Source your news responsibly in 2019

If you were to make the argument that traditional news formats are no longer as popular as they once were, it would be hard for me to disagree with you. An increasing majority of the younger generations are ditching cable TV and newspapers.

Let me start by saying it’s not from a decrease in demand. You could even say that people are consuming some form of news more than ever before. It all comes down to access and availability. Cable news and newspapers both lack in the two aforementioned categories.

Traditional cable subscriptions can be expensive and they tend to lack the substance and availability that a younger generation is looking for. On the other hand, newspapers are a cheaper alternative, but they require readers to seek a physical copy, making them less accessible.

As a result, the demand for news has precariously landed in the laps of social media leaders like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. All of which perform brilliantly in the access and availability categories. The platforms are theoretically available at no cost to anyone, all you need is an internet connection and a phone, two things most people would short-circuit without. Also, the content cable news channels can be found on Facebook at a cheaper price.

However, as we all learned two years ago, social media is absolutely not a perfect news forum. It’s far from it actually. The tradeoffs associated with a free product are almost always negative, and in the case of Facebook, the effects exist on a national scale. Targeted ads and radical political pages deepen political divides and create endless trolls. These are only a few of the problems that come with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

I encourage anyone who uses these sites as their primary news source to exercise some serious caution and discretion. Here are a few tips: If it looks too good to be true, keep scrolling, especially if it’s from a non-reputable source. If your entire feed looks and thinks as you do, then it’s probably time to add some diversity. It’s healthy to have your views and beliefs tested occasionally. And lastly (and most difficult), stop reading the comments. Some of the most divisive rhetoric can be found in the comments section of a controversial post.

However, it should be mentioned that not all of social media is one big hate pit. Most of the world’s leading journalists use social media as a tool to disseminate great ethical reporting. Twitter can be a useful tool for finding verifiable news. This platform enables ordinary users to follow individual journalists, rather than news organizations as a whole. As a result, users can hear breaking news from the people on the ground doing the reporting.

If you’re still wary about using social media as a newsgathering tool, I understand. However, there are a few other good unconventional platforms out there. A great option for those interested in consuming daily news is podcasts. Every morning, The New York Times and NPR each release a 10- to 20-minute podcast about current events and issues. Like social media, this format is accessible and available for a busy, younger generation. They both practice only the highest standard of journalism.

No matter what platform you choose to gather news and opinions, make sure it is ethically sourced and grounded in the truth.

Elijah Rawls is a UF journalism senior. His column appears on Fridays.