Not all sources of information are created equal. So far, 2025 has proven to be a year of big changes and world shaping events, and it’s only March. With all the changes in the United States — thanks to President Trump’s executive orders — it’s more important than ever to stay informed.
In the fast paced world we live in, breaking news and getting the story out there has replaced the slow and carefully researched reporting that was the hallmark of excellent journalism nearly a century ago. There was one newspaper for your area, one radio broadcast and maybe one or two evening news reports. Now, with the over-saturation of ways to get information, it’s a race to break a story first. The five o’clock news may be the last to break a story and people might learn of something big on social media first.
According to a Pew Research Center fact sheet published on their website in September 2024, news apps and websites remain the primary source of news for now, with 65% saying they use this source at least sometimes and 23% polled preferred this news source. However, social media is becoming equally prevalent as a news source. The same poll reported 54% use social media to stay informed at least sometimes and 18% of those polled prefer social media as their primary news source, up from 11% in 2020.
This changing landscape in how we consume information and stay informed about the world around us is significant for many reasons. Short snippets of what is happening can be a great way to get the highlights, but a 60-second video is rarely enough time to paint a complete picture. Without fully understanding what is going on, it is easy to form opinions on what is happening that are built on only some of the story. Social media also opens the door to anyone and everyone sharing their opinions and passing them off as facts. Opinions are important, and are a key way of sharing ideas, but the facts are often distorted when shared through the lens of the writer.
The emotional impact of changes to the world is important. However, reacting to something from a place of emotion before having all the key facts is often the foundation of misinformation. This is why where individuals get their information is important, as well as the ability to evaluate what is being read/heard. One emotional reaction on social media, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram or even YouTube, can trickle out into thousands more, distorting the story even further. Legitimate news sources also utilize social media outlets to share their actual news stories as well, thus it falls to the reader/viewer to evaluate whether they are consuming facts or opinions.
Understanding bias in the media may feel like a complicated and subjective topic, but one excellent resource is the Media Bias Chart available at https://app.adfontesmedia.com/chart/interactive. This resource breaks down each news source for reliability of facts vs. opinions, as well as if they have political bias to the left or right. While this may not be a fool-proof method of evaluating a news source, it may be a good starting place for someone who isn’t used to evaluating the reliability of information.
It is also important to note that approaching all news from a place of emotion has negative impacts on individual health and the nation. According to a journal published by The Oxford University Press titled, “The harmful effects of partisan polarization on health,” as partisanship increases, so do levels of stress, depression and insomnia as well as a marked decrease in overall health. Meanwhile, a study published by the University of Michigan found that anger only served to further partisanship, even if the information was false.
Despite these findings, opinions and emotions are not bad in and of themselves. Righteous anger over injustice is the cornerstone of the foundation of the United States. There is a time and a place for the sharing of the emotional impact a law or executive order has on the people. If that emotion is shared from a place of full understanding of an issue, it holds far more power.
Sharing and listening to other’s opinions is often how we can grow as people, but those opinions hold far more value if they are well formed in a foundation of facts. Even still, these should be tempered as people stay informed and fight for what is right in their country and in the world.
The next time a person hears breaking news on TikTok, YouTube or Facebook, they should consider the source and do their own research before they angrily click to share. Sharing misinformation can be more harmful to society than sharing factual information. As the great American writer Mark Twain once said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”
