This whole paradigm of two different news sources has me confused. Perhaps I should remember the whole idea of source vs content and re-evaluate what it is that I read.
The main distinction to make when reading or watching various news sources is to understand the notion of bias versus outright fabrications. The whole 'fake news' mantra is simply a tactic to divert attention away from the Trump administration by attempting to delegitimize news agencies.
Bias exists in daily life and the news networks and publications are not immune from it. For example, there is no argument that MSNBC leans heavily left. The views of the main presenters (Maddow, Hayes, Matthews) are all liberally leaning. Now that does not mean their information is 'fake'. It means they will generally gravitate towards news stories that fit a narrative more to their slant. Conversely, Fox News leans heavily right. The main presenters there (Hanity, Carlson, and O'Reilly when he was still around) are all conservatively leaning. Which means they will also gravitate towards stories that fit their narrative.
CNN is somewhat different in my mind. People think it leans left, but to be honest, CNN is more disaster porn. They love to overly sensationalize any news story and will run it for all its worth. Their 'breaking news' is almost comical at this stage since there is 'breaking news' every five minutes.
From my own perspective, my two favorite news sources are BBC World News and the PBS news hour. There is still bias in these agencies, but I appreciate the fact that they spend more time conveying information than they do opinions. Also, they showcase news topics from around the world, not just the USA. The Catalonian crisis in Spain for example. Brexit in the UK. These agencies covered these topics extensively while Fox, MSNBC and CNN hardly touched them.
In the end, one has to always do a little due diligence. The key is to be open minded when viewing the news. If you are coming in with preconceived notions and are just looking for affirmation of things you already believe, then you aren't really getting news at that stage. It's just confirmation bias at that point.
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