Online scavenger hunt

Most everyone knows how to use a search engine to find information on the Internet, but it takes a thoughtful, discriminating user to find trustworthy information that best answers a specific question. There is a tremendous amount of untrustworthy, or even malevolent, junk on the Internet. It's up to you to separate trash from treasure.

With that in mind, here is a five-question online scavenger hunt. Each question is accompanied by links to a hint and an answer, as well as a brief discussion of the quality of the source and how it might be attributed in a news story. Spend 10 minutes trying to answer the question before you hit the hint key. Work your way through the questions. Keep track of your approach, wrong turns and right ones. We'll talk about the answers, and the process of finding them, in class on Sept. 3.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind on that treasure hunt:

Evaluate the source: Information is only as good as its source. If you don't know who is making a claim or presenting a fact on the Internet, consider that information false until you are satisfied that its origin is reputable. Sources with authority might include non-partisan government (.gov) sources, educational sources that strive to present objective information (.edu) and non-profit groups with a clear analytical mission (.org). Of course, there is plenty of partisan, misleading or just wrong information at .gov, .edu and .org sites, so think critically and evaluate the information you are finding.

Search strategically: Bill Dedman at Power Reporting.com has a helpful tutorial on how to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your Web search. Bill is also the inspiration for this localized scavenger hunt.

And now, your mission:

Scavenger Hunt

Q1. Match a name to a phone number. A tipster has passed on a terrific lead about a federal investigation of the president of the University of Montana. Caller ID tells you the tipster called from 406-721-0532. Without calling the number, find out: Whose phone number is that? Who are they and why might their identity matter? Hint. Answer.

Q2. Adjust for inflation. You have written a story reporting that construction of the dam at Milltown in 1907-08 cost about $400,000. Your editor wants to know how much that would be in today’s dollars. What’s your answer? Hint. Answer.

Q3. Check the law. A 15-year-old boy was hit and killed by a car in Missoula. He was struck while riding his bicycle on the sidewalk in a residential area. Was it legal for him to be riding on the sidewalk? Hint. Answer.

Q4. Background a business executive. Dennis R. Washington is a familiar name in Missoula but all you really know about him is that he has a football stadium named after him. Who is he? How old is he? What company or companies is he affiliated with? Make a family tree to help understand his companies. In what industry did he get his start? What types of work is he known for now? What is the profit trend for his company? Can you find information on Dennis Washington’s annual compensation? How much does he make? What basic bio information do you have on him? Hint. Answer.

Q5. Background an organization. Some groups have names that make them sound sympathetic to an issue they actually oppose. Others aren’t really groups at all. What and who does the group Americans for American Energy represent? Can you find another group whose name obscures their mission or who they represent? Hint. Answer.