# data[].attributes.body
Pitre, J. (2019, March 22). We can't afford to be in the dark about digital self-harm – and its real-life consequences. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-we-cant-afford-to-be-in-the-dark-about-digital-self-harm-and-its/

# data[].attributes.body
In another article on The Globe and Mail's website I was able to find that Jake Pitre is a freelance writer who has published opinion pieces for the Globe and Mail as well as other news platforms.
Links to this info: Pitre, J. (2018, August 3). Does social media actually decrease anxiety? Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-does-social-media-actually-decrease-anxiety/

# data[].attributes.body
The topic I chose to focus on for my assignment is cyberbullying, specifically digital self harm.

# data[].attributes.body
Englander, Elizabeth (2012). Digital Self-Harm: Frequency, Type, Motivations, and Outcomes. In MARC Research Reports. Paper 5.
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/marc_reports/5

# data[].attributes.body
Elizabeth Englander has a PhD and researches, teaches and writes on Psychology. It is important to mention that Englander is the founder of the Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater University. Her website describes her as, "an expert in the area of cyberbullying, childhood causes of aggression and abuse, and children's use of technology"
- Information citation: Englander, E. (n.d.). Home: elizabeth-englander. Retrieved from https://www.englanderelizabeth.com/

# data[].attributes.body
Dr. Englander's article is a study on 617 participants to understand digital self harm. The study found that 13% of boys and 8% of girls surveyed have taken part in digital self harm. The study also found that it was around a 50/50 split of participants doing this frequently versus infrequently and the most common reason for doing so was for some sort of attention. She also explains that there will be updates to the paper as she plans to do more analysis.

# data[].attributes.body
Pitre's article discusses what digital self harm is, as well as discussing many studies that look at digital self harm. He discusses how digital self harm has actually been linked to 2 suicides of a 14 and 15 year old girls. A very interesting aspect of this article is a quote that states, "“Cyberbullying is about power. It fits with dominant societal norms. It’s not natural for people to seek out abuse" (Mishna 2019). Pitre's article also discussed how it is necessary for adults to become more aware as to what is happening online.

# data[].attributes.body
"Digital self-harm is a form of self-aggression that involves anonymously posting hurtful and sometimes verbally abusive remarks about one’s self online. Some of the online platforms used include forums as well as social media websites. By creating entirely separate personas online, teenagers are able to then post on their self-identified account different types of hate-filled comments targeted at themselves from themselves" (Lee 2018).
Lee, R. (2018). What Is Digital Self-Harm?. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 16, 2020, from https://psychcentral.com/lib/what-is-digital-self-harm/

# data[].attributes.body
One main difference between the articles is that the scholarly source is written by Dr. Englander who is a recognized researcher, professor and writer. The news article is written in the opinion section of the globe and mail by a free lance writer who does not have the same psychology or academic background.

# data[].attributes.body
The scholarly source and the news article both have very factual statistics coming from actual studies on the topic. I know this because the scholarly source is from an actual research centre and study and the news article cites the studies where the information came from.

# data[].attributes.body
Dr. Englander clearly has ties to the Aggression Reduction Centre which is an organization at Bridgewater University. Her website also indicates that she may have other organizational ties because of her writing, studies and awards.

# data[].attributes.body
Both are writers who have many works published by many different platforms.

# data[].attributes.body
Pitre's article is published by a news source, The Globe and Mail, which of course has biases like almost every other news source.

# data[].attributes.body
Englander's study was published by her own research centre which could indicate bias however, the study was posted to other psychology scholars sites.

# data[].attributes.body
Pitre's article offered a lot of evidence from different sources. Englander's article could use a little more data to support her research however, it was a small independent study.

# data[].attributes.body
I feel as though as a student, I have learned the importance of using scholarly sources when researching or using sources in my work. I feel that I did pick a good news article that offered a lot of data to support their point. However, I understand that not all news articles are like that and it is very important to be aware of biases that the author and publisher may hold. I also understand that even scholarly sources can hold biases in their studies and writing and that it is important to look at a study and see what could influence results. As a citizen, news influences our knowledge and opinion on a topic. Many breaking news platforms can get news out quickly to millions of people at once. The problem with this is that misinformation can be spread quickly and people may not look into something further. As a citizen, it is important to understand news biases and to look into news from many platforms and sources before making an opinion on something.