Since the emergence of the 24-hour news cycle, we have been consuming news more and with the expansion of tabloids to television to Twitter, the amount of news we see every day has increased while fact-checking hasn’t. Even though fact-checking has been implemented in some news agencies and media bias websites have been keeping a close eye on them, it is ultimately up to us as the reader as much to make sure that our news stays transparent, recognizing bias where there is one, and making sure that the news that is given is free to the public as well as it being factually correct. 

With everyone concerned about “fake news” and incorrect quoting, we need to take a step forward into solving our nation’s biggest threat to information: fear-mongering. Fear-mongering is the action of deliberately arousing public fear or alarm about a particular issue. According to Professors Victor Kappeler and Gary Potter, in the current climate of the United States, there are three primary fearmongers – the media, the government, and the powerful elite.

Part of the reason why we are so susceptible to the fear that the media perpetuates is because of the consistent flow of bad news that is made worse by the people who believe falsities over facts. I made it my goal to design something for people to have on their person so they knew what bias is and the rights people cannot take from you.  Introducing The Modern Guide to Navigating the News, a free to the public printable booklet that explains it all for you.

To read the online version of this booklet, my Issuu page is where you will find it.

To download the booklet, click this link.

A website would also be included in addition to the booklet. The website would be designed in the same style as the booklet but would contain more in-depth information that I had uncovered while researching this topic.

The website would have three main sections to it:

• How the news had changed after conglomerates bought the networks
• How social media influenced the news and accelerated it
• How we can do our part by vetting and finding the truth to be factual individuals

In order to make sure that our news sources maintain factual information, keep each other informed, and make sure that freedom of the press and free speech is not tainted by false news and hate speech, we must work together and spread awareness through any means necessary.