LYRICFLUENT
LYRICFLUENTHow To Choose Your News Lyrics by Addison Anderson Addison Anderson
Below, you will find the lyrics for How To Choose Your News by Addison Anderson.
How do you know what's happening in your world?
The amount of information just a click away
May be limitless
But the time and energy we have
To absorb and evaluate it is not
All the information in the world won't be very useful
Unless you know how to read the news
To your grandparents, parents
Or even older siblings
This idea would have sounded strange
Only a few decades ago, news was broad-based
Your choices were limited
To a couple of general interest magazines
And newspaper of record
And three or four TV networks
Where trusted newscasters delivered the day's news
At the same reliable time every evening
But the problems with this system soon became apparent
As mass media spread
While it was known that authoritarian countries
Controlled and censored information
A series of scandals showed that
Democratic governments were also misleading the public
Often with media cooperation
Revelations of covert wars, secret assassinations
And political corruption
Undermined public faith in official narratives
Presented by mainstream sources
This breakdown of trust in media gatekeepers
Lead to alternative newspapers, radio shows, and cable news
Competing with the major outlets and covering events
From various perspectives
More recently, the Internet has multiplied the amount
Of information and viewpoints
With social media, blogs, and online video
Turning every citizen into a potential reporter
But if everyone is a reporter, nobody is
And different sources may disagree
Not only opinions, but on the facts themselves
So how do you get the truth, or something close?
One of the best ways is to get the original news
Unfiltered by middlemen
Instead of articles interpreting a scientific study
Or a politician's speech
You can often find the actual material and judge for yourself
For current events, follow reporters on social media
During major events, such as the Arab Spring
Or the Ukrainian protests
Newscasters and bloggers have posted updates and recordings
From the midst of the chaos
Though many of these later appear in articles or broadcasts
Keep in mind that these polished versions
Often combine the voice of the person who was there
With the input of editors who weren't
At the same time, the more chaotic the story
The less you should try to follow it in real time
In events like terrorist attacks and natural disasters
Today's media attempts continuous coverage
Even when no reliable new information is available
Sometimes leading to incorrect information
Or false accusations of innocent people
It's easy to be anxious in such events
But try checking for the latest information
At several points in the day
Rather than every few minutes
Allowing time for complete details to emerge
And false reports to be refuted
While good journalism aims for objectivity
Media bias is often unavoidable
When you can't get the direct story
Read coverage in multiple outlets
Which employ different reporters and interview different experts
Tuning in to various sources and noting the differences
Lets you put the pieces together
For a more complete picture
It's also crucial to separate fact from opinion
Words like think, likely, or probably
Mean that the outlet is being careful
Or, worse, taking a guess
And watch out for reports that rely on anonymous sources
These could be people who have little connection to the story
Or have an interest in influencing coverage
Their anonymity making them unaccountable
For the information they provide
Finally, and most importantly
Try to verify news before spreading it
While social media has enabled the truth
To reach us faster
It's also allowed rumors to spread
Before they can be verified
And falsehoods to survive
Long after they've been refuted
So, before you share that unbelievable
Or outrageous news item
Do a web search to find any additional
Information or context you might have missed
And what others are saying about it
Today, we are more free than ever
From the old media gatekeepers
Who used to control the flow of information
But with freedom comes responsibility
The responsibility to curate our own experience
And ensure that this flow does not become a flood
Leaving us less informed than before we took the plunge
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