Skip to Main Content

Newspapers & statistics: Other news sources

bundled newspaper stack

Other sources of news

News for information is very different to news for entertainment, so you may need to look further than what comes through on your social media platforms. 

Below are some links to other newspaper and news media sources that you may find useful. 

How to spot fake news

Go on a journey through time to discover that fake news has always been around, and what to watch out for now.

How to spot fake news 2018, ABC, Sydney, 30 August, ClickView.

Duration: 10 min.

Bias in news reporting

Newspapers are generally considered a reliable source of information. However, there can be bias in terms of which events and stories are reported and how they are reported. This can relate to media as a whole (mass media), on a publication level (newspaper or channel/website), or even by an individual journalist. Ownership of the publication can influence the political and social coverage.

The advice here is to always consult a few different sources. This allows you to:

  • determine different perspectives
  • identify how facts and statistics may have been used selectively to support a position
  • analyse how language can be used to persuade
  • judge whether information is current, accurate and reliable
  • negate bias
  • gain a balanced and informed view

Fake news

Fake news is more than media bias – definitions vary, but generally fake news is a form of propaganda, using fabricated or false materials produced for political gain. It is a major issue in today’s digital world. Below is a link to a briefing paper on the topic for the Parliament of Australia.

 

Buckmaster, L, & Wils, T 2019Responding to fake news, Briefing book: key issues for the 46th ParliamentParliamentary LibraryParliament of Australia, viewed 10 September 2019, <https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook46p/FakeNews>.