How to choose your news - Damon Brown

How do you know what's happening in your world?

The amount of information just a click away

may be limitless,

but the time and energy we have

to absorb and evaluate it is not.

All the information in the world won't be very useful

unless you know how to read the news.

To your grandparents, parents,

or even older siblings,

this idea would have sounded strange.

Only a few decades ago, news was broad-based.

Your choices were limited

to a couple of general interest magazines

and newspaper of record,

and three or four TV networks

where trusted newscasters delivered the day's news

at the same reliable time every evening.

But the problems with this system soon became apparent

as mass media spread.

While it was known that authoritarian countries

controlled and censored information,

a series of scandals showed that

democratic governments were also misleading the public,

often with media cooperation.

Revelations of covert wars, secret assassinations,

and political corruption

undermined public faith in official narratives

presented by mainstream sources.

This breakdown of trust in media gatekeepers

lead to alternative newspapers, radio shows, and cable news

competing with the major outlets and covering events

from various perspectives.

More recently, the Internet has multiplied the amount

of information and viewpoints,

with social media, blogs, and online video

turning every citizen into a potential reporter.

But if everyone is a reporter, nobody is,

and different sources may disagree,

not only opinions, but on the facts themselves.

So how do you get the truth, or something close?

One of the best ways is to get the original news

unfiltered by middlemen.

Instead of articles interpreting a scientific study

or a politician's speech,

you can often find the actual material and judge for yourself.

For current events, follow reporters on social media.

During major events, such as the Arab Spring

or the Ukrainian protests,

newscasters and bloggers have posted updates and recordings

from the midst of the chaos.

Though many of these later appear in articles or broadcasts,

keep in mind that these polished versions

often combine the voice of the person who was there

with the input of editors who weren't.

At the same time, the more chaotic the story,

the less you should try to follow it in real time.

In events like terrorist attacks and natural disasters,

today's media attempts continuous coverage

even when no reliable new information is available,

sometimes leading to incorrect information

or false accusations of innocent people.

It's easy to be anxious in such events,

but try checking for the latest information

at several points in the day,

rather than every few minutes,

allowing time for complete details to emerge

and false reports to be refuted.

While good journalism aims for objectivity,

media bias is often unavoidable.

When you can't get the direct story,

read coverage in multiple outlets

which employ different reporters and interview different experts.

Tuning in to various sources and noting the differences

lets you put the pieces together

for a more complete picture.

It's also crucial to separate fact from opinion.

Words like think, likely, or probably

mean that the outlet is being careful

or, worse, taking a guess.

And watch out for reports that rely on anonymous sources.

These could be people who have little connection to the story,

or have an interest in influencing coverage,

their anonymity making them unaccountable

for the information they provide.

Finally, and most importantly,

try to verify news before spreading it.

While social media has enabled the truth

to reach us faster,

it's also allowed rumors to spread

before they can be verified

and falsehoods to survive

long after they've been refuted.

So, before you share that unbelievable

or outrageous news item,

do a web search to find any additional

information or context you might have missed

and what others are saying about it.

Today, we are more free than ever

from the old media gatekeepers

who used to control the flow of information.

But with freedom comes responsibility:

the responsibility to curate our own experience

and ensure that this flow does not become a flood,

leaving us less informed than before we took the plunge.