1. Visit the website for the Smoke-Free Alternatives Trade Association (SFATA; www.sfata.org), the major trade association for the e-cigarette industry, and access reports and data regarding its positions on the health effects of e-cigarettes by selecting the link for Resources, and Research From there, you can read studies and clinical research on this issue Note especially the language SFATA uses in its statement of principles,, such as the science behind this new industry is not yet settled. 2. For a contrasting view, visit the website for the American Lung Association (ALA;) (www.lung.org) and search for e-cigarettes in its search field. From here you will see a number of links discussing the ALAs position on e-cigarettes and its concerns regarding potential health consequences. (Answer 3-5 in Assignment) 3. How credible is the information you found on the two websites? Which group do you think provides less biased information and why do you think so? 4. Does either supply references to authoritative sources for the information presented, such as government reports or studies published in scientific or scholarly journals? 5. How else can you judge the facts and issue positions on these pages? By comparing the different positions and the language used to defend them, can you determine which group offers the most defensible stance on the health effects of e-cigarettes? As indicated throughout the Kraft and Furlong text, the enormous amount of information available through websites makes citizen activism more feasible than ever before. After all, the potential for activism is facilitated by information as well as by individual motivation to get involved. Reliance on web sources, however, also presents a challenge: how to manage the huge amount of information.
Hide
