In this day and age, information is everywhere, but because of that, so is misinformation. It can be hard to tell if you are being fed false data or just opinions rather than facts, so it’s up to you to try and hold your news sources accountable and make sure they are reliable. If this sounds to you like it might be a little easier said than done, read on. Here are 4 ways to make sure the sources you are getting your news from are reliable.
Know Who They’re Marketing To
News is a business just like any other and therefore it’s all about making money. Many news sources work with internet marketing agencies so that they can be shown to wider audiences. Understanding who your news source is marketing to in the first place will help you to know if they are reliable or not.
Look for ads on television, billboards, or social media to see if you can figure out who the news source is trying to target with their ads. This may give you a more clear picture of what they are up to and who they really want to be consuming their news.
Find Out Where Their Funding Comes From
Most information about news sources should be available to you if you look for it. If you’re having any trouble finding it, don’t give up and keep trying. Sometimes this information is hidden on purpose.
Finding out where a news source’s funding comes from is an important part of your quest to ensure they are reliable, because they may be biased based on who owns or runs them. Many news sources are actually owned or funded by politicians or entire political parties, but they don’t openly advertise this.
Of course, this is a huge problem when it comes to the facts they are supposedly delivering to their audiences. If they are funded by a politician and that politician is involved in a scandal, for example, that news may be banned from your source. If that’s the case, just imagine what other news could be banned.
Pay Attention To The Language
Paying attention to the sort of language your news source uses is another good way to help you make sure the news you are reading and watching is completely reliable. Certain words and phrases will be telltale clues to show you that the source is including opinions rather than just straight facts.
Look At The Data
Remember writing bibliographies every time you wrote a report in school? Well, news sources are no different. They have to state the sources they got their information about whatever they are reporting on from, and should have data to back it up as well. If data is missing or doesn’t make sense to you, that should be a clue that something is up.
Knowing whether or not the news is actually reliable can take a little bit of detective work, but it’s so important it will be worth it. Try the ideas on this list to see if they help!
