Business Librarian
Thinking Critically About News
All news you consume - even from sources recommended by librarians - require critical thinking and reading. How do you know the information is reliable? Is it accurate? What is the bias? Use the resources linked here to help you make decisions about which news sources and articles are appropriate for your research.
Guiding Questions for News Evaluation
- Who's behind the information?
- What's the evidence?
- What do other sources say?
- Key Questions for EvaluationThis document presents a breakdown of the various questions to ask when evaluating news and media information.
Journalism: News & Opinion
Key Definitions
- News: Timely information about a subject of some public interest that is shared and subject to the journalistic process of verification by an independent organization that is accountable. News reports may include the opinions of experts, participants, or witnesses as evidence of research.
- Opinion Journalism: A view, a judgment, or an argument, analysis, or appraisal of facts and evidence.
| News Reporting | Opinion Journalism | |
| Who is behind the information? | Written by reporters or teams of reporters with clear affiliations to the publication. | Written by editorial staff, staff or guest columnists, contributors, and readers. |
| What is the evidence? | Includes primary facts and information - who, what, when, where, why, how - that define events. | May include primary facts and information, and also includes secondary information, analysis, or commentary. |
| How might they be labeled? |
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- Wall Street Journal: News vs OpinionGuide to identifying news articles and opinion pieces in the WSJ
- Society of Professional Journalists Code of EthicsThe principles guiding ethical reporting and journalistic integrity.
- Seven Standards of Quality JournalismFrom the News Literacy Project, a brief overview of characteristics of quality journalism.
Bias in News and Media
- Types of Bias in JournalismThis document briefly defines partisan, demographic, corporate, “big story,” and neutrality bias and the forms these biases can take in news coverage.
- Media Literacy Guide: How to Detect Bias in News MediaFairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) is a national media watch group, offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. This guide offers questions to consider about news you consume.
Find Additional Perspectives
- Points of View Reference Source This link opens in a new window
Covers hundreds of topics, providing overviews of issues, points, and counterpoints.
- ProCon
Nonpartisan source of information covering perspectives and key arguments regarding current issues.
