Feb 12

Feb 12 Where I Get My News These Days 4

Accountability, Media, News, Newspapers, Propaganda, Politics

It’s getting harder to keep up with the news these days. I’ve been tracking the sources I’ve used over the years (e.g., see Where I Get My News These Days). My sources, paid as well as free, have expanded even as some sources have fallen by the wayside.

I currently see two major forces at work that threaten the public’s ability to keep up with current affairs.

The first is the censoring of legacy as well as modern media by corporate owners, CBS News and The Washington Post being two premier examples. The deterioration of the latter has been especially painful given my having subscribed for over 30 years.

The second is the increasing difficulty of tracing sources for news that spreads through social media. An example is the social media platform Bluesky, where it is common to see news snippets promoted without any attempt to cite a source. Asking for a source—even for items that I would be inclined to agree with—still often generates a response of “just google it,” which I’ve criticized before (e.g., see Don't Just Say "Google It!" Part 2).

This list changes frequently. I certainly don’t make any claim that it’s perfect. I’ve simply found that, when it comes to keeping up with what’s happening, seeking out multiple sources is the best way to go, even if some sources are personally distasteful.