Trustworthy Sources of News

Goals

  1. Describe what makes a news source trustworthy.
  2. Identify trustworthy sources of news using simple, practical methods.

What

A trustworthy news source is one that consistently provides accurate, fact-based, and unbiased information. These sources strive to separate reporting from opinion, correct their mistakes, and follow professional standards of journalism.

How to Identify Trustworthy News Sources

There are three proven methods for identifying reliable sources of news — from quick wins to deeper skills.

1. Use a “Stable of Great Sources”

An easy starting point is to rely on a short list of widely recognized, high-reliability news organizations. These outlets are known for strong editorial standards, consistent fact-checking, and transparent corrections.

Here are examples of commonly recommended trustworthy sources:

⚠️ Note: Even reputable outlets have some bias. That’s why it’s helpful to get your news from more than one of them.

2. Use Professional Media Ratings

Several independent organizations systematically evaluate news sources based on reliability and bias using transparent, research-based methods.

Example: Ad Fontes Media

Ad Fontes assigns two numerical scores: - Reliability (0 to 64): How accurate and fact-based the source is. - A score above 40 means strong factual reporting. - Bias (–42 to +42): Measures political bias. - Scores near 0 (e.g. –5 to +5) suggest a balanced, centrist approach. - Negative = left-leaning; Positive = right-leaning.

For example: > New York Times has an Ad Fontes reliability score of 41.04 (solid reporting) and a bias score of –8.06 (moderately left-leaning).

Other media rating organizations include: - AllSides - Media Bias/Fact Check - NewsGuard

💡 Pro tip: You can search for “[news source name] Ad Fontes rating” to quickly check a source’s score.

3. Learn to Evaluate Sources Yourself

This is the most powerful method — and the most demanding.

It involves learning how to: - Distinguish between reporting and opinion - Check whether claims are sourced and verifiable - Identify use of loaded language, logical fallacies, and emotional manipulation - Compare stories across sources for consistency (called triangulation) - Recognize common patterns in misinformation and bias

Think of this like learning to play piano or write computer code — the more you practice, the more skilled and confident you become.

Summary