Media Law Blog

Top 5 Sources of News and Information

    In the United States of America alone, it was reported that there are over 3,000 news outlets in which billions of people consume their news every day. In my experience of consuming news and information, there have been a handful of sources that take up the majority of my attention, while the rest of the outlets are not as prevalent to me. Below are my top 5 sources in which I consume my news and information. 

Source #1: Twitter 

    

    I believe that a person's top news sources change depending on what type of news they prefer to consume. For me, it is sports news and information by a landslide and Twitter is by far the fastest and most efficient way to consume sports news. For example, WR for the Dallas Cowboys CeeDee Lamb signed a four-year, $136 million contract yesterday. Before any sources like ESPN, FOX Sports, or Bleacher Report were able to cover this headline live on the air, NFL insider Adam Schefter had already posted the news to his Twitter feed. This is one example of the power Twitter holds when it comes to how timely they can get news and information out, especially in a world where everything is on a need-to-know basis. These are all reasons why Twitter lands the number one spot in my rankings. 

Source #2: Instagram 

    As an active member of Instagram for over 10 years, it has landed in my number two spot for most used news sources but for different reasons than the others. This source can be used to find out current information on topics and events happening around the world, but for me most of the news I consume on Instagram is what my friends and family are doing and keep up with news and information from their lives. Instagram also played a major role in my internship this past summer. As the head social media content coordinator, I spent lots of my day on Instagram marketing and promoting for my company. 

Source #3: Friends and Family  

    When it comes to current topics in the realm of politics, I am not the most knowledgeable of everything that is going on in the United States or around the world. I believe that the older generation like my parents, older relatives, and even older friends are more in tune with what is going on in the world. It can be nearly impossible to go to a family dinner without discussing politics or worldly problems, which is why friends and family come in at number three. Since they are more connected as to what is going on, they are a great source to learn what is happening in politics. This is probably not the best way to stay educated on both sides of a current issue or topic, due to the nonvarying viewpoints I receive. None the less it is still my #3 way of acquiring information and news. 

Source #4: TV

    For obvious reasons, TV has found itself in my top 5 news sources. There are a variety of different types of news to consume when watching TV. That could be the weather, politics, sporting events, or anything that is live coverage. For me, 99% of what I consume from live TV is sports. More specifically, NFL football. This is an alternate source for me when consuming sports news or media. An NFL sideline reporter covering if a player is in or out for the game is important to me, which is why TV finds itself in my top 5 sources. 

Source #5: GroupMe 

    Last but not least, the app GroupMe is another source I use for my news and information. The type of information I receive from this app is different from any other source I have. GroupMe is essentially one giant group chat with a group of people. With this app, I get news about things going on at school, what my group's events will look like, etc. All this info is more important to my personal life and things that affect my day-to-day schedule at High Point.