A friend recently thanked me for putting her on to Reuters as a no-nonsense, well-sourced news site. “It just tells me what is happening, clearly, and with reasonable sources, and not a lot of hype. That’s just what I need right now,” she said.
I agree. I also suggest The Guardian and the Associated Press sites as middle-of-the-road, concise and fact-based reporting on daily events.
My friend is not alone in feeling frustrated with the many choices for news and information, and not being sure how to fix that feeling. First, I suggest that people analyze the gaps in their news consumption with a short quiz that ends with suggestions to get out of your news bubble. This gives you a snapshot of where you are typically going for your news. You can also check your phone usage settings for time spent on news and information apps.
Second, put your biases to the test with this online tool to assess your own biases in choosing sources of information and news. “Bias starts with you. Use the tool below to clarify how you judge your own bias, then scroll to the bottom to try other tools that compare you directly with others across the United States.” I think my favorite part of the introduction to the survey is the ending: “See the bias of the AllSides team.” That’s fair. And while you’re there, make AllSides.com part of your daily news diet.
If you are still feeling overwhelmed with what to rely on for valid journalism, especially for LOCAL news, which the news sources I’ve mentioned so far don’t promote, check out this short TED educational video on how to choose your news.
And, when all else fails, hop on this phone app game to improve your fact checking skills, so you can detect low-quality and fake information on your own, no outside help needed.
