Sometime after 2016, registered Republicans’ trust in the national news plummeted. According to research conducted by the Pew Research Center, some 70 percent of Republicans had faith in the veracity of the national news in 2016. In 2020, that number was 35 percent.
Democrats, on the other hand, have held steady with about 78 percent saying they trust what national media reports.
So, what changed?
No doubt, former president Donald Trump’s vocal disdain for the media influenced GOP members. However, the right has long held that journalists lean left.
Regardless of where Americans land on the political spectrum, odds are they could improve their media literacy. As a whole, we don’t net top scores on the Media Literacy Index, produced by The Media Literacy Now project, which measures a range of variables to determine a nation’s resilience to disinformation. The U.S. ranks 15 out of 45, trailing countries such as Canada, Ireland, Korea and Finland, which holds the number one spot. Currently, no national or worldwide standards for media literacy exist so the Media Literacy Index is based on proxy measures such as press freedoms, literacy, education levels, trust, and citizen participation.
Trust the trackers
One way to understand where your media consumption is biased is to check with the trackers.
Ad Fontes Media is a watchdog group committed to combating political polarization and media bias.
All Sides also examines media bias but in real-time, labeling news stories on a five-point scale from left to right.
Both groups produce media bias charts that label where the most prominent outlets land. And while both groups have received their share of criticism, they tend to align on which sources are neutral and which veer toward either pole.
For example, the Associated Press reigns supreme as a neutral, unbiased news source. Also in the center camp: the BBC, NPR and the Wall Street Journal. On the far left: MSNBC. On the far right: FOX News.
How to spot fake news
With more people than ever getting their news from social media platforms, it’s critical to check the source. Is it a reputable news outlet posting a researched, unbiased article online? Or is it someone’s opinion?
Here are five ways to spot fake news, courtesy of Commonsense.org, a nonprofit dedicated to boosting media literacy among youth.
Check the URL. If it looks unusual, it’s likely not a legitimate news source. Common fake news sites end in l-o or .com.co
Check the language. Typos? Over-the-top images? Broad claims with no data backing them up? These are big red flags.
Check the person or outlet. If the author or outlet isn’t clearly identified, that’s a red flag. You should be able to clearly trace the information back to the source.
Check the facts. If you’re leery, fact check the article.
Factcheck.org
Politifact.com
Snopes.com
Check the images. If you aren’t sure about an image, try reverse image search to check the origin. Here’s how to do that on Google.