Media outlets are pursuing a “sugar coated” version of the news, according to students

PRESSED Reporters and camera crews cover a big news event. Our survey suggests that students distrust the news media.

The Mirror survey suggests students view news as biased and containing inaccuracies.

By ANI TUTUNJYAN THE MIRROR NEWS EDITOR

Social media, television and news media sites are among the most popular sources for students to receive news from, but these sources have an overwhelmingly biased nature.

In a survey asking students how they receive and perceive news, 73.1 percent indicated that news contains inaccuracies and distortions.

“News seems to be radically in favor of the extremities,” said senior Anthony Oliveira, an avid news follower. “Outlets like CNN and Fox are horrendously biased and are almost never willing to concede any points or cover any stories that favor the opposing side.” Over 65 percent of students responded that they prefer receiving news that is as neutral and objective as possible, even if that means the story is not as interesting.

“Media needs to pursue a less sugar coated reporting path rather than focusing on keeping the public eyes and ears at bay from what really is happening around the world,” said senior Jan Martinez.

The most popular connotations associated with news, based on the survey, are “depressing” and “negative,” but despite that students still consider news useful. Many students also believe news is sensationalized. “[Most] mainstream news outlets sensationalize stories [to generate] clicks which produce revenue and for their own political agenda,” said Alvaro Gutierrez, a junior who checks the news regularly.

80.8 percent of students receive news from social media, with Instagram and Twitter being among the most popular.

With such a large population of students accessing news from social media, the accuracy of these sources come into question.

Since sophomore Nicole Gasparian often receives most of her news from social media outlets, she believes that media sites should enforce stricter regulation to prevent the general public from being fed biased and inaccurate news.

Surprisingly, almost 56 percent of respondents agreed, indicating that the “government should restrict what the news media publishes.” In other words, they seem to support increased censorship.

“When dealing with news on social media, I believe that information by sources should be regulated. This is due to the significant amount of fake news that has been going around within the media,” Gasparian said. “In order to provide the people with the most accurate, unbiased news, there needs to be certain regulations even if it interferes with the right to freedom of speech on some accounts.”

When hearing conflicting versions of a story, students trust CNN for the most accurate reporting of news while Fox News is the least trusted. “We the people should push back and refuse to watch and consume news from sources that repeatedly lie,” added Gutierrez. Contain inaccuracies and distortions 73.1% Social Media 80.8%

Instagram 51.9%

SHUTTERSTOCK | STOCKPHOTO MANIA

How do you get most of your news?

Social Media 80.8% Radio 1.9% Television 1.9% News Media Outlets 11.5% Print Newspapers 0% News Apps 1.9% All of the Above 1.9%

Which social media site do you receive news from most?

Twitter 38.5% Facebook 1.9% Instagram 51.9% Snapchat 0% Youtube 1.9% Youtube & Reddit 1.9% Apple News 1.9% Reddit 1.9%

I think news stories usually....

Get facts straight 26.9% Contain inaccuracies and distortions 73.1%