Information is vital, yet finding the most reliable source is increasingly becoming a challenge despite the spread of mass media. A few decades ago, news channels were limited to a few newspapers, TV channels, and radio stations. However, these sources were more reliable since trusted newscasters broadcasted them at specific times. Nowadays, social media, blogs, and YouTube channels have increased the freedom for people to report information, which affects the credibility and reliability of the news. In the YouTube video “How to Choose Your News,” Damon Brown offers insightful techniques to absorb and evaluate information to determine its trustworthiness (TED-ED). I searched and considered my source of information, The New York Times, using Brown’s suggestions to assess its credibility.
Although I consume the news these days from social media due to the easy access through smartphones, I rely more on The New York Times for trustable information. I hardly trust any reports on social networks since most users are not qualified journalists and only post information for likes and comments. The only time I take serious news from social media is when shared by reliable news outlets, organizations, and correspondents. Despite being an American daily newspaper, the New York Times has a global readership and reports from different countries. Therefore, it is a popular newspaper with a significant international following.
As much as I have always read The New York Times newspapers to understand what is happening worldwide, I researched the news source to know its reliability. Firstly, I read a few articles from the source online to determine the cited evidence, tone, and author’s expertise. I noted that most reports are written in a professional and objective tone, contain quoted information, and evidence are cited throughout. The New York Times follows strong professional standards while reporting information (Bonnet and Rosenbaum 104). Secondly, editors avoid opinionated or biased language, even on emotion-triggering information. Thirdly, the information is reported by qualified reporters and correspondents from different parts of the world. That means the newspaper relies upon first-hand information from their trusted employees covering the stories on the ground. Apart from using first-person reporting in some news, The New York Times does not show any evidence of bias.
Even though The New York Times is not a scholarly source, it should be considered reliable. It has existed for almost two centuries, and Americans have relied on it for information. In addition, the newspaper applies all the required professional standards while presenting the news stories (Welbers and Opgenhaffen 47). Their reports have cited evidence, do not use biased language, include quotes, and do not use anonymous sources. Therefore, its information can easily be verified if one doubts it.
Overall, social media has allowed information to reach us faster but is not a trustable source. Most people posting news stories online are not qualified reporters and do not take the responsibility of verifying the information before sharing. However, most conventional media outlets, such as newspapers, including The New York Times, are more reliable sources. Their reports are verifiable due to the use of evidence and a writing style that meets professional standards. Therefore, it is paramount to understand how to evaluate and verify news sources to avoid consuming fake and biased information.
Works Cited
Bonnet, Jennifer, and Judith Rosenbaum. “Fake News,” Misinformation, and Political Bias: Teaching News Literacy in the 21st Century.” Communication Teacher, vol. 34, no. 2, 2020, pp. 103-108. Web.
TED-ED. “How to Choose Your News – Damon Brown.” YouTube, Web.
Welbers, Kasper, and Michaël Opgenhaffen. “Presenting News on Social Media: Media Logic in the Communication Style of Newspapers on Facebook.” Digital Journalism, vol. 7, no. 1, 2019, pp. 45-62. Web.