News is an essential part of any functioning, modern society, and due to the constantly developing world, media surrounds the day-to-day life of most people. As such, it is crucial that individuals pay attention to the media that they consume and where that information comes from.
According to a survey on media use and evaluation by Gallup in 2020, U.S. citizens have become increasingly distrusting in the accuracy and fairness in mass media. When asked how much confidence they have in mass media, including newspapers, radio and TV, 33% of people answered “none at all”, with only 31% claiming to trust mass media “only a fair amount”.
This comes as no surprise considering how news has changed in the past decade or so with the consumption of social media. When scrolling through socials most people would likely come across some form of news on their timelines. However, with the emergence of ill sourced articles and listicles, this news has become increasingly dangerous to the knowledge of people.
Therefore, here are some tips to ensure that the media you are consuming is coming from a source that cares about being accurate and fair.
Media bias can mislead and manipulate readers, depriving its viewers from the whole picture. Before reading from a news source, find out which way it leans politically. Being aware of how a news source leans politically allows the reader to consume a balanced news diet and avoid manipulation. News sources will likely fall into one of five political categories including: left, left leaning, center, right leaning and right. Use an objective source like allsides.com to see where specific media sources fall on the scale. Center does not always mean better, as it can still omit important perspectives. Ensure that the news you are reading is across a spectrum in order to get the full story.
Media should also be just as diverse as the populations it is presenting to. Pay attention to the race and gender diversity of an outlet compared to the community that it serves. See if the outlet is offering fair representation through their reporting.
Another important factor in fair media is point of view. From whose point of view is the news being reported? Often times stories are covered based on how they are affecting executives or politicians rather than the communities directly being affected by an issue. Consume sources that have those affected by the issue voiced in the coverage.
Pay attention to the language being used in a story. Media sources can use loaded language – or words with strong connotations – to help shape public opinion, which may lead to an inaccurate impression of the issue. In addition, look for double standards in a media source’s reporting. Does this source hold one community of people to a standard while using a different standard for another community? This especially includes headlines, which may be covered differently depending on the people involved in the issue.
Media has enormous power in setting societal guidelines and presetting political ideas, as such it is essential that these sources are challenged by their viewers to be fair and accurate. Next time you read some news headline off Twitter or a post going around Instagram, check its source and pinpoint its bias. For more information visit fair.org.
