Where I Get My News

I get my news from a variety of sources for different reasons. Some sources I use just to hear of the issue and others I trust to actually give a less biased report on it. Although humans are all biased at least somewhat, many news sources are much too biased for my liking. I prefer a more central stance on topics, so I can make my own opinion on the issue without having an anchor or reporter shoving their opinion down my throat. 

Apple News

The first place that I get my news from is Apple News. For some reason, Apple tends to give me notifications on major news before any other source does. Usually I don't actually read what they say, it'll just pop up on my phone and then I'll look into it on other sources that I feel are more reliable. Many people I know do trust Apple, so I may  hear Apple's standpoint when discussing issues with people in my life.

NPR

The first place I'll look after Apple is NPR. NPR is known for being less biased than other news sources and I feel like they are much more fact based. Telling the story how it is, with less spin than other news sources. Although some articles definitely feel spun, they still feel less biased than other sources like CNN or Fox. I also really enjoy listening to NPR's podcasts, like Short Wave, to hear about things that other news sources ignore because they are considered less important. Having a broad knowledge of everything, rather than just the big things that everyone talks about is important to me. I like to be able to discuss things that are new and interesting, not just argue about the same topic that everyone wants to talk about all the time. 

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is another less biased source of information that I regularly use. They are very similar to NPR and often take a more removed stand on topics, stating the facts as they are and nothing more. Many of my professors also encourage us to read The Associated Press, as we use their style book for the base of our journalism classes. I'll often use The Associated Press and NPR exclusively and won't read many any other sources because the massive amount of bias in major news sources frustrates me.

Fox News

On the off chance that I feel like digging into extremely political and biased news reporting, I will look to Fox. Fox's political leanings tend to align with mine, so when they are overly biased it tends to aggravate me less than places like CNN who tend to disagree with my opinions. If I am reading anything from Fox, I always keep in mind that they are biased and not to fall victim to the word choices they use to encourage people to agree with them. Rather than just fact based reporting, Fox tends to use word choices that have much deeper connotations, whether they be negative or positive. Less biased sources may use a phrase like "migrants headed to the US" where Fox might choose "migrants were lured to the US". Although the two sound similar, they have vastly different meanings and using heavily connotated words throughout an article just increases the obviousness of bias.

Family and Friends

After looking at different sources and gathering information on any subject, I look to my close friends and family to talk about what we think. The best way to improve your knowledge and understanding of any subject is through direct discussion. However, I refuse to discuss politics with just anyone. Many people in today's society only want to yell and tell you that you're wrong. If a conversation turns into a screaming match, it's not worth having at all. Because of this, when I have these discussions they are behind closed doors with mutual respect for both parties whether we agree or not. In fact, the best discussions come from when I don't agree with the other person. 

Final Words

Overall, everyone gets their news from vastly different places. However, the best way to increase your political understanding is through direct and civil discussion with other people. When having these discussions, you must understand that people are easily swayed by news sources whether they are biased or not. The only way to have a true conversation is to get your news from reliable and less biased source, always being wary of more biased pieces.