It is easy to waste time gathering more information than needed in some areas and then not having the information needed for higher priority projects. All too often people pursue communication strategies that only tell them what they want to hear. For example, people opposing construction of a new factory may spend all of their their time talking with friends and supporters about the factory's evils and strategies for defeating the project. They may not talk with proponents of the project to find out what the actual plans are, or to suggest possible changes that could make the plant's construction a win-win opportunity for all sides. As a result, the disputants are unlikely to ever understand one another sufficiently to explore possible compromises.
Problems also result from simple inefficiencies.
Important information can be gathered much more efficiently if people carefully identify the key people to contact and other sources of valuable information. In some cases library information, newspaper accounts, and official government documents can be very useful. In cases where published information sources are tightly controlled by governments committed to the suppression and dissent. In some cases this may involve the creation and use of a communication system in exile through which supporters in the international community can exchange information and develop and implement strategies for confronting injustice. The described Citizen Radiation Monitoring Program was a way to address these fears successfully.