I’ll just come out and say this: there is absolutely no excuse for being ill-informed on current events. In a world saturated with media it is near impossible to not stay current with what is going on in the world! What is easy to do, however, is to be duped into believing fake news stories, or to be pigeonholed into being exposed to only those news stories which are aligned with your opinions and viewpoints. With various social media sites labeling users, and who’s algorithms ensure that we see only posts in line with our views it is easy to see only one side. This is a topic covered by Sam Sanders of NPR, audio attached below, in a piece in which he outlines social medias role in the 2016 Presidential election. So how does one ensure that their news consumption is well rounded, and as unbiased as possible? The latter may be a bit difficult. However, by keeping up with news sources from a variety of viewpoints one is able to form a reasonably unbiased opinion, and view of events.
As I said, there is no excuse for not following the news. Though social media may push you in one direction it can still be a valuable tool. You still control which accounts you follow, and you can set to get notifications whenever certain accounts post stories! Every major news outlet also has FREE apps which can be downloaded to your phone, and notifications sent whenever a news story breaks. In that respect, there is no excuse. Though you may need a subscription to have unlimited access to articles, most outlets allow for a set number of article views per month. Let’s not forget television news! Cable is free (antenna’s still work!!) so local news is always an option. ALWAYS KEEP UP WITH LOCAL NEWS! It affects you more directly than does national. Want more free news? PODCASTS! We’re a tech savvy generation, and that iPhone has a nifty Podcast app with which to download news! Android has a few options, personally I use Podcast Republic.
Here is the downside: news can cost money… However, one can hardly put a price on being up to date on news! Plus, if you have a .edu account, regardless of active student status, there are plenty of discounts! So where do I get my news, and what do I recommend? Below is a list of what I read, listen to, and watch as well as any price associated. Please note that the prices listed are the student prices!
Print/Online:
The New York Times: $15 per month (Home delivery + unlimited digital access)
The Wall Street Journal: $50 per year (Home delivery + unlimited digital access)
The Washington Post: FREE!!!! (Unlimited digital access)
The National Review*: FREE!!!! (Unlimited Digital Access)
The Atlantic*: $24.50 per year
The New Yorker*: $6 for 12 weeks, then discounted renewal
ProPublica
Politico
*These are more political commentary rather than typical daily news, but they offer great insight on a lot of issues. They also have some amazing reporting!
Television:
CNN
MSNBC
FOX
PBS
One America News
BBC
Podcast:
NPR Politics
On Point with Tom Ashbrook*
The Diane Rehm Show*
NPR News
White House Press Briefings
Supreme Court Briefing
The Politics Guys
*These are normally 50 minute in depth analyses each day of various topics of current events, and weekly roundups of all news every Friday.
This may seem like a lot to keep up with, and it can be. Staying informed does take a bit of effort. Personally, I wake up an hour before I “normally” would so that I have some time to sit, and read the day’s news. I devote at least this hour of my day strictly to coffee, and news intake! I listen to the podcasts as I get ready for, and on my commute to, work. I’ll also have them on whilst running errands. It will take some time out of your day, but I guarantee you will be better for it! I also recommend downloading the NPRone app. This is a treasure trove of NPR podcasts covering a wide variety of topics, and issues aside from just the aforementioned news related ones.
I mentioned needing to maintain a well-rounded diet of news.This will keep you from being pigeonholed into only getting your news from one side, or another. The NYT, WSJ, and WaPo reporting are unbiased, however much some may claim they are liberal papers. For general news, they are the best! National Review is a conservative news source so everything there will be from the viewpoint of the center-right, to right. The Atlantic, and New Yorker are more liberal. For television BBC, PBS, and OAN are unbiased sources which also go fairly in depth with their reporting. OAN, while a conservative run network with some very conservative pundit shows, keeps the reporting of the news unbiased. CNN, and MSNBC are more liberal, while FOX is the conservative counterpart. Most NPR programming is in line with PBS, and keeps reporting unbiased, and the shows normally have pundits from opposing points of view on, as well as bringing in callers from the public. I would avoid sites such as Buzzfeed, Facebook, and social media for your news sources. Twitter is better in that you chose who you follow, and there isn’t much in terms of promoted, or tailored, content.
The main take away is to always vet your sources. Never take an article at face value. Do some follow up, and get a few viewpoints before forming your opinions. Never trust a single news outlet as your sole source of news. Is the article your reading traditional reporting, or an opinion piece? Is the person rambling on the screen a journalist, a pundit, or a surrogate? The validity of the article, interview, or debate will change depending on who is speaking. To end I have included a graphic from a study by the Pew Research Center which breaks down the trustworthiness of various news outlets, and how they are viewed from the left, right, and center of the political spectrum. Let this be a guide to your consuming of the media. Remember to always read the opposite side! This will keep you thinking, keep you informed as to how others are seeing the issues, and allow you to engage in meaningful and intelligent debate!
NPR’s Sam Sanders on social media’s role in the 2016 election from NPR’s Morning Edition with Renee Montagne: https://n.pr/2f8RPRd
PoliticNerd 