A free and truly independent press–
fiercely independent when necessary–
is the red beating heart of freedom and democracy.
Dan Rather
Don’t let anyone tear down our true media, the true news outlets. The news, the media is just as important in a democracy as the House or the Supreme Court. They are part of the checks and balances of a democracy. An interesting study from a couple of years ago on the most trusted news organizations found that Americans trust the BBC more than any American news source. Imagine that. We go outside of the U.S. in order to find news that we trust. But most news sources have a slant. Back in the day, we all used to wait to hear which political candidate a news source was backing. Now, we bash them for it. Oh, the times, (Times) they are a changing.
How Smart Are We?
One study by Fairleigh Dickinson University found those who listened to NPR answered more questions about the news correctly than any other category. This included non-news watchers as well as those who primarily got their News from other stations such as Fox, CNN or MSNBC. The sad thing is that the highest average correct answer is only 1.9 out of 4. Not even half.
Free From Censorship?
If you’re wondering where you can get your news with the least amount of slant, then this post from Make Use Of, which is a technology website, might help. Top 5 World News Websites Guaranteed Free From Censorship is an ambitious article with a click bait title. You might agree with some, you might not agree with others. I find that it’s best to get my news from a lot of different news sources so that I can make an informed opinion. Yes, this includes listening to Fox News, which I then balance out with some MSNBC. ABC, NPR, the BBC, and other actual news outlets are part of the mix. Then I always try to cleanse my palate with some happy news
I started off this post with a quote from Dan Rather, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t include his new site News And Guts.
This is not a political blog, but since it is the week of our celebration of Independence, I wanted to give a shout out to the news for keeping the spotlight on our democracy and asking questions. Yes, even asking questions that make politicians uncomfortable. But since my blog is all about trying new things, I have a challenge for you. If you only get your news from one source (the one that supports your ideology,) then I challenge you to try something new. Try listening to the other side.
I didn’t know that Dan Rather had his own site. Its so hard to wade through all the much in an attempt to find the truth nowadays.
I hope you go and check out his site. It’s pretty interesting.
Sometimes I think they are asking the right questions. Sometimes. Other times I ask myself “WTF are they thinking?” I’ll bet if they ceased covering his every move he’d quit the job.
But what would he do to get the attention back on him?
I completely agree with your approach to news gathering. You have to cull together many sources to get a well rounded picture. And ‘slants’ are not a new thing, nor does it make it fake news! It’s simply perspective.
Especially in this day and age, you have to have multiple “true” sources of news.
LOVE News and Guts and am a regular NPR listener. I also am always sure to read news from all around the world, not just at home. Journalism is so important.
Yes,to get a good perspective of what’s going on, you need to read or listen to news from outside our country. Always interesting to hear what we don’t hear at home.
My grandpa (who lives with my mom) watches Fox News every morning so when we visit, we “get” to watch it, too. I consider that my venture to the other side. 😉
I recently moved back home with my husband so that we could take care of my 98-year-old mother. Fox News is on all day. It’s amazing I’m still sane.