There are many different ways to consume news. You can read a physical newspaper, listen to podcasts, watch the news, and many other options. Overall, I consume most of my news through social media that leads to news websites. I follow news accounts that inform me of current events. I like using social media to get my news because social media gives the general synopsis of a story and then it leads to the news website with the full story. It is easier to pick out what I am interested in based on first impressions and then read further into the stories I am most interested in.
I typically do not go straight to a news website because I often start on social media, but if I am finding stories for a class I will often go to Google and visit NBC News or Associated Press News. When consuming news through a website, I try to use a site that is as unbiased as possible so I can build a well-rounded opinion. If I see things on a news site that only reinforces my opinion I am not able to build different perspectives. While it does frustrate me to read stories that don’t align with my morals or ideas, I think it benefits me to learn everybody’s point of view. I find that Associated Press news has a relatively neutral voice, however it is hard to find news that is truly unbiased.
Some people consume their news by using AI. AI is becoming increasingly popular, with more options coming to light and technology improving substantially. In my opinion, AI is a good resource for everyday questions to make life a little simpler. However, I am hesitant to use AI in a situation where I am searching for news, as well as in any academic setting. AI is still a new technology that has not yet reached a standard of accuracy that I trust.
I consume news in many different ways, most commonly on social media and news websites. I am least likely to read physical newspapers unless it is The Royal Purple, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s student run newspaper. I also don’t often listen to audio reports because I prefer to have something in front of me online, whether it’s a series of photos to increase my understanding or a written report to keep me focused. I am a visual learner and find it helpful to consume news through videos and photos.
Admittedly, I am more of a silent consumer of news. I have never interacted with news sites besides reading the stories. Even on social media, I do not comment on the posts that summarize the story. As I mentioned before, social media plays a large role in my consumption of media. Our social media is a reflection of our opinions and beliefs because it caters to us and creates an algorithm that recommends certain content to us. It reinstates my opinions, but can be untruthful and biased. I do find a lot of my news through social media, but I always make sure to fact check what I’m reading.
In order to get accurate news, I try to make sure to use a news website that is trusted and legitimate. The most important thing when consuming news is ensuring that you are reading accurate and ethically written stories. This is harder with social media because anybody can post any information they want on social media, whereas on a news site you need to be employed with that company to publish anything. There have been instances where I was reading a news post on social media, thinking it was truthful, but ended up discovering that the story was fake by reading comments and other news stories.