Reporting by Google

No, not the company doing the reporting.

Reporters using Google instead of finding out, from horses' mouths, themselves.

It's a worry, especially as It is getting more and more prevalent.

Just last week a forum group I was on noted how at some point a reporter in London had used Google to measure the distance of Weston-super-Mare from Cardiff to demonstrate the size of the pier fire smoke plume: at 60 miles. It is, but only if you drive. If you look across the water it's more like 15. It was taken as 'fact' from the Indy to the Times.

Then there's this: Late-breaking April Fool prangs snoozing Guardianista

So far, so trivial, but as budgets go down as the need for content goes up, one does wonder if this is not a trend to be concerned about.

I have neither the time nor money to go places and check them out to the extent I'd like, so the best I can do is rely on a bit of common sense, being fairly well travelled... and having an eyebrow ready to crank at just about anything these days. But even so, it is getting harder as what might be considered reliable sources of information are now content to source from what might be a poisoned common well.