My online consumption habits can vary week to week. With busy schedules, I do not have as much time to watch or read the news as I would like. News that I find myself watching and keeping track of are those that involve race or ethnic issues as well as those surrounding gender or LGBTQ rights.
News stories like the Texas abortion laws are those I am intrigued by. This is more national level, and on local levels I kept track of Waukesha school district’s decision to take away the pandemic free lunch program on the basis of spoiling the children. Since this decision and backlash the decision has since been reversed.
I also watch the Royal Purple for recent local news. I do not keep track of news from my home town, mainly because it is an exceedingly small area and there is not a reliable news source. Anything that I hear about our town is through other people or Facebook, and it is gossip more than anything.
I do not usually use or keep track of any specific news sites. My use of news sites usually includes hearing about a story from someone or via social media and use Google to find the latest news on the subject. After using Google, the sites that I often find myself using is The New York Times or NPR.
Sites such as these and others utilize multimedia platforms, and because of this I find myself reading text as well as watching videos. My favorite way to receive news is through reading text, because it is in this way that I can ensure I am properly engaged with the material. With many videos, I find myself zoning out and having to go back to a previous statement in the video. Occasionally, after reading news text, I will turn to videos for further information.
Most often, Facebook and Twitter utilize videos as forms of news. In this case, I definitely start my news watch with these social media sites, and continue from there. Sites like this may obviously not be the most reliable sources of information. Because of that, I will deem something trustworthy and reliable by seeking out further information from trusted sources.
I remember a time when I was younger where I read an article about a famous actor passing away, only to look further into it and found that it was a common hoax that was spread throughout the internet. This is why I do not trust all information I come across on sites, whether it be Facebook or Twitter.
After doing my research on particular articles, I may share the initial post. Beyond this, I don’t interact with news, which includes commenting or emailing reporters.
My news gathering habits are different than each person. Unlike my dad who shares and believes every post on Facebook, I will continue to do my own research to ensure I am getting the most accurate information available to me.