customers should be more responsible with their financial property. The report should have included a result of a research study on how most of these cybercrimes were performed. Such could help determine what is actually needed in the matter. If the studies show that most cyber crimes happen within unsecured transactions, then customers are the ones responsible after all. Failure to understand facts about the issue at hand affects the accuracy and quality of the report.
Moreover, it is also necessary to take a different viewpoint in analyzing what the report implies. The report assumes that the problem lies in the lack of national standards on how victimized businesses should advise their customers and federal agencies in case of data breaches. However, considering the studies about cybercrime available in the internet, one can know how it is performed and how it can prevented. First, it shows that there are many anti-virus programs available for everyone. In fact, businesses can choose to acquire more sophisticated premium anti-virus programs, which are obviously more effective in cyber security. Second, studies show that there are certain practical ways to prevent data breach in any computer. This implies that any computer, whether in business or at home, can be kept safe from these attacks. Cybercrime can also be viewed along other crimes in society. Indeed, no one is invulnerable to criminal victimization, but crimes are committed only within certain conditions. Thus, it can be assumed that anyone can be held responsible for his/her own safety. In relation to the issue on the report, business owners and managers should give attention to the practical preventive solutions available for everyone. The actual need is for every single person in the business firm and the customers to be careful not to take any suspicious ‘bait’ cyber criminals use.
As seen in this example, analyzing a story, report, or statement of information requires the evaluator to look for distinctions. Critical evaluation is a special case of reasoning wherein the reasons or statements are perceived to be problematic (Finocchiaro, 2005). This does not mean that the statement evaluated is necessarily false. However, in order to prove the trustworthiness of the presented information, it has to be ‘beyond reproach’ in light of other information. For instance, in order to determine if the color is light, one has to compare it to dark colors. In critical thinking, the object of evaluation should be deemed as lacking and incomplete so that the evaluator will be compelled to get other information and be able to scrutinize it. It is only when these distinctions are unable to completely ‘disprove’ the object’s credibility, through facts and opinions, will it be considered accurate and true.
References
Carnegie Mellon University. (2014). How cyber criminals operate. Retrieved from http://www.carnegiecyberacademy.com/facultyPages/cyberCriminals/operate.html
Finocchiaro, M. (2005). Arguments about arguments: Systematic, critical, and historical essays in logical theory. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Reuters. (2014, Feb. 3). Secret service urges lawmakers to do more on cyber crime. Thompson Reuters. Retrieved from http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/03/us-usa-hacking- congress-idUSBREA121I620140203
