Pros and Cons of Controversial Issues is produced by ProCon.org, a nonprofit charity that provides information about controversial issues relevant to current events. As the name would suggest, each of the 47 articles in ProCon.org database contains arguments both for and against the topic at hand. The website, created in 2004, provides a timeline of its own history, including awards and recognition it has received from organizations like the American Library Association and the National Council for Social Studies. The site mainly focuses on issues relevant to the US and claims to be objective in its coverage.
There are 11 categories under which each pro‐con argument is placed: Education, Elections and Presidents, Health and Medicine, Media and Entertainment, Money and Business, Politics, Religion, Science and Technology, Sex and Gender, Sports, and World/International. These are displayed in alphabetical order on the front page, with the 47 issues under each category in alphabetical order. Each issue page has several sections that include Featured Resources, Projects, and Learn More. Because some topics have many subtopics, broader issue pages include a section called Pros and Cons by Category. The Featured Resources section can include background information, important highlights, the major pro and con arguments, and other information. The pro and con arguments are shown side by side and are numbered. Each pro and con argument includes at least one footnote to a source to support it from relatively recent newspapers, peer‐reviewed journals, blogs, foundations, and other references of varying authority. Within the Projects section, the website supplies charts and graphs related to the topic. The Learn More section includes a bibliography and sometimes a glossary. The site takes advantage of its online format by also providing videos and clickable graphics in the issue pages and allowing readers to comment on the issues. Navigation to the pages and within the issue pages is simple and straightforward. However, pages do seem somewhat cluttered with requests to complete surveys about procon.org, advertisements, and requests for donations. On the front page, these are crowded at the top, meaning readers must scroll down to see the entire list of issues.
At the top of the site are tabs for navigation, though the Home tab is the most useful. The others link to information about the site and its creators, donors and ways to donate, and a section called Teachers' Corner. This includes some basic activities that involve ProCon.org, along with the national teaching standards these activities would cover. While not extensive, this does provide some helpful ideas, along with examples of how schools (primary, secondary, and institutions of higher education) use procon.org. The FAQs page also provides helpful information about the site and its methodology. A search bar uses Google search capabilities, and a dropdown box uses Google Translate to translate the page to a different language. Buttons at the bottom of each page in the site allow for sharing via social media, as well as citations in different styles of the page. ProCon.org has a Twitter, YouTube Channel, and a Facebook page. A mobile site is not available, though, which would be a desirable update.
This site has several similarities with CQ Researcher (www.cqpress.com) and Opposing Viewpoints (www.opposingviews.com), though it does not provide the coverage of topics and quality of information found on these databases. The topics chosen (and not chosen) by ProCon.org could raise some questions about objectivity in its coverage. The reliance on resources that some teachers or librarians would not consider appropriate for research (like Huffington Post or MichaelMoore.com) could also open the site to more scrutiny than Opposing Viewpoints or CQ Researcher. The site does also have plenty of reputable sources that it references, but many of the views are provided as snippets, quotes, or brief summaries, not as developed arguments. For basic facts and summaries of the opinions on either side of a debate, along with resources for additional research, Pros and Cons of Controversial Issues from ProCon.org does provide a quick, free, and organized resource. For in‐depth analysis and a consideration of the variety of views within an issue, teachers and librarians, particularly those who work with undergraduates, will wish to direct students to additional sources and research tools.
