While checking a variety of news sources can help students avoid \u201cecho chambers,\u201d many still succumb to confirmation bias, the tendency to seek out, interpret support and report information in a matter that merely confirms or validates one\u2019s prior beliefs or understanding. This is particularly concerning in the modern scope of the media, as social media platforms and the algorithms they run on often filter content to user affinities, creating isolated social \u201cbubbles\u201d that often lead to the spread of misinformation. Records from the Pew Research Center<\/a> reveal that approximately 40% of American young adults aged 18-29 rely on social media as their main news source. This is highly problematic as among Americans who get their news from social media influencers, 70% report that these influencers have relayed different information than that of the mainstream media. Many of these influencers reinforce political and ideological biases, which heavily impact and filter the news much of America\u2019s youth receives. This type of media consumption rapidly exacerbates political polarization, as people are rarely inspired to explore opposing viewpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Fieldston students unavoidably living in an environment dominated by social media, many are subconsciously subjected to media bias and misinformation appearing on their feeds. Growing up in New York City and attending an extremely liberal school, students are predisposed to view and support left-leaning and progressive ideologies. This is further inflamed by students\u2019 mere reliance on The New York Times, a newspaper widely regarded for its left-leaning bias, for all news. Fieldston also offers a free subscription to the Times<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fieldston<\/a> is a school that prides itself on its commitment to providing a progressive education, teaching students how to think, question and explore through the practice of ethics. Founded by Felix Adler<\/a>, a German-American professor of political and social ethics, Fieldston remains committed to listening and asking questions and holding discussions and debates. Despite this emphasis on independent thinking, the fact remains that the majority of news sources Fieldston students rely on are inherently biased. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cristina Ellis (Form V) shares how she gets her news from The New York Times: \u201cI think that they\u2019re kind of famous, so I trust them because they\u2019re famous.\u201d This sentiment is emblematic of a broader trend among many Fieldston students, who often turn to the Times as their primary news source. Ellis acknowledges how she navigates its inherent biases, adding, \u201cI kind of already have preformulated opinions about people, and if something doesn\u2019t match up with my opinion, I just think it\u2019s a bias.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Han Lane (Form V) shares a comparable approach, citing The New York Times <\/em>as his main source of news simply because he has the app downloaded. Lane notes that he does not acknowledge inherent biases in the media. \u201cI generally read from news sectors that I know align with what I think.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Other Fieldston students also echo a similar reliance on the Times. Stella Gerstenblatt (Form V) uses both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal\u2013mainly because Fieldston pays for student subscriptions to both publications. The school\u2019s support shapes the news sources many students access, reinforcing their engagement with certain mainstream media outlets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s particularly notable about this combination of news sources is that while the Times is widely recognized for its left-leaning perspective, The Wall Street Journal is often considered a right-leaning publication. Access to both media outlets could offer students a more balanced view, but it also risks deepening ideological and political divides if readers gravitate toward one and dismiss the other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chloe Keenan (Form VI) also names The New York Times as a main news source alongside CNN, attributing her choices to the influence of her family and teachers, as well as her upbringing in New York City. However, Keenan takes a more active approach to navigating media bias. \u201cI do definitely check a variety of other news websites to make sure I\u2019m getting the most accurate information,\u201d she explains. This proactive approach helps Keenan avoid echo chambers by exposing herself to diverse ideological perspectives and preventing the reinforcement of preexisting beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adelaide Feldman (Form VI) similarly mentions The New York Times as a preferred source, though she admits she doesn\u2019t read the news often because she finds it \u201cdepressing.\u201d Feldman\u2019s stance highlights another layer of media engagement\u2013the emotional toll associated with staying informed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Natasha Kiel (Form V) cites PBS as her primary news source, explaining, \u201cThat\u2019s what my parents play on the TV during dinner time.\u201d She acknowledges that her upbringing and environment influence her opinions. She also is wary of social media, \u201cI don’t have social media. If I did, I wouldn’t trust it because AI is lowkey getting convincing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Zena Imafidon (Form V) says, \u201cI get my news from The New York Times or Gothamist.\u201d She is also growing more skeptical of what she sees on social media due to the influx of fake news on it, \u201cI am less inclined to believe any of the news I see, and I will usually double-check the information with a reputable source.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr. Montera, history teacher and faculty advisor to the Fieldston News, who studied history and literature at Columbia University, but who\u2019s been teaching journalism at Fieldston since 1986, reflects on how news consumption has evolved, \u201cLife was much simpler when I was a kid,\u201d he recalls. He names three main newspapers that he used to get his news from: The New York Times, The Daily News and the New York Daily Mirror. His family regularly tuned in to the evening broadcasts as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But today, as journalism and news media have expanded both in content and accessibility, Montera\u2019s approach has changed significantly as well. \u201cBecause I teach world history and journalism, I have to very self-consciously search in all kinds of nooks and crannies. As a result, I\u2019m dipping into lots of more new sources,\u201d he says. He listens to the NPR<\/em> radio for morning news, glances at the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and looks at liberal publications like the Guardian and conservative publications like the American Mind and Claremont Institute. This wide array of sources gives him a broader view of an increasingly complex media landscape and he encourages his students to do the same. \u201cSometimes you just have to see how other people think and pay attention to the language they use. Endless comparing, endless contrasting. Then you have to synthesize and fill in the gaps. It comes down to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students can also consult The Tate Library\u2019s News and Media Bias Resource Guide <\/a>to improve their media literacy skills. The guide highlights how to identify bias by considering headlines, strong language, the agenda behind publishing the story, how the stories may change if told from another perspective, and photographs and captions that may visually affect one\u2019s perspective. They provide several links to websites like Allsides and Ad Fontes. They also note the distinction between news and opinion; while news presents facts from an objective and impersonal standpoint, opinion seeks to persuade and is subjective and personal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Allsides is a media organization that compiles sources from the left, the right and center and labels the sources according to their political bias. By presenting different articles side by side, the organization allows readers to compare how these perspectives report on the same issue and develop a more thorough understanding of current events. <\/p>\n\n\n Additionally, they can consider the Interactive Media Bias Chart<\/a>, created by Ad Fontes Media, which places a variety of news sources on a graph according to their reliability and political bias to find out where their go-to source lies and consider other sources that they may not usually seek out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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