Fake news is a term thrown around much too often in recent times. Although used too frequently, there is some truth behind it.

Nowadays, it’s hard to know what to believe and who to believe. Growing up, you’re always taught, “Don’t trust what you read on the Internet; trust only verified news sources.” But is any news source truly verified?

No.

The source of all this corruption you may ask? Politics. Politics and bias are large contributors to this long lasting problem of “fake news.”

The most popular network we like to place bias upon is FOX News. FOX News has been accused and proven to have a bias for the conservative party. Along with FOX News, other sources like The Blaze, Rush Limbaugh Show, and The Glenn Beck Program are at fault as well. Even The Wall Street Journal has been noted as leaning conservative.

Don’t worry, there are plenty more liberal sources too, such as NPR, PBS, and The Economist. Surprisingly, some popular newspapers are biased like Washington Post, New York Times, and The Guardian. The largest news provider leaning liberal is CNN.

There are some places that fall right in the center and state pure facts to the best of their abilities. Sources that provide information like this include CBS, ABC, and even Google News. These sources present all facts and stories as they are.

People in current times find one news source they agree with and stick to it. That is irresponsible and makes you flat out uneducated. By doing this, you’re showing ignorance to the other side of an argument. Of course, you are going to be right in an argument when you choose what the other side is saying. I’m not just telling you just the conservatives or just the liberals are guilty of this. Both are just as accountable.

This issue has become so apparent that there is even a website for fact-checking. Right on the front page of mediabiasfactcheck.com, there is a long list of a large number of news sources, which way they lean, and how drastically they side.

Even certain social media sites have appeared as biased to one side. They have run into issues with the law because they will ban an account for siding with one party or for supporting a specific political candidate. These are clear breaches of the First Amendment.

Different types of media bias have developed over time.

One form is called “omission.” This is when a source either gives you some information that “omits” other information that could potentially either promote something they don’t want to or could harm the image of someone or something they support.

The next form is “story selection.” This is when the source chooses stories that only promote their views and put down the opposing side’s views.

Another form is “bias by the selection of experts.” This is when a source tells the reader things like, ‘Experts say,’ or ‘Observers say.’ Most of the time, these aren’t proven by ‘experts’ or ‘observers.’ It’s just when the writer feels like using statements so they sound educated and people believe them.

“Spin” is also another concept sources use. They emphasize and show-off the details that make their association look better and include, but drastically decrease, the intensity these statements the other side has.

Finally, “Bias by policy recommendation.” With this idea, the source doesn’t blatantly say what side they are for, but they try and encourage the policies of their political parties.

While there will always be bias in the world, it should not be happening in the media and in the news. The news should be straight facts. It shouldn’t be hand-picked facts promoting one party and hurting another and vice versa.

This issue needs to stop in the media. The media and news need to start giving us all the facts, all the stories, and both sides of them. Until then, we, as intelligent, American citizens, need to start finding the truth for ourselves. Find a source that shows the story in an unbiased way or start finding the same story from two sources of two different parties.

What you find just might surprise you.