In order to stay informed, it is important to consult a variety of news sources. Each news source has its own biases and you can check these biases by fact checking and reading/listening to other perspectives. I use tons of news sources regularly but here are five examples of sources and why I use them.
Fox News is well-known as the main republican news channel. Because of its political party affiliation, it is necessary to consider its biases when viewing the news. Fox reports on topics that are not exclusively political and is reliable for quick recap news. One thing that helps Fox News in its credibility is that often the anchors open up the discussion to members of the Democratic Party allowing for low stakes live debate on certain hot topics.
CNN is the main democratic news channel in the nation. As a citizen of the United States, it is important to educate yourself about the news by listening to channels that hold opposite biases. This combats agenda setting done by the channels. Agenda setting is when media outlets dictate what gets the most news coverage and partners with the practice of framing to present the news in a certain and deliberate way in order to dictate how it is perceived by the audience. Because I watch Fox News, I make it a priority to watch CNN as well.
Twitter is the next source of news I will talk about. Not only is Twitter my favorite social media platform, but it is also a great news outlet. One of Twitter's most useful features is its search window. Under the search bar, Twitter places tabs labeled "For You," "Trending," "News," "Sports," and "Entertainment." This window reads like a newspaper. You are able to see current and relevant topics as you scroll down under each tab. The best part about twitter though is that when you click on a topic and dive further into it, not only do you see news source accounts, magazines, and politicians or celebrities posting about it, but also real common people. You can see people discussing the news, stories supporting the news, disproving the news, and sharing their own experiences. The best example of the benefit of this kind of news source was during the 2020 BLM protests. News sources would only feature videos and images that supported their biases while Twitter allowed individuals who were actually present at the protests to share their videos and photos. Twitter enables each person with an account to access a whole world of news and information along with thriving as a popular and fun social media platform.
ABC News is another news source that I check regularly. Not only does ABC News cover national stories but also local ones on its affiliate channels. ABC News may lean one way or the other but does not officially publicize a political affiliation. I really enjoy this news source because of its online option. I like the variety of topics covered and that I do not need to hold a subscription in order to read the articles. Although Fox and CNN also have websites with free articles, they have a heavier bias than ABC News.
New York Times is another popular news source that I use often. I have a subscription to the daily updates from the paper. The New York Times is very to the point with its language and puts the facts out there. The down side to
the New York Times is that you have to purchase a subscription in order to read its full length articles online or purchase a newspaper in person. Although this may seem like a downside to pay for the news, news channels require you to purchase cable too so it isn't an unusual concept, paying for the news.
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