The reader, who would have the advantage of knowing where it came from.

Example: If I were to post that Hitler depended on the support of homosexuals to gain power, and never had any real dislike of them, most people would disagree with me. They would point out that Hitler put many in concentration camps with "pink triangles" on their clothing.

However, if I were give details behind my statement, and provide attribution from a reliable source, it would be received differently:

During his rise to power, Adolph Hitler relied heavily on the fear of his storm troopers. Known collectively as the SA, they were formed from various "Frei Korps" organizations, the most powerful of which was headed by Captain Ernst Roehm.

As William Shirer pointed out in his masterpiece, "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich", the SA gave its primary allegiance to Roehm, not Hitler. This created a potential source of opposition to Hitler, which was not comfortable for him. After becoming chancellor, Hitler wanted to consolidate his power and to do so needed the support of the German Army General Staff. They offered it on condition that the SA be disbanded.

Hitler's first step in doing that was the so-called "Night of the Long Knives" during which Roehm and many of his supporters were killed. Hitler had known of Roehm's homosexuality for years (Roehm never tried to hide it) and had defended him, saying that as long as he was good at his job his sexual preferences did not matter. However, in publicly justifying the murders Hitler professed shock at Roehm's sexuality (Roehm had been found in bed with his boyfriend).

As many in Roehm's inner circle were homosexual, including Edmund Heines who Hitler personally ordered to be shot along with his boyfriend, Hitler found it convenient to associate homosexuality with his other pet peeves, Jews and Communists.

H.R. Trevor-Roper, unquestionably the leading historian specializing in the Third Reich, has repeatedly contended that Hitler's subsequent persecution of homosexuals had two roots: Gaining support from those who were homophobic and Hitler's own concern that homosexuals might be Roehm supporters who had eluded his dragnet.

In the first instance, I had had merely made an unsupported statement. In the second, I gave attribution for the statement and gave the details behind it, giving it much more authority.

Conversely, if I had nothing to support the statement other than a quote from www.wehatehomos.com, most readers would not pay much attention to it.

(Incidentally, I sincerely hope there is no such website -- I would hate to give it free publicity!)