Evaluating Web Sites

“Suburban Culture: SUVs, Soccer and, Now, Symphonies” http://www.newamerica.net/index.cfm?pg=article&DocID=2166  accessed 14 February 2005 at New America Foundation Website	http://www.newamerica.net/ 

Authority
•	By Joel Kotkin, 
•	Article was published first in The New York Times
•	Author of article is an Irvine Senior Fellow who receives “financial, intellectual, and institutional support from the Foundation for a minimum of one year.”
•	The New America Foundation itself is “an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy institute that was conceived through the collaborative work of a diverse and intergenerational group of public intellectuals, civic leaders, and business executives.”

Currency
•	2005 copyright date
•	Article published January 18, 2005 in The New York Times
•	No dates for data collection are given because it is a news article.

Accuracy
•	Statistics are clearly stated and could be verified with a little research
•	No bibliographic entries are given because it is a news article.
•	2002 study by the Illinois Arts Alliance is stated in the article as one source

Objectivity
•	Mission of the website is clearly identified: “to bring exceptionally promising new voices and new ideas to the fore of our nation's public discourse. Relying on a venture capital approach, the Foundation invests in outstanding individuals and policy ideas that transcend the conventional political spectrum. Through its Fellowships and Policy Programs, New America sponsors a wide range of research, writing, conferences, and events on the most important issues of our time.”
•	The site is non-profit; they have a page for people to make contributions, but do not directly sell any products. They provide an amazon.com link beside books they recommend.
•	The information appears to be balanced, as the foundation’s mission states the importance of new thinking on both sides of the political divide. One could expect to find both conservative and liberal views expressed by the individual fellows.

Coverage
•	Overall, I trust this website to provide accurate, relevant information on issues that affect Americans.
•	The articles I skimmed do not present simplistic solutions, but emphasize the complexity of them.