In an era where calling out “fake news” and distrusting “the media” has become trendy, it is more important than ever to read the whole article. Don’t just read the headline of an article and leave a comment on it like you read the whole thing. If you’re going to comment on an article, make sure you’ve actually read at least some of it.
I have seen this more during the COVID-19 pandemic than ever. People on social media see the headline of an article and leave an ignorant comment on it, not even actually knowing the content in the article. Leaving these comments not only leaves the commenter uninformed but wrongly informs people who don’t read the article but look through the comments left on it.
Along with simply reading an article before commenting on it, it’s more important than ever to get your news from unbiased sources. It’s very important to get news from organizations like Associated Press rather than somewhere like MSNBC or Fox News, both of which are biased in their news reporting. Getting information from sources that don’t have political leanings is the best way to be informed based on facts that haven’t been twisted to serve a bias.
I was researching biases among popular media outlets and I came across a chart that shows different news sources and their political leanings, as well as how much of their reporting is fact versus opinion. It was very interesting and could be useful for finding the best news sources. You can find the chart here: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/interactive-media-bias-chart/?v=402f03a963ba
The media is an extremely important part of democracy. The media’s job is to keep the people informed on facts, not opinions. When you see an article with a title that has to do with something you don’t agree with, actually read the article before leaving a comment on it. Make sure you’re informed about everything that goes on, not just what your preferred political party is doing that you think is good.
Thanks for reading.
HCXO