Media Literacy
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- Information
- 19 Nov, 2025
What is Responsible Reporting?
So many media sources proport to be "unbiased" and "truth-based", but a 2024 Gallup Poll found that 36% of American Adults have no trust at all in the media. What is good criteria to consider when evaluating the reliability and accuracy of a news source? Consider the following:
- Does the headline match the story?: If the headline say something like "tensions errupt" or "protestors and police crash" you might assume that there was a veyr violent protest. But if you continue to read that only one person was arrested and no one was injured that would show how the headline has been sensationalized. Reporters want your clicks and attention to make money, but are they prioritizing it over factual information?
- Is the information precise? Many could mean 10 or it could mean 100. And that makes a difference. Getting exact numbers like time spent, people in attendance, dollars collected, etc. shows diligent and accurate reporting.
- Is there context? People do not live in bubbles - there is almost always a cause for a reaction to occur. What leads people to do what they do? Are their actions justified or not? A smart reporter will cover the full background and context of an event.
- Do they get the full story? Modern rhetoric is pushing back on the idea that there's an equal side to both stories. This isn't true if one side is not being factual. Nor is the weight of arguements on each side equal in every circumstance. For example a police man arresting a protestor who is being violent would be seen as many as a just response. But if the protestor's "violence" was just saying something rude to the copy, that doesn't carry the justification for the arrest.
Example of a 2010 BBC advertising campaign demonstrating how getting proper perspective can effect the full understanding of a story.
Resources
Reliable News Sources
- Demoncracy Now!
- Fight Back News
- The American Prospect
- Americans for Tax Fairness
- Economic Policy Institute
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- The Guardian
- ProPublica
- Labor Notes
- The Lever
- Popular Information
- Heather Cox Richardson
- Robert Reich
- Just Security
- What the Fuck Just Happened Today
Media Collections and Databases
- Means TV - Worker Owned Entertainment similar to other streaming services.
- FindYourNews - Institute for Non Profit News's list of nonpartisan independent news orgs.
- PBS Passport - Streaming service for a donation of $5 a month (kids programming is free). Allows you to support public broadcasting as the Trump administation continues to slice away at it.
- Libby - Enjoy free ebooks, digital audiobooks, and magazines from your library. All you need is a library card. There are also ways to get access to other libraries digitally by making cards online.
- Hoopla - With hoopla, your library card lets you instantly read, listen, and watch your favorite titles.
- Kanopy - Stream thousands of films for free, thanks to the generous support of your public library or university.
Recommended Reading
🙉Remember: Urge friends, relatives, and acquaintances to avoid Trump propaganda outlets such as Fox News, Newsmax, X, and, increasingly, Facebook and Instagram. They are filled with hateful bigotry and toxic and dangerous lies. For some people, these propaganda sources can also be addictive; help the people you know wean themselves off them.
RSS Feeds
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) allows you to essentially create a feed from selected media sources. Easiest way to view RSS feeds is through RSS readers like Feedly.-What is an RSS Feed?
Recommended Feeds
Readings
Social Media Follow Lists
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