Navigating the media is hard. Many different platforms have a distinct political stance, influencing the way that they share the news. Major news companies have also increased the amount of opinion articles they publish, compared to stories with just hard facts.
I am currently a journalism student and one thing I have noticed is how much extreme sites provide drastically different iterations of the same story. Some glorify certain people while others condemn them. It is so hard to find a news source that provides just the straight facts.
So, if you are like me and want to find the straight facts of a story, keep reading for an analysis of these different sources.
Note: In this article, I am remaining neutral. None of the examples provided (such as Fox or CNN) reflect my own opinion. I am simply giving examples so you can see how content differs from platform to platform.
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Get notified of top trending articles like this one every week! (we won't spam you)Polarized Sides
As I am sure we all know, Fox News and CNN are polar opposites. The conservatives stick to Fox while liberals tend to watch CNN. However, their extreme viewpoints can cause stories to become ultra-biased. One example is the 2024 presidential debate commentary.
Fox News criticized every mistake that President Joe Biden made, starting with a stutter in the beginning of the debate and how he "Tossed the softball right to Trump, which, you know he batted right out of the park." They also noted Biden's suboptimal performance, causing people to wonder about his mental state and if he was fit to be president. In fact, Fox reported on Biden's "Alleged cognitive decline cover-up." They pushed the narrative that Biden was unfit to be president for months, skewing stories to align with their perspective of the former president.
Now, it is not just Fox News who provided slanted commentary. CNN's portrayal of President Donald Trump was biased as well. In fact, Trump even sued CNN for defamation. He claimed that "The Big Lie" - CNN's phrase to describe his 2020 campaign - was a defamatory attack. The term also relates to anti-semitic ideas from World War II. This lawsuit described many times that CNN staff criticized Trump.
As shown in these examples, each side gives a contrasting story. It is important to make sure that you use different news sources. You do not want to listen to Fox or CNN exclusively, instead you want to watch both or your preferred source and a neutral outlet.
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Political News Outlets
There are many sources that lean to each side of the political spectrum. In terms of more liberal newspapers, some examples are: CNN, The New York Times (opinion section) and The Washington Post.
Some right-leaning examples are: Fox News, The Daily Wire, The New York Post (opinion section) and Newsmax.
While some are more political than others, it is still important to recognize outlets that lean towards one side over the other.
How to Spot Bias
When you read an article, it is always crucial to check for potential bias. Consider the sources used in the story. some questions to ask yourself are:
Did the writer witness the event themselves?
How many sources were cited? How many were anonymous?
Were there any eyewitnesses or experts?
How closely related are the witnesses to the content of the story?
After answering these questions, it is important to consider the language used in the story. Sometimes, writers will use loaded wording to evoke emotions and opinions in the reader. Some examples of extreme language are "scheme," "drastic" or "lashed out."
Next, look at the headline and where the story is placed. It is easy to spot when headlines are sensationalized. After you read the story, if the headline seems exaggerated or does not reflect the content in the piece, then it is a good chance that the story could be biased.
For story placement, unless it is important breaking news, such as countries withdrawing troops or death, look at how much each story is highlighted on the main page. If the story is in bolded, big letters, then it might be readily available for a reason.
Be careful of the opinion section! While it is interesting to read, sometimes it is easy to be convinced that the opinion article you just read is the hard truth. It is very important to hear from differing perspectives and challenge your own beliefs. However, the opinion section should not be used for news.
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Tips and Tricks
Read papers from both sides. Compare the headlines, front page content and commentary on controversial figures. If you can find a story about one event from two politically different news sources, compare how the articles are written and how important details are described and/or emphasized.
Try to read a more neutral source. While it is not bad to read a politically-slanted paper, it can affect your perception of events. If you turn towards more neutral sources, you can see every story more objectively. It will also help you to determine the important facts of each story quickly.
Check your own bias. According to psychology, we all fall for confirmation bias. Confirmation bias is our tendency to look for information that supports/confirms our own beliefs, while simultaneously ignoring information that contradicts our views. We all have confirmation bias, it is just important to recognize it and ensure that we are looking for neutral and contradicting viewpoints, instead of just validating ourselves.
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The Best Sources for Straight Facts
The Associated Press - Not only do they make the grammatical style for journalists, but they also focus on neutral reporting.
BBC - BBC has editorial guidelines that work hard to maintain impartiality. They also represent many perspectives.
Newsnation - The focus of this paper is to provide accurate breaking news coverage.
Conclusion
While the news cycle can be hard to navigate, if you can evaluate news outlets and stories then you will be able to get a good understanding of the facts. Now more than ever, it is important to evaluate news sources because our nation has been so divided. If you continue to check yourself, your sources, and your go-to newspapers, you are set for understanding the facts.
