Students blog

When did the news become about ratings instead of reporting what is truly happening in the world, and how can we know what to believe? College students need to be aware of why news outlets are biased and learn how to differentiate fact from opinion in the jungle known as fake news.

Today, a person can name any news outlet and know what they stand for – what the outlet reports, whose side they support, and what “type” of person watches their channel. How did this happen? If it is the news’ job to report what is going on in the world, then a person should be able to watch any news station and hear the same information. Unfortunately, this ideal is not what occurs today.

What Is Fake News?

The news didn’t always operate like this. This phenomenon of reporting only one side of the story is called biased or opinionated reporting. It is also called Fake News. The media began to implement this type of reporting as people began to “[cancel their cable subscriptions] in favor of an Internet-based service” (Is Media Dividing America?), also known as cord-cutting. To convince people to keep their news subscriptions, news networks needed to keep people entertained. This doesn’t happen with facts; they needed to report opinions.

Ratings Reign Above All Else

News companies abandoned their integrity to keep their ratings high and keep people watching. They chose which side to support and kept their stories consistent with their side. This form of “news” “[appeals] to our emotions in many ways... It’s these emotions that keep us addicted to media,” (Is Media Dividing America?). If the news reported unbiased facts, then they couldn’t put their spin on the story to keep us coming back for more.

Differentiating Fact from Opinion

So, students know that news outlets are biased in their reporting and only support a certain side. How can they discern what is fact and what is opinion? There isn’t one right way to do it. It requires a lot of research on the topic, double checking claims from news outlets, and reviewing opinions from experts about the topic.

How can people stop news outlets from reporting biased opinions? The truth is, they can’t. However, students can educate themselves in order to recognize the difference between fact and opinion.

Source:

“Is Media Dividing America?” Paypervids, 24 Apr. 2021

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When students come to college, one of the first events they will most likely go to is the school’s student organizations fair. There will be a ton of tables with many current students trying to convince you to join their club. It can seem very overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.

Know Yourself

One of the best ways to approach this fair is by already listing out what your main interests are before you go to the event. This way, you’ll know what kinds of clubs you already want to join, and you won’t be distracted by the various other ones.

Take Your Time

Another good tip for joining clubs is to make sure you’re not joining too many at once. This was my problem during my freshman year of college. I had already done step one; I knew what I was interested in and what I wanted to join. The problem was that I had too many interests. I ended up joining six clubs! That is way too much for a freshman to handle. Because of this, I became way too stressed and had to quit three of them in less than a month.

Make sure that you give yourself a limit as to how many clubs you join. A good number to start with is one or two. Remember, you have four more years to try out different organizations; you don’t have to join them all in the beginning.

Look Beyond Resume Builders

Be sure to join at least one organization that personally interests you. Don’t just join something because you think it will look good on your resume. Future employers will not care if you joined a club that focused on your major or community service. They care more about your interests and passions. If they ask you an interview question regarding your experience in a club that you didn’t care about, it won’t matter what the club was about. You have to be able to talk about your experiences and relate them to interview questions, and you can’t do that if you are part of an organization that bores you.

The student org fair doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming. These clubs are here to connect you with other students who have similar interests. Go to the fair with an open mind. You have four years to explore and find the groups that are the best fit for you!

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog? If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started!