Since his first term, Donald Trump has made the news his enemy.
He co-opted the phrase “fake news” in 2016 to discredit any outlet or journalist critical of him. Now, just months into his second term, he is attempting to control and restrict who can participate in the White House press pool. All the while, rising oligarchs in Big Tech are forgoing fact-checking processes that moderated news on their platforms as a show of subservience to the new president.
It’s time to re-evaluate where and how we are getting news.
In recent years, our society, and especially Gen Z, has experienced changes in the way we consume news. A study conducted by Inside Higher Ed found that 72 percent of students polled get their news from social media. Only 21 percent of respondents stated they rely on more traditional sources like newspaper publications or cable TV news.
Closer to home, 88 percent of UC Santa Cruz students stated they get their news from social media based on a recent poll of students in attendance at the “Reading Between the Lines” fact-checking event hosted by City on a Hill Press and Mobilizing our Voices for Elections (M.O.V.E) on Feb. 24.
“The increase in news consumption via social media definitely has something to do with the increasing polarization in this country,” said Elena Neale-Sacks, a California Local News Fellow at KAZU and facilitator of the fact-checking event. “The things that stand out to people, regardless of their political affiliation, are the things that make them mad.”
Trump’s second presidency marks a treacherous turning point in social media. Big Tech moguls are conforming to his supposed “free speech” agenda, with one of the most notable being CEO of Meta Platforms Mark Zuckerberg.
In an Instagram Reel posted Jan. 7, Zuckerberg announced that the social media company would end their partnerships with third-party fact-checking organizations going into the new year due to “political bias.” Meta will instead adopt a system of Community Notes similar to X’s.
“We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship,” said Zuckerberg in his video. “It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression.”
Third party fact-checkers were first implemented in 2016 after the company faced criticism over the rampant misinformation on its platform during the presidential campaign that first elected Trump. Zuckerberg has since denounced those criticisms as the product of “legacy media” bias. Now, Meta is reversing its policies to align itself with the president, as seen at the Inauguration where Zuckerberg had prime seating.
Under the new Community Notes system, professional fact-checkers are replaced by social media users who will now offer context of their own. This new “crowdsourcing” strategy makes third-party content moderation less effective and places the onus on users to verify information via other sources.
Despite the move toward crowdsourced fact-checking, experts haven’t disappeared completely. On X, professional fact-checkers remain vital to Community Notes as they operate under the radar to verify information. However, a study led by the Spanish fact-checking site Maldita revealed that only 15.2 percent of notes proposed by a fact-checking organization are visible, and most community notes remain invisible to users.
As Community Notes require a threshold of agreement between users with differing political views, fact-checking efforts are diminished through this method of collective upvoting.
The Community Notes solution lacks the fundamental principles of journalistic integrity that independent fact-checking upholds. When Meta eliminates its fact-checking apparatus, it is not removing institutional bias as they claim. Instead, it creates a breeding ground for conspiracies that have been known to thrive under these unregulated conditions.
The reality is that bias exists wherever news exists. Be it on social media or in the “legacy media” Zuckerberg fears, bias is inevitable. As Neale-Sacks points out, this is not a new phenomenon.
“Every single journalist is also a person,” Neale-Sacks said. “You’re constantly making decisions about how to phrase something, whose voice to include, whose voice not to include and the overall structure of a story.”
This bias does not discredit news articles, it just requires the reader to read critically and consume media from multiple sources.
If the majority of those sources are from social media, it is imperative to explore a wider variety of material outside of that sphere. When the truth is determined by a number of clicks, sensational and false narratives are legitimized and the facts become a reflection of our pre-existing beliefs. This diminishes reputable journalism that attempts to distinguish fact from fiction.
Despite its shortcomings, social media is still beneficial when it comes to news. It can expose you to information that you might not otherwise seek out or be a tool for organizing and finding community. It does, however, require us to remain critical of the deficiencies of these apps and expand our sources of information.
“The way that social media works is that it thrives on the extremes,” Neale-Sacks said. “I do think that can be dangerous, because it also makes it so there is less and less room for nuance.”
As Big Tech and the Trump Administration seek to callously deprive us of the truth, or at least bury it, resistance is key.
The first step is finding the right tools that will fill in the gaps left by any source of news or information provided by social media. Don’t shy away from bias — confront it thoughtfully. Read beyond the headlines and reposts.
Democracy prevails when we exercise our ability to think critically.
NEWS RESOURCES
NO PAYWALL — These sites do not have a paywall, though they may ask for a donation occasionally.
Democracy Now!* —independent news program, audience-supported, producing daily, global stories with in-depth interviews.
The American Prospect*—promotes “informed discussion on public policy from a progressive perspective…. We help to dispel myths, challenge conventional wisdom, and expand the dialogue.” Membership and donation supported.
The Guardian*—independent publication “covering American and international news for an online, global audience.”
ProPublica*—”independent, nonprofit newsroom [producing] investigative journalism with moral force. We dig deep into important issues, shining a light on abuses of power and betrayals of public trust.”
The Lever*—”nonpartisan, reader-supported investigative news outlet that holds accountable the people and corporations manipulating the levers of power.” Founded in 2020 by journalist David Sirota who was Bernie Sanders’ speechwriter.
Heather Cox Richardson (Substack, “Letters from an American”)*—Richardson teaches American history at Boston College. Her Substack examines “today’s political landscape,” informed by “America’s Constitution, and laws, and the economy, and social customs.”
Robert Reich (Substack)—has spent “much of the last half century pushing for positive social change”… as Secretary of Labor and advising presidents. He’s written 18 books, is co-founder of The American Prospect, the Economic Policy Institute, and Inequality Media, and has taught at UC Berkeley.
Prism—“in-depth and thought-provoking journalism” reflecting “the lived experiences of people most impacted by injustice …. .” … “An independent and nonprofit newsroom led by journalists of color.”
Labor Notes*—“a media and organizing project that has been the voice of union activists who want to put the movement back in the labor movement since 1979.”
Asterisk (*) indicates the site was suggested in the Substack of Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor
LOCAL & NO PAYWALL
Santa Cruz Local—“seek people … most affected by decisions in local government. We strive to reflect the diversity of Santa Cruz County.” Funded by locals, subscriptions.
Lookout Santa Cruz—Santa Cruz news, access is free for UCSC students, paywall for others. Note that the organization names UCSC as a “community partner.”
KAZU—NPR station based in Monterey Bay.
PAYWALL — These sites require a subscription to view more than a few articles.
Business Insider*
The New Yorker*
The Atlantic*
Asterisk (*) indicates the site was suggested in the Substack of Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor.
FACT-CHECKING RESOURCES
Links for the fact-checking resources are available on the Student Media website.
