Opinion: Keep demanding information
By Teri L. Hansen
Over the weekend I was so happy to visit with my family. Some from out-of-state who I haven’t seen in quite some time. It was great and I got to share with them this new professional adventure I am on.
My family is rather diverse in politics and as a general rule, I don’t tend to get embroiled in political conversations with them or most anyone for that matter. As a journalist it is my job to report on situations and do so in the most unbiased way I can.
This is why I don’t publicly endorse candidates. As a news outlet, Citizen Journal will not be publicly endorsing any candidate in the upcoming elections. We will publish their information and their press releases. We will publish their opinions and I very much enjoy meeting with the candidates each year as I think they are all fine individuals. With that, if you feel we have missed a particular candidate’s releases, please let us know as this is not our intention.
Throughout the weekend, I was actually a bit surprised to get a question from not just a family member, but a few friends and social media acquaintances. The question, “where can I look for a reliable news source?”
For a number of you, I bet you are saying in your head “well duh…” then follow up with whatever is your go to news source. There is nothing wrong with that. However, the question being broached to me gave me a sense of pride. These are a politically diverse group of people who are coming to me as a journalist for assistance. Not just because I do what I do, but because I do my job in an unbiased fashion. They know that I will not lead them astray.
Now of course my first answer is to download the Citizen Journal app and sign up for our newsletter. However, I understand that in this growth process, these folks probably want something with 24-hour coverage. Plus we don’t exactly have an office in Pennsylvania yet.
So when I think about that answer I have to run through the list of sources I trust and what information I trust from them.
This weekend, the accident at the lake had so much coverage. Unfortunately, in the beginning some misinformation was shared and it took a couple hours for that information to be cleared up. The information came from news sources that most would call trusted. In the essence of full disclosure, I too was led down that misinformation rabbit hole and I really don’t know how that information was distributed to so many before being caught. We are fallible and do the best we can, but we all hope we don’t share the wrong data in a situation of this magnitude.
In Kansas we have so many amazing news sources. Kansas Publishing Ventures has an amazing staff and it’s no wonder they won the Victor Murdock Award this year. Eagle Media is fantastic at distributing information timely and accurately. KAKE and KWCH have a long history of reliable reporting.
However, I am guessing that when people ask me about reliable news sources, they are thinking along the lines of when they are scrolling through their phones and they see a post that looks completely legitimate with such information as “Trump announced a new law preventing child support recipients from claiming children on taxes,” or “School placing litter boxes in bathrooms for those identifying as cats.”
These are certainly eye-catching headlines and many are incredibly well-written. It certainly makes it difficult to decipher what is and isn’t accurate. Especially when the best lies come from some kernel of truth.
Once upon a time, it was relatively easy to see what wasn’t true. Misspelled words, grammar issues and blatant false claims were dead giveaways. Unfortunately, that isn’t so easy now. Information is wrapped up in pretty packaging of eloquent verbiage.
First make sure it’s coming from an organization you trust. When in question, Google it and fact check. Now that too has become a struggle as AI is fantastic at summarizing things. The problem is that AI doesn’t know the difference between fact and opinion. So dive into actual articles to find the truth or at least the information to give you your own educated opinion.
Wikipedia is a handy tool. I use it for reviews and plot summaries of shows and movies. However, it’s worth noting that anyone can write a Wikipedia entry. It requires no verification. This isn’t to say it is always wrong, but it also isn’t always right.
So what is the answer to the question of what is a reliable news source? Well, to a degree all and none. For those who lean to the left, The Kansas Reflector is a favorite. For those to the right, the Kansas Policy Institute is commonly clicked upon. Then you’ve got FOX News versus CNN which doesn’t really need explanation.
When it comes to my own trusted news sources, I prefer Reuters, BBC, and Associated Press for my news. That isn’t to say I don’t trust news from other sources, but in general these are the ones I know will give me both sides of a controversial topic.
The reality is, perception is reality. The world is not black and white. Our country isn’t just left and right. Kansas isn’t just red and blue (There’s purple too! Avid Kansas State fan in the house!).
For timely, accurate news on local issues, from one journalist who knows, we are doing our best and we may get it wrong, but that isn’t intentional. For controversial topics and national issues, of course take a look at our National and State sections of the Citizen Journal, but also, trust your gut and instincts. We can’t tell you how to think or believe. We can only give you the tools and point you in a direction to find more.
If you didn’t want news, information and data, we would be pretty useless. Thank you all for making our jobs a necessity and keep demanding the best from us.
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