News: Where do you get yours?

Tracie Wall 

tw041219@ohio.edu

Newspaper usage has drastically decreased, and the ratings of the once prominent national television newscasts have dropped, so where are people getting information? Most people are turning to the internet to consume news. In a study performed by Pew Research Center  in 2020, more than 86% of U.S. adults say they often use a smartphone or tablet to get their news. Though the digital route is most common, there are a number of different pathways to finding that news. 

News on Social Media

While some people navigate to dedicated news websites or apps, there is an increasing amount of people heading to social media channels to consume news. According to Forbes, in 2020 Facebook leads the charge with 36% of its users looking for news, YouTube comes in second with 21% and Twitter and Instagram just about tie with 12% and 11% respectively. 

With the average person, 16-64 years of age now spending about 2 hours and 22 min per day on social media according to Statista, it is almost guaranteed that each user will come across national news in their feed. 

Picture source: Journalist'sResouce.org

 

But can we trust it?

In a study conducted in 2020, Pew Research Center reports that 39% of users who get their news on social media expect the information to be inaccurate. Not only are people going to a source they do not trust, but about 23% of users leave more confused than when they started their search. 

Has journalism changed?

In their book, The Elements of Journalism, Kovach and Rosenstiel wrote that, "The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self-governing."

As social creatures, humans crave connection, we like to know what is going on around us. The way we consume news has drastically evolved over the years, but how has journalism changed? It seems to me that more and more opinion focused articles and news casts are disguising themselves as news. Promoting their bias as truth, these outlets end up creating even more confusion instead of promoting the primary purpose of journalism. 

How do we know what's true?

With all the media and news that each of us consume, we should make a point to fact check. Making sure we are getting our information from sources that are reputable, and consuming information from different sources can help you make a well-informed decision.