In today’s technological age, it’s easier than ever for people, especially students, to stay connected to each other and the world around them. This connectivity grants students the ability to receive consistent updates in all types of news. However, it seems that far too often this luxury of constant access leads to the spread of misinformation.

But where exactly are students getting their news? Some Patriots shared their thoughts.

Lauren Parrino, 11, claims that she gets the majority of her news from either TV channels or Twitter.

“For the most part I trust both of them. There can be some bias, but if you focus mostly on the facts and try to see through the bias, you get the best view of the situation,” said Parrino.

Similarly, Jarrod Rodriguez, 12, noted that he gets a decent amount of his news from Twitter, but he also follows news outlets such as Fox News, The Blaze, The Daily Wire, and Breitbart.

“I trust the news I get a lot because they’re pretty popular news sources,” said Rodriguez. “I’m able to tell the difference between opinion and fact.”

Unfortunately, in order to be properly informed on global developments and issues, students must be very selective about the information they choose to let in.

Amanda Donato, 11, stated, “I personally think that as high school students we’re at a stage in our life where most of us tend to just believe everything we hear and not research it to even see if it’s true.”

In fact, according to a study from Stanford researchers in 2016, more than 30% of high school students argued that a fake, unverified Fox News Twitter account “reporting” on Donald Trump’s campaign was more reliable than the actual Fox News account.

Rodriguez strongly expressed his agreement with the claim that students can be ill-informed.

“Fake news isn’t much of an issue at our school. Most of the information students seem to get isn’t even news at all; it’s mostly memes that are jokes or other people’s opinions. Rarely is any factual information shared.”

Given that there appears to be an inconsistency in the amount of legitimate news that students have access to, they must make an effort to distinguish between true and fallacious news.

One of the best ways for students to ensure that they’re getting accurate news is surprisingly simple. Primarily, they must ensure that the news they are receiving is coming from verified news sources. News channels on television are generally reliable, and VERIFIED news accounts on Twitter can mostly be trusted. However, students should always consider what they’re reading, and ensure that the news they are receiving is fact and not opinion. By remaining careful and observant, all Pats can become well informed in the conflicts faced in today’s society.