Media Literacy: Evaluating News Sources

The internet has provided a deluge of news websites, and new ones pop up all the time. As we seek to understand what’s happening in our world and how we can make it a more ethical place, it’s important to know how to distinguish which news sites are reputable and which viewpoints they represent. Here are five questions we should ask in the process: 

What kind of media site is this?

Is this content produced by independent journalists, a think tank, a political organization, or even a business? Articles produced to promote a business or think tank may not undergo the same journalistic standards as those produced by an independent journalist. This doesn’t mean the stories are false, but it does mean they were produced for a different purpose and with a different level of objectivity. In this same vein, you should also ask: Who provides the funding? Is it a non-profit, funded by a group, or is it supported through advertisers? What is the relationship to the content production and the advertisers? Ideally, the content production should not be influenced by advertisers or funders.

What point of view are they offering?

Some publications will outright say if they are more conservative, liberal, or progressive in the “About” section. If not, browse the news stories and make a judgment call. Know that the site’s point of view will influence the stories it covers and how it covers them. Having a specific point of view does not invalidate the articles on the website or make them false. It does, however, help you as a reader to understand where the publication is coming from and what positions they may be advocating. You can also check sites like AllSides.com to see how readers and the Allsides rating system rate news sources on a range from the far left to the far right.

Are they producing original content or aggregating news?

Some sites do not provide original content but instead link to content on other sites, at times changing headlines or twisting the original meaning of the article. Other sites may just paraphrase original news reports to create their own summaries. News sources that provide original reporting should rely on experts, eyewitnesses, documentation, and other key sources of information.

What kind of quality control does the information go through before it is published?

Do editors read it first, or can reporters post their own stories as soon as they are ready? If you are unsure, many reputable news sources will post their journalistic standards online, which outline their process for editing stories before publication. For example, these are the verification and fact-checking standards utilized by The Washington Post.

Does the media source offer corrections?

Information spreads quickly, so it’s important for news sources to get the story right the first time. However, all news sources will make mistakes. It’s important that they handle those mistakes with integrity. Reputable sources will post corrections in a prominent place, often with the original story, and in many cases they will explain how the mistake was made in the first place.

In conclusion, the Church has said: “when it comes to being informed, we might take our cue from the General Authorities. Have you ever noticed how many different sources they cite in their general conference talks? Well, that’s the kind of variety we should seek out in our efforts to stay informed” (Ensign, February 2019). In the same way, as you learn more about individual sources of news, strive to read several articles on the same topic to get a broader view of the issue and make your own judgments. 

Take some time today to evaluate the news sites you use, or visit AllSides.com to see how your usual sources of news rate. Did you learn anything different or surprising about the sites?

For more information on evaluating news sources, visit AllSides.com, the American Press Institute, or watch this YouTube video from Crash Course.