My Media Diary- Credible News Edition

Central Park picture by Beriah Grier

I chose to do this exercise on a Sunday, since I tend to be more active on my phone, computer, and other forms of media on the weekends. Taking the time to be more critical of the media that I saw throughout the day gave me a better perspective of how absentminded or less observant I tend to be of the news I see- most likely because of the sheer volume of content that I encounter in a short period of time.

My Day

0805- My alarm woke me up at 0800, and I immediately checked my emails. I’m subscribed to several news outlets because of access through ASU and get a lot of their morning columns sent to me every day. What stuck out to me was an article on the fashion of political candidates; as fashion is more opinion based, I found it interesting to see what the author perceived to be the message behind each candidate’s attire.

A Medium article also caught my eye detailing how the author’s friend ( a science blogger) debated an fact-finding organization called Rootclaim on the origins of Covid-19 and ended up winning $100,000. I found it intriguing that the information that the science blogger provided on the virus more likely emanating from natural cases convinced the judges more than Rootclaim’s argument that the virus came from a lab leak. He did provide a significant amount of data to confirm his point; I would be in no position to completely question it unless I studied out the data myself ( but science goes over my head).

0855-1030 I listened to Spotify ( a Christian music playlist I created) while I took a shower, ate breakfast, and got ready for church.

11 am-3 pm I participated in my church’s Sunday morning service, and afterwards caught up with some friends at a local burger restaurant.

3:30-5:25 pm I went home to relax a little while and ended up watching two episodes of The Blacklist on Netflix ( deals with a lot of government cover-ups, conspiracies, and crime), and also spent a little time scrolling on Instagram. An independent news organization I follow reported on some claims from President Zelensky about pledged military aid. I like to follow this outlet, as they seek to provide unbiased news and report on topics that the mainstream media often does not. I do find that I may have to do more research on breaking stories they push out, as they may publish information in real time to inform audiences on subjects that are still going through the review process regarding facts and other details.

I also checked out a Fox News story on recalled apple juice. The article states that the affected plastic bottles housing the juice had elevated levels of arsenic above what was allowed. That’s a little concerning as arsenic is toxic to humans, but the FDA is quoted as stating that small levels of it are acceptable, as long as it’s counteracted by a healthy diet. I feel like I should probably do a little more research on this, as I have bought this brand of apple juice before.

5:30- 7:45 pm I listened to more of the same playlist on Spotify on my drive to and from church for our quarterly Worship night.

7:45 pm- I opened up X and scrolled through a little while to see what stories were out there. I noticed a lot of conversation on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsing Donald Trump for President, as well as his advocacy for Americans to know what they are putting into their bodies. Food and wellness is definitely a topic that I have been doing more looking into the past year or so.

7:50 pm- I watched three more episodes of The Blacklist. I really enjoy the twists and turns of this show-a side character’s death really shocked me!

9 pm- I opened up the YouVersion Bible app to read the verse of the day and the corresponding chapter as a part of my daily devotions.

9:40 pm- I took a little time to scroll through Reddit before getting ready for bed. Reddit often shares advertisements for products on its main feed. While browsing I saw information about Skyrizi, that is touted as treating plaque psoriasis.

My Conclusions

I would say that I found less blatant questionable content than I expected. Any articles etc. that I found questionable were more so because I took the time to read more into what was being shared, and not just because of a headline that stuck out to me.

Content that is pushed out on platforms like Instagram, X, and Reddit, I would be more inclined to fact-check just because there tends to be a lot more general audiences ( not subject matter experts) stating their opinions that may/may not be thoroughly vetted. Fact-based articles from agencies like the New York Times and the Washington Post I would be more willing to take at face value because of the reputation of the company and the levels of review those columns have to go through before publication. This does not mean that these stipulations apply 100% at all times; as a media user, it is highly necessary for me to do my research about any information I read/watch regardless of the outlet it came from.

I feel like this experiment was worth my time, as it helped me to be more mindful of the content I was browsing throughout the day, and it really put into context just how many different platforms that I tend to switch between on a given day.