Breaking Your News Bubble: Media Literacy

This guide offers methods and resources to critically evaluate the news you consume.

Library Research Guide

Finding News Sources on a Budget

Newspapers on first floor of Hale LibraryAt K-State

In Print:

Current print periodicals can now be found in 240 Hale Library.

 

Online:

K-State Libraries subscribes to a number of newspaper databases.

 

Beyond K-State

In Print

 

Online

  • Kansas residents can access the news database US Newsstream through the State Library of Kansas' Online Databases.
  • Ask at your local public library to learn what news sources you can access online through them. If your local public library is too small to offer online databases, try the next largest public library in your area -- keep going until you find a library where you are eligible for an account and they have online news!
    • Manhattan Public Library - Need ID and proof of address (mail) to get a library card and make an account for online access to New York Times, Manhattan Mercury, and collection of digital magazines.
      • With a Manhattan Public Library account you can subscribe to 72 hours of NYTimes access here.
  • Some newspapers allow readers to access a few articles a month for free.
  • Consider subscribing to at least one newspaper.
  • Johnson County (KS) Public Library provides online access to eLibrary, including eNews (WSJ, etc). If you are not a Johnson County resident, you'll need to apply for a card in person.

Find more suggestions for news and information resources beyond K-State on our Alumni and Community guide.

Diversify Your News Sources

Incorporate diverse news sources into your media diet. While it is useful to follow news sources that share your world view, disparate sources place the news in context and can improve your comprehension of the issues. When diversifying your news, consider:

  • political perspectives
  • international perspectives
  • local versus national news

Political Perspective

Use sites, like those below, to identify the political perspectives of your news sources. 

Some news sources state a political perspective on their About Us or Editorial pages. 

Opinion pieces may not reflect the political perspective of the news source, research the authors to identify bias/perspective.

International Perspective

Look at what news is covered and how it impacts people around the world. The sites below all provide English-language news.

Consider flexing your language skills and following the news in a language other than English - the audience for an article coming out of Japan written in Japanese is not the same as a Japanese article written in English.

Local/Regional News 

News sources at the state or city level provide insight into more specific communities and local news.

Below are a sample of local newspapers in Kansas. 

Running a newspaper requires money to pay for reporters, editors, photographers; plus costs for equipment, office space, printing, and delivering. While you can often get at least some articles for free from the major news outlets listed above, smaller outlets cannot always afford to maintain a website with free articles. If you want good, local news, be prepared to support it!

See the "Finding News Sources on a Budget" box for more information about accessing news sources, particularly at K-State.

Diversify Your News Formats

If you only get news from one format, adding new formats could help you break out of your news bubble.

Try switching it up by

  • reading the news in print, from a blog, website, or aggregator
  • listening to radio and podcasts
  • watching news on TV, subscribing to YouTube channels