Because of the rapid growth of technology and the globalization process ever expanding into new territories, the sheer volume of information available to anyone with internet access is overwhelming. It can be difficult to discern the truth amidst the constant barrage of headlines, tweets, and posts across news mediums without paying careful attention to details about the specific news source and the nuances hidden within the article. To be an educated consumer of news there are a few basic guidelines to follow. These guidelines help the educated reader determine if the source of an article is trustworthy, identify bias within an article, discern the purpose of a piece of news, understand the author’s intentions based on the context of the article and draw conclusions from the text. A proper news article consists of both sides of a story represented as unbiased as possible and relies exclusively on verifiable facts.

The first guideline to follow is that a news story should be evaluated starting from the source. An anonymous tweet proclaiming the scientific discovery of the mythical jackalope is not as reliable a source as finding the same information published in a scientific journal. Published articles in a journal require peer review and can be refuted by further studies adding an extra layer of legitimacy. Along the same lines, location of news sources is a major factor. For instance, articles posted by the government regulated Russian news outlets are tightly controlled by the state, condemning foreign influences while justifying Russian military action. China has a similar approach to the news, using propaganda and mass censorship to limit the flow of information and tailor the news to favor the state. Articles written from regions of tight censorship are less likely to contain reliable information due to the heavy handed nature of censorship and control by the state. Articles written by a neutral source, for instance, a news agency not directly tied to a particular state or ideology, have a greater potential to provide trustworthy information.

The second guideline to keep in mind when analyzing an article is that longevity and credibility do not necessarily mean every piece of news from that source is useful or trustworthy. News agencies like CNN and FOX News have a long standing history of reporting the news and building credibility with consumers. However, a long history does not necessarily indicate that the news reported by a large news network is trustworthy. Along with their history, FOX News has garnered a reputation for spinning articles tailoring the news to appeal to a specific audience, namely the conservative US population. In this case, the articles produced by FOX News are not necessarily a trustworthy source of news because it is favorably biased towards a targeted audience. A news agency that regularly involves members from different political parties discusses varying ideologies and tries to target a broad consumer base are more likely to provide trustworthy news to the consumer.

Another guideline to pay careful attention to is that a source of information is not always overtly biased. It is difficult to determine the quality of a news source at times. Many online sites at face value appear to be trustworthy but often contain hidden agendas. A quick Google search for “Martin Luther King Jr” brings up many legitimate articles and informative websites from places like Stanford University. However, one particular web page called martinlutherking.org is actually a white supremacist web page filled with derogatory, hateful speech and highly suspect information. The .org ending stands for an established organization which, to some unsuspecting individuals, grants the web page legitimacy, when in fact it is falsifying information to further a hidden agenda. Without paying adequate attention to the tone of the article the unsuspecting reader might assume the information comes from an organization that has some legitimacy.

It is important for all consumers of news to be critical of the types of information and sources presented through the media. In today’s globalized world, filled with an enormous amount of information, there are simply too many influences on news outlets to complacently accept all that a particular group presents as fact. Nothing in this world should go unchallenged.