Breaking News! My Top 5 News Sources (Blog Post #1)

Breaking News! My Top 5 News Sources (Blog Post #1)

Reading the news is a tale as old as time. According to https://www.statista.com/statistics/1330868/gen-z-news-source-by-age-us/ , 51% of Gen Z teens (ages 14-19) get their news from social media or messaging services. Their other forms of gathering information include search engines, TV news, and news websites, respectively. Gen Z seems to be the age group most likely to get their news from social media platforms. I can attest to this because I most commonly hear about current events through platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, whereas my parents still sit down and read the printed newspaper every morning while they drink their coffee. 

Here is my breakdown as to how I receive the news: 

#5 Youtube https://www.youtube.com/ 

 

Youtube is one of the easiest ways to learn about what is going on in the world. When opening the website, I see a column on the left titled “Explore”. Under “Explore” is a list of various topics such as shopping, music, sports, and of course, news. After clicking on the “news” section, I get an even further breakdown of topics such as business, entertainment, technology, health, science, and the world. This is super convenient because Youtube has already categorized the different types of news for me. This is also a great engine because not only can you search for any topic you would like in the search bar, but also this site is completely free. Youtube is one of my favorite ways to receive news because I would prefer to watch a video about a topic, rather than to read about it. Youtube is perfect for visual learners like me!

#4 Apple News https://www.apple.com/apple-news/ 

I enjoy Apple News because it’s personalized just for me. The articles are selected based on my past interests, so I am only seeing content that I am really interested in. What makes Apple News unique is that it combines articles from many different sites. After just pulling it up today, I saw stories from The Washington Post, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and The Atlantic. I like this because I am able to get my news from sources with varying opinions. There is also an upgrade called Apple News+ that allows the user to gain access to even more magazines and newspapers. I don’t have this upgrade because I don’t feel the need to see more content, and also because I don’t want to pay the subscription.

#3 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com

TikTok is further up the list than Youtube and Apple News because I find myself on it more often. TikTok has a feature called the “For You Page”, where the algorithm picks trendy videos that they think you will like. I end up first hearing about current events on TikTok because the app seems to know that I enjoy learning about what’s going on in the world. However, this is one of the sites where I have to double-check the information to see if it’s credible. Anybody can post anything they want on this app, so I have to be extra careful.

#2 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ 

Instagram is one of the up-and-coming news sources for my generation. Many people from across the world are canceling their physical newspaper subscriptions, and instead are opening the Instagram app to find their favorite outlets. Almost any news engine you can think of has an Instagram page to post their media to. Instagram has a feature called “Instagram Stories” where any user can share posts for up to 24 hours. This is one of the most common ways for me to hear about the news because I check Instagram Stories every single day. I find my friends resharing articles that they are passionate about. This is very entertaining to me because I can read the comments on each post and see what everyone’s opinion is about a breaking headline.

#1 Word of Mouth/Gossiping 

Word of mouth, or more commonly known as gossiping, is the number one strategy I use for getting my news. This is convenient because oftentimes I will hear about stories without having to seek it out. Most of my local news comes from my parents gossiping to me. They will call me from Lincoln, Nebraska while I am in school all the way in North Carolina to tell me about what is going on back home. I would say I trust this source because my parents are both pretty active in the community and have connections to stay in-the-loop with what is going on around them.