How do you stay up to date with news and current events? With much of this information being accessible online, it's important to assess what platforms best spread news that apply to you and your community. Because of the rise of spreading news through social media, fake news and credibility issues have become a much more prevalent issue in the spreading of news. Because of this, it is important to know sources which might have bias or a bad reputation. Listed below are five sources which I most commonly use and trust to stay updated with all forms of news.
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| TikTok |
TikTok is a major source of news for me as well as many other Americans. While the credibility of much news can cause speculation, TikTok offers information major news platforms may deem grotesque, lewd, insignificant, or adjacent to their political party. It is because of this near freedom of "coverage" and unique For You Page algorithm that makes TikTok something that, like me, many people globally use as a source of news. Hopecore has become a trend, spreading positive news across the platform which is great because there is so much negativity in much of the other important news covered by other platforms. Other content creators like Jack Mac post up-to-date content covering both big and niche stories he believes the public should hear. Despite the bias and questionable credibility, TikTok is a great way to learn about what's going on across the nation and world without censorship typically seen on other news platforms.
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Instagram is another massive platform for news. Allowing creators and other news sites to post content and allowing freedom of speech, for the most part. Instagram allows for content to both be found in the "Home" section and the "Reels" section. In the "Home" section, you find accounts you follow. This means news from sources you already trust or want to follow. On the other hand, the "Reels" section allows you to find new accounts or information recommended for you based on their algorithm. Accounts like Complex and WorldStar have gained a massive following for posting news on celebrities and popular musicians that many major news sources might view as unimportant or below them.
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| YouTube |
YouTube, being one of the older forms of social media still relevant, has been used to spread news for nearly two decades now. The platform's ability to adapt to change and adhere to what viewers want has been a key component to it's long-term success. YouTube's algorithm to advertise videos and clips based on the viewer's history allows for the spreading of news which interests that viewer. YouTube also has very deep archives, allowing for research on certain topics to be much easier while visual and audible. YouTube introduced "Shorts," which gives viewers the ability to scroll through news clips more so like TikTok or Instagram, but with the same algorithm used to find videos you might like. YouTube TV was also introduced in 2017, allowing for news sources and other platforms to stream their programs like normal television.
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| Word-of-mouth |
Talking to peers, friends, and families is a great way of spreading news or information. Whether it's national, statewide, or local news, talking to others is a great way to stay up to date with current events. The main issues with spreading news word-of-mouth is credibility and bias. The people spreading news might spin their own bias on it, or worse yet, could be wrong entirely. Despite this, spreading news through word-of-mouth is an excellent way to talk about issues or events that more so affect you or your community.
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| Fox News |
Fox News is a very reputable source of national news with a conservative spin. While biased, Fox serves as a platform which hosts and discusses much of the political happenings nationwide. Personally, I was not one for watching televised news until this most recent election; for which I used Fox to follow. My housemates insisted it was an ideal source for updates and watching live. Since first tuning in, I have used Fox to follow all political happenings including the debates, polling/voting, and the inauguration.
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