Blog Post #1: My Top Five Sources of News and Information

   Ever since I was young, I remember eating breakfast before school while my mother put on the seven o'clock morning news or my father came home from work and immediately put on the national news. I found that my parents' habits would come to help later on in life when we had Model UN teams in eighth grade, and I was the only one who knew who the Secretary of Defense was or when we had current events discussions in high school. But, at the same time, I have watched, in a way, the downfall of the news. It has become heavily scrutinized from all sides, and the term "bias" is thrown around like a football. Because of this, I have become more picky about staying educated through the news, especially when I am away from my parent's daily habits and television in general. These are my top five sources of news and information.  

#1: The Today Show

 (Free Vector Logo Today Show).

One of the first memories I have relating to the news is watching The Today Show at 7 am every morning before school. The opening sounds of the show could probably wake me from a dead slumber. I enjoy watching The Today Show because it takes you through all the current events in a timely manner. They cover all the most important national and international news, pop culture, and local weather by 7:30 am. Most syndicated news shows, nowadays, will spend an hour just discussing one topic, such as politics or war, and for someone who does not have much time for news during the week, it is easier to get it all in quick bites and then research further on something I want to know more about or do not understand. I recommend The Today Show because it is a lively program with more than just news. On Halloween, they do skits and even show new recipes or shopping deals later in the program. It is quite nice to just leave on in the background and it will keep you well-informed and entertained at the same time. 

#2: Fox News

(File:Fox News Channel logo.svg).

This channel was typically my parent's news outlet of choice towards the end of the day. I am not the biggest fan of this channel because I find it highly biased if I watch it live. There is a more comedic "late-night" show at 10 pm that is more enjoyable, but it is also not news-based. If I go directly to their website, I can find more news than they typically report on-air. I like this form of news because their website is easy to navigate, and similarly to The Today Show, it gives me a solid start to research current events that I would like to stay informed about. Fox News has interesting sections about AI or True Crime if readers do not want to learn about politics. There is a common misconception that when you watch the news, it has to be boring, but the news can become very interesting if you diversify what you are reading about or where you are reading it. I recommend this website if you want to gain a new perspective or learn something new that you can then choose to research elsewhere, but at least you have learned something new.

 

#3: The Daily Mail 

(Colorado Women's Health: University of Colorado). 

As much as I enjoy staying current on current events, I also love tabloid information, like who wore which designer at an awards show or which celebrity couple broke up. I remember there was a mix-up at our post office one year, and we got People Magazine for a few months, which I loved; my mother did not as much. Every morning, when I check my Snapchat, I scroll through the Daily Mail widget for about ten minutes. I rarely find something extraordinarily informative or valuable to discuss in a conversation. However, sometimes, I find it pleasant to read less severe topics or topics that are more interesting than particularly informative. They do sometimes have current events when they are incredibly current. For example, when the murders happened at the University of Idaho last year, the Daily Mail would run articles regarding emerging details about the case, or they run stories about former President Trump's trial. I recommend The Daily Mail to anyone who wants to stay informed about topics such as pop culture or true crime. Unfortunately, if you want to find a news source with solid journalism, it would not be The Daily Mail. They will take small details from important news and report on that, but if you want the whole story, you must read elsewhere. However, if you want to fulfill your tabloid craving, The Daily Mail is for you!

#4: My Parents

(Stock images, photos, vectors, video, and music).

(Stock images, photos, vectors, video, and music).

(Just for immediate clarification, this is not an actual image of my parents.) My parents have kept me informed since I was a child, as I have written about for my first two sources of news and information. When I am away at school, they will send me news articles on topics they think I should know about, or when I call to talk to them on the phone, my parents will tell me about the local news at home or what they heard on the national news at night. They both believe it is crucial to stay in the know when I am away at school, and they do not want me to fall into a state of naivete just because I go to school behind a fence. I like this way of gathering information because it helps me stay educated and keep some semblance of home routines when I am away from home. I recommend talking to parents or other family members to stay informed about the news if you feel too busy to tune into live TV or read online, which is understandable. An easy way to supplement this is to talk to family members and learn something new.

 

#5: Social Media

(Free stock photos, pngs, templates & mockups).

My final choice for gathering news and information is ranked last for a reason. I know this is a highly disreputable source, and I typically do not seek out my information from here, but if you stay online for long enough, you will find news. I will see friends repost information or spread awareness on their accounts, which will prompt me to learn more about it, but I rarely trust social media to give me the whole story. What I enjoy about learning about current events through social media apps such as TikTok or Instagram is that it can make the topic more amusing. However, this should not be the only news source and should probably be a last resort. I recommend social media for information or news if you wish to spread awareness about a topic or are already well-informed about worldly events.

 

 

 

 In closing, these are my top five sources for news and information. Most news should come from recognized news outlets, and a proper understanding of current events comes from diversifying your sources and talking to others to understand what is happening in our world. In the coming years, the news outlets I like to get my news from will shift, which is okay as long as I stay informed. Social media will always stay last unless social media drastically changes, but for now, it is widely acknowledged that misinformation runs rampant there. 

Links:

“Colorado Women’s Health: University of Colorado.” Colorado Womens Health, 2 Aug. 2022, coloradowomenshealth.com/.

“File:Fox News Channel Logo.Svg.” Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fox_News_Channel_logo.svg. Accessed 20 Jan. 2024.

“Free Stock Photos, Pngs, Templates & Mockups.” Rawpixel, www.rawpixel.com/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2024.

“Free Vector Logo Today Show.” Today Show Logo, Vector Logo of Today Show Brand Free Download (Eps, Ai, Png, Cdr) Formats, www.logotypes101.com/logo/today-show-5. Accessed 19 Jan. 2024.

“Stock Images, Photos, Vectors, Video, and Music.” Shutterstock, www.shutterstock.com/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2024. 

https://www.today.com/

https://www.foxnews.com/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html

https://www.instagram.com/?hl=en

https://www.tiktok.com/explore