Navigating the News Media: Following the news with discernment

Most of us learn about politics and campaigns indirectly. On rare occasions, we attend an event and get to experience something firsthand. But most of the time we depend on others, often the news media, to tell us what is happening. Since we must rely primarily or entirely on indirect information, it makes sense to think critically and carefully about the information we receive.

Tips for Following Politics and Current Events

Since the rise of the Internet and proliferation of media outlets, voters are flooded with information from a wide range of news sources. If you’d like a quick but reputable summary of the biggest stories from each day, subscribe to 1440, a free email newsletter sent each morning.

However you follow current events, here are some principles to keep in mind:

(1) Follow news stories in a few trusted news sources. Find a few high-quality news sources and follow them consistently. I recommend following at least a few newspapers (online versions are usually easiest), as newspapers have more space to write more detailed stories and tend to have fact checkers and editors to verify and refine the content of news stories.

Although mainstream media outlets are not perfect, they tend to follow professional journalistic norms and have established track records. Reputable sources have gained respect for accurate reporting and issuing corrections when they err. Some smaller news organizations emerge, do good work, and gain an audience over time, but a good rule of thumb is if you have never heard of a news source, that’s a sign to be cautious.

(2) Let stories develop over time, especially breaking news. News outlets race to be the first to report a story. In the rush to beat other outlets, journalists can miss information and make mistakes. As stories have more time to develop and journalists learn more about the specifics of what has happened, information grows more accurate and complete. Exercise caution when reading initial reports of a breaking news event and allow reporters time to gather more details and check their facts.

(3) Check out anything that sounds too good or bad to be true. Although many news organizations serve the public well, a few outliers have other, more sinister goals. Some “news” sites (especially those created by foreign governments who want to sow distrust) are designed to evoke fear and anger. Other fake news sites post “stories” that are not intended to inform; these websites pose as news organizations to draw users to their sites solely for advertising revenue. Still, others seek to misdirect and confuse voters.

If you read a story that seems outlandish or overhear someone talking about something far-fetched, check to see if it is true. A simple Google search is a great place to start. Real news stories will be covered by many sources, so if a search only finds one or two sources talking about a story, it is very likely to be false.

Tools for Analyzing News Outlets

Follow current events and campaigns in respected media outlets. Look for news organizations that have a reputation for truthful reporting, issue corrections when they make errors, clearly distinguish between straight news stories and opinion pieces, and avoid alarmist headlines. Make sure you can easily differentiate between news stories and sponsored advertising.

A few organizations provide tools to help consumers evaluate media sources. Ad Fontes Media employs a team of people from different ideological backgrounds to analyze news content. Ad Fontes uses this data to regularly update its “Media Bias Charts” that categorize news content two ways. The left-right axis measures perceived ideological bias (ranging from hyper-partisan left, to middle, to hyper-partisan right). The top-down axis rates news value and reliability (ranging from “mix of fact reporting and analysis or simple fact reporting” to “containing misleading information”). Each chart includes a helpful green box; inside are sources rated generally reliable and not strongly ideological. In contrast, the chart’s red warning box includes sources that regularly publish misleading and highly partisan stories. Visit my Substack page to see a recent Media Bias Chart that rates the content of common news websites.

The Allsides website also offers helpful resources for following the news media. Their “balanced news and perspectives” tab posts links to breaking news stories featuring an  article from a left-leaning, centrist, and right-leaning news source. Their “media bias and ratings” tab includes an alphabetical list of media organizations with their perceived ideological bias and a link to charts such as their “Media Bias Chart” that compiles ratings of online news sources.

The Ground News website and app compare the ideological bias and factuality of media coverage across a wide range of news stories, labeling each with a colored bar indicating the percentage of stories that skew left (blue), are centrist (white), and skew right (red). The bars provide a stark visual comparison of which stories are widely reported across media outlets and which receive more attention from one ideological camp or the other. Ground News also highlights “blindspot” stories, those that receive coverage entirely or almost entirely from one side of the ideological spectrum.

No rating system is perfectly objective, but these organizations provide helpful tools for choosing trustworthy media outlets and following stories from multiple vantage points.

Tips For Evaluating News Stories

As we approach the election and decide which candidates to support, we will get much of our information from the news media. How can we be discerning consumers of the news?

(1) Use Social Media Wisely. Social media has some good uses, like sharing pictures of your pets or keeping up with friends and family across the miles. But social media is rarely a reliable source for news content. Learn about current events and political candidates directly from reputable news outlets, not what people post on social media. Likewise, be very careful about sharing social media posts. Evaluate the content first to make sure that it is truthful and accurate.

(2)   Evaluate Information Carefully. When following a major news story or learning about political candidates, compare reporting from multiple outlets and look for repeating themes and patterns.

As you read news stories, ask questions: Is the media organization reputable? Who wrote the story?  What is the author’s professional background/area of expertise? What sources do they cite? Are the sources authoritative?

(3) Check the Facts. Several organizations offer resources for checking the content of news stories, social media posts, and claims candidates make on the campaign trail. When you want to verify information, start with a simple web search. Other people have likely made similar queries, so online search engines are likely to point you to helpful resources. To delve deeper and get more information, visit Factcheck.org and/or Politifact.com, two nonprofit websites devoted to analyzing the truthfulness of political claims. Both sites list quotes from political ads and public figures, linking to stories that evaluate the truth or falsity of the claims. Importantly, the writers “show their work” so readers can see the sources used when factchecking.

So many media sources vie for our attention, and many have motives other than informing the public. Even so, it is possible to find and follow trustworthy sources to help you stay informed and make wise voting decisions.