Several factors -- like political context, legal frameworks, economic context, sociocultural context, and safety on the ground, can impede Freedom of the Press. As we evaluate media we have to carefully consider not only the source, but the landscape it was produced in, and understand potential limitations to journalists exercising free speech. We are also encouraged to examine reports on the same event from diverse sources so we can begin to understand the common facts presented in reports and better identify where bias and narrative slant come into play.
Learn more about Freedom of the Press across the globe:
Our lives are flooded with information. Whether scrolling on our phones, browsing on a computer, or turning on the TV, we are surrounded by news. But how do you know if it is accurate? You will need to perform what we refer to as Lateral Reading--comparing the information presented in your source to additional sources to see if the information is being reported with the same meaning. To start this process, you will need a top-down source assessment.
CARE about Your Sources
How do you know if the resources, such as videos, magazine articles, memes, newspaper articles, news reports, podcasts, editorials, and more, are reliable and report accurate information? The first step is to examine the source by using the acronym CARE:
Click Here for a Downloadable Worksheet
There are a lot of information sources designed to mislead or misinform. There are also a lot of sources with strong biases that impact the way they report facts. Unfortunately, there is no single perfect source we can rely on for all of our information needs. All information is made by people. Flawed, biased, imperfect people. Even sources we typically trust may occasionally share inaccurate or misleading information. So, the question is, how do we tell what is accurate? And how do we understand the bias or slant of reporting if we are unfamiliar with the source?
One of the best tools in our toolbox is called Lateral Reading. Fact checkers use lateral reading to investigate both a source and its claims.
When we practice lateral reading, instead of taking a website or a claim at face value, we open up new tabs and search for background on the source and then for corroborating stories from other sources. We might ask questions of our source like:
Triangulating evidence in your news is one way to fact-check breaking reports from the press.
When an event breaks, choose at least three trustworthy professional journalism outlets. The BBC, Washington Post, and New York Times all follow a strict Journalism Code of Ethics. Look up the reporting on the event in three sites to see what evidence is repeated in each. For further vetting, wait twenty-four hours after the event and repeat the triangulating exercise.
When evaluating sources, keep these definitions in mind. Suppose you gravitate to biased sources that agree with your hypothesis, opinion, and/or belief. In that case, seeking objective information to research your topic holistically is a green flag. Who knows? Your original opinion might be wrong!
The following definitions will help you in assessing viewpoints.
