The last couple years have certainly been memorable around the world, and not in a good way. We’ve lost friends and family to a global pandemic that has killed almost six million people (and counting). In the United States, we’ve seen an armed insurrection against a co-equal branch of government inspired by a failed president who refused to acknowledge he’d lost the election by both millions of votes (again) and the Electoral College count, and subsequent voter suppression laws across the country. Now we’re watching Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, desperately hoping that the Russian government will come their senses and withdraw rather than risk starting World War III.
In the midst of these historic events, it can be hard to sort through all the various media, whether audio, video, or written, and recognize which are accurate, and which are presenting facts versus opinions. (Just for clarity, this blog features my opinion; get your news from professionals.) In many cases, it’s a fine line because facts are presented from someone’s perspective, such as referring to the current conflict as an “invasion”; presumably in Russia, it’s being worded differently, I’d guess with some hogwash like “liberating” specific areas while targeting the entire country. (For example, using “hogwash” is an example of deliberate phrasing to push my opinion along with the information.)
Assuming all news is biased one way or another – because we’re all people with opinions – I’d recommend finding news sources that present a mix of opinions, or multiple reliable sources. The All Sides website features a Media Bias Chart categorizing various news sources based on their leanings on US politics, and let you follow current news by presenting it from multiple sources. If you read another language, find at least one source in that language, preferably from a different country.
Personally, other than glancing at CNN and BBC as needed (at least for English), I’m a fan of Heather Cox Richardson’s daily letters, which summarize significant news items and explain historical context of some, providing an analysis of current events. I can’t begin to fathom how many different sources she sorts through on a daily basis – she includes links to sources relevant to the day’s letter – though I appreciate her hard work.