Introduction
As a part of the first generation to grow up in the age of information, access to news about current events is quicker and easier than it's ever been. But in the same vein, misinformation is more widespread than it's ever been. Today we have more options for news sources than ever before and it's more important to choose the right ones than ever before.
#5 U.S News
U.S. News is a great hub for statistics. It's most known for it's college ranking, ranking all nationally recognized colleges based on a variety of factors such as value, quality of education, student life, etc. I, and chances are my peers too, used this website to select the university I am in today. The website is not just the college rankings though, it has a variety of rankings regarding the U.S. economy, and it has articles like any other news site. U.S. News is great for finding general information and statistics, but it's important to take this information with a grain of salt. These rankings are not purely objective and you have to keep that in mind when using the site.
#4 Reuters
Reuters is a news source that prides itself on reporting accurate, unbiased information. What I respect about this site is that it specifically has a section called "breakingviews," which is specifically for opinion pieces. The site specifically keeps that separate from the main site which seeks to provide impartial news. No source of news is completely immune from bias, of course, but Reuters makes a serious effort to minimize that bias and it's pretty effective.
#3 Twitter
I praised the last two entries for being objective and unbiased, so putting the website formerly known as twitter next may seem like an odd choice, because it's the exact opposite. You basically just see everybody clamoring to scream their viewpoint out louder than everyone else's, but that's also why it's great.
By looking in the replies and retweets, you're seeing a wider variety of viewpoints, from real people, than any other news source could possibly offer. You feed on twitter will also be based on what you like and who you follow, so the news and information you get will be tailored to you. Twitter is a great source for seeing the most relevant information and what people actually think about it, but you can't believe everything you read on it. It's important to form your own opinion based on what you see.
#2 Google News
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Google_news_logo.png
I'll admit this one is cheating a bit. Google news has the same advantage as twitter where you will see a wide variety of viewpoints. Instead of it being from a bunch of random people, it will be articles from large news companies. The problem with most large news organizations is that they spew out a lot of biased viewpoints. By looking at them all together, it's easier to recognize those biases and instead form your own opinion. Overall Google News is great for seeing a wide variety of sources.
#1 Friends
Some people say that we are who we surround yourself with, but I like to think that who we surrounding ourself with is who we are. Chances are you have a lot in common with the people close to you, and you care about similar issues. A friend is someone you can trust.
Now I do not mean you are getting the news directly from your friend, but your friend, just like you, browses the internet and reads the news. And if they send you an article, you can go into it with more trust that it will be accurate and important to you. A friend is also someone you can have a genuine discussion with about what's going on, as opposed to a pure article which you are just reading. An open discussion forces you to consider the opposing viewpoint, and leaves you more informed in the end.
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