In a world where the term ‘fake news’ is thrown around negligently, it is important for people to make sure they are educated with real facts. Using one site to gather all of one’s news, or even watching one news channel can be detrimental to consumers of media in learning the truth. We have such extensive access to information, are there any dangers surrounding this informational transformation?

It is natural for avid news-watchers to have a favorite source, however, they need avoid becoming unduly biased towards that source. If consumers only direct their attention towards one or two media outlets, they will develop ‘tunnel vision’ towards current events.

A concept called the Selective Exposure Theory is the scientific term for only listening to what one wants to hear. According to Cathryn Jackson, a communications teacher, she claims “that a listener will generally only hear the information that confirms his or her position on a certain topic.” For example, someone who’s viewpoints center around Democratic ideals will only want to look at the news that supplements their values.

Confirmation biases cause people to only pay attention to the information that fits with their notion of what is true. If people only pay attention to sources that confirm their own ideas and do not challenge their thinking, then they can not be sure that they are correct. Similarly, some news websites purposefully keep the other side’s argument out of the article.

Ceci Leonard of Virginia Tech University wrote an article about confirmation bias, in it, she said “If someone presents a counter-argument, it is in our nature to dismiss it as fake news.”  The truth is confirmation bias plagues all people. The only way to avoid it is to search through the fog one biased article at a time to find the real indisputable truth.

According to the Huffington Post “major networks are fighting over who is more non-biased than the others. Each network tries to show how they report both sides equally, but it’s the worst kept secret ever.” On both the media’s and reader’s side, there are many different biases that cause people to be the least informed we have been in a long time, despite having the most information available.

One of the most significant issues in the news cycle today is how biased networks can be. Agencies like Fox News and Breitbart lean heavily to the right, whereas the Washington Post and the New York Times lean further to the left. (University of Michigan) While agencies like these listed can produce credible news reports, it is important for all news consumers to read multiple sides of a story before forming an opinion.

With the fairly recent introduction of 24-hour news service, the spread of media now acts as gossip. Stories become a ‘he said, she said’ game when agencies report on a story before they have all of the facts. News material is constantly being updated, therefore, it is crucial for viewers to be checking multiple sources so they are not misinformed.

Without staying informed, people can endanger their reputation and their credibility. Just like the 24-hour news service, social media can blow what anyone says out of proportion. If one were to misspeak about an issue, it can spread to thousands of people within minutes and ruin their repute.

It is important for media consumers to be aware of becoming biased towards their sources. In modern culture, ‘fake news’ and predisposed agencies negatively affect the spread of veracity. With all the information that is available to us as humans and all the people who are competing for views on everything, it is important to be aware of the many biases that plague the news. Consumers need to be aware when they are being informed with all sides of the story so they can stay properly versed on the world’s issues.

The truth is never hazy. But the multitudes of biased opinions claiming to be reporting the truth can make it appear as such. News organizations from all over the political spectrum let their biases dictate the information they release. In our world, so driven by which person can scream their opinion the loudest, often times the truth is hidden by a thick cloud of lies. So I challenge anyone who will read this, put aside personal biases and instead of paying attention to the information only relevant to oneself, look for the other perspective. People may just find that what you thought was true, wasn’t actually at all.