Press Freedom...Exercise 1

This is he first assignment we got as Press Freedom Course participants. We were asked to choose three website from a list and evaluate them, regarding the information credibility.

Before going trough the suggested sites, I wondered about the attitude I should adopt in evaluating them. I'm a reader and a journalist at the same time, with my own cultural, religious, social background and paradigms affecting my opinions. Anyway, I think I will consider aspects such as "are the news sourced directly?", "does the site clearly states its views?", "are news agencies reliable?" ...

Al Arabiya 
As for Asharq Alawsat, the name itself reminds me of established news organisations. I think this be considered as a sign of reliability and credibility. I immediately identified them with the famous TV channel and the newspaper, respectively. News are directly sourced and credibility is conceived by reliable news agencies, too.

English and Arabic versions are quite different in terms of design. I wonder whether they are different in terms of contents and insights, too. 

Minnpost 
On "About" we can find its mission and goals, together with its identity: a no profit journalism outlet, based on donors (sponsors, adevrtisers, members), which promises "a thoughtful approach to news".
The presence of donors makes me wonder about how can reliability and credibility be assured. This makes me think about the future of journalism and information.

I wonder whether MinnPost can be compared to those outlets affiliated to no-profit agencies or organizations. In Italy we have "Peacereporter", which was created by the Italian NGO "Emergency" and "MISNA-Missionary International Service News Agency, in 2003".
People writing and working for "Peacereporter" are volunteers sharing the same idea: abolishing war. They are professional journalists, but also NGOs members, missionaries, people working in conflict areas mainly.

Gawker
I had never read about Gawker before and I'm not familiar with this kind of websites. I would say it's not the kind of website I usually choose when searching for news or stories connected to my job or my interests.
Articles published on different medium are commented and presented in a different perspective. At first it looks like a celebrity gossip website, but I've spent some time on it and I realized it's something more than that: it mirrors transformations affecting our society.
For example, the story of Amanda Knox, convicted by an Italian court for murdering her study abroad room-mate, inspired the traveltips presented in the article  How not to get arrested when you're abroad. A Foxy-Knoxy inspired guide
Contact info for writers and sources mentioning are positive elements which convey a sense of credibility. They give the reader the tools to verify information.