I am interested in a wide range of news stories. I primarily focus on international and local news, but the occasional national and state stories catch my eye. I see lots of national news online, but I rarely do a deep dive into topics restricted to the United States. I reserve this activity for international news, as I find other nations’ politics very intriguing. I can often be seen reading stories about interesting happenings within other countries’ governments. I follow state news, specifically from Illinois, on a much smaller scale, even smaller than national news. Most news from Illinois does not affect me directly except for local news. I tend to follow news from towns in McHenry County, where my hometown is, and surrounding areas.
Regarding international news, I tend to continually monitor elections, referenda, and leadership changes at the head of state and government level. I also monitor stories from my local area, usually about school districts and crimes. When following news from my hometown, I typically go to the Facebook pages of local news websites. My favorites include the Lake and McHenry County Scanner, Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch, and the Huntley Scanner.
When visiting specific news websites, I typically go to apnews.com, which is run by the Associated Press. However, when major events occur, I follow live feeds from corporate news outlets, such as CNN. For example, when I learned that former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot, I stayed up until 3 a.m. constantly refreshing CNN’s live feed as more information became available. Although corporate outlets can be reliable sources of information, the Associated Press’s website remains my favorite. It is the most trustworthy and has the widest range of news topics.
Despite my frequent visits to news websites, I oftentimes go to Google to search for breaking news, mostly to verify that what I saw elsewhere was true. For instance, when Betty White passed away weeks before her 100th birthday, I immediately jumped on Google to verify that what I had seen on social media was accurate.
I use artificial intelligence very infrequently. I never use AI for news or for academic assignments, but I do use it to explain difficult concepts. When I took biology in community college, I had trouble understanding certain concepts, such as glycolysis, so I would use AI to break it down into simpler terms. I always ensure that my AI use will not have negative consequences for me or others.
When I consume news, I much prefer to read text. I dislike watching videos and listening to audio, simply because when I read, I can process the information quicker than if I were watching or listening to it. I do like looking at photos, but I am more drawn to the words on the screen than the photos. I rarely see interactive graphics on the websites where I get my news and do wish that they were more prevalent. Getting news via reading text is more fun for me than any of these other methods because I can interpret the news in my own way. Additionally, I can also formulate my opinions about the news without other influences, such as tone of voice or emotion.
I hardly interact with news by posting comments or submitting content. I typically keep my thoughts about the news to myself and do not share them unless it is something I am extremely upset about or if I am asked to share. Family members of mine, such as my mom, have submitted content to news websites. My mom submitted a photo of a yellow fungus growing in her garden to NBC 5 Chicago’s chief meteorologist, and it was aired in his segment where people submit weather photos.
Social media leads me to news every day. A lot of my friends and family share news stories on their social media pages, and I also follow some news pages as well. Sometimes, I get news posts suggested to me in my feed, which expose me to content from pages that I do not follow. I do not rely on one specific individual or source to lead me to stories, but rather I follow a mix of people that post a variety of content for me to explore. I do have accounts with X and Bluesky Social, but I rarely use them. I usually check them a few times a week to see if anyone sent me anything of interest, which is an infrequent occurrence. I rarely read blogs and never listen to podcasts, simply because I would rather read news from the Associated Press.
To ensure that news I read online is reliable and accurate, I always check the source. I look to see what website posted the story and determine whether I trust it. I also check multiple sources to ensure they are all reporting the same information. There was one recent instance where my mom and I were fooled by a fake news story. Months before Jimmy Carter’s passing, my mom sent me an article with a statement from his family stating that he passed. After our initial panic, we realized that the article had been deleted, the statement was fabricated, and there was a death hoax going around that many news websites believed was true.
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