News Articles: Is My News Trustworthy?
What's here?
Not all news is created equal. Some news stories are well-researched articles by respected journalists that are published in well-regarded news publications noted for factual reporting and a lack of bias. Others may be significantly biased, poorly researched, or even designed to convince you of something that isn't true.
You can research the author or scrutinize the evidence they use, but one easy tool for evaluating a news source is to look into the organization or newspaper that published it.
If you found a news source from a web search, you can use the tools below to determine whether or not the source is trustworthy and worth using in your assignment.
Check the reputation of the publication or organization
If the newspaper or organization that published the article has a very good reputation, the article is probably good. Articles from trustworthy publications go through an editing process where they are fact-checked and checked for bias. There are a few ways you can look into the reputation of the publication or organization that published the article you found.
1. Check the level of bias and factual reporting through Media Bias Fact Check
- Media Bias Fact CheckLook up the organization (New York Times, Reuters, etc.) that published your article and Media Bias Fact Check will show you their judgement on the amount of bias and their level of factual reporting.
In general, publications that are Left-Center, Right-Center, and Least Biased and have High or Very High factual reporting will be trustworthy sources for college-level assignments. The Associated Press meets that standard.
2. Look up the publication in the Wikipedia to investigate its reputation
- WikipediaLook up the publication's name (Washington Post, Associated Press, etc.) in the Wikipedia to get a description of the publication as well as any controversies that are associated with it.
In the example below, you can see that Newsmax is a conservative news channel that is mostly opinion-based, and broadcasts conspiracy theories. It's not a great option if you're looking for unbiased reporting, but a great option if you're looking for information on far-right propaganda.
Evaluating Sources to Find Quality Research
This video will provide you with three questions to ask of any source to make sure it is a good fit for your research assignment.
- Evaluating Sources HandoutThis handout will help you ask questions about your sources to determine whether they are of sufficient quality for your assignment.