If you own a television, use social media, or ever leave your house, then you’re aware of the midterm elections happening Tuesday, November 8th. The midterm elections are the election for representatives in Congress, and one-third of the Senators. Battleground states this year for the Senate election are Rhode Island, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, and especially Pennsylvania. I can’t get through a thirty-minute television show without seeing at least one commercial about the Pennsylvania election, where Republican Dr. Oz is being called out for his anti-abortion views, or Democratic John Fetterman for his criminal justice reforms. 

  The news nowadays can be extremely biased, and it can be difficult to separate facts from lies spewing on both sides. Even if you are clearly a Democrat or Republican, you should still be getting your news from a reliable, unbiased news channel, website, or paper. To help you out on your quest to learn true news without any opinions, I’ve gathered a few websites that give you the facts and leave out the bias.

The Associated Press

  This news source was founded in 1846 and remains a non-profit business since its beginning. Articles from the Associated Press have a neutral tone, which allows their readers to form their own opinions. The website is updated constantly too, keeping its readers up to date on all the events happening in the United States and the world. 

CBS

  Despite the CBS being an unbiased source, their information provided in articles tend to not be the highest of quality. The news channel is great to get unbiased political information, but I believe the best aspect of the channel is its Sunday Morning News. 

  The program has a documentary-feel, and a few stories are talked about in great depth. Many include interviews with the person the story involves. Just yesterday, November 6th, the morning news did a story about Steven Spielberg, and had him sit down for an interview. 

Worthy Mentions

  There are some other news sources that, though they are not completely unbiased, there is certainly not as much opinionated writings as other, more mainstream sources. Both The New Yorker and The New York Times include news that is very rarely opinionated, and when it is, it is easy to identify and then ignore. The Wall Street Journal is another reliable source that will deliver you the information you need to know with little bias.

How to detect bias

  It can be difficult to realize when you are reading a biased source, especially if you don’t consume news all that much. Some things to keep in mind are if facts that support one side are only being presented, and are often not backed up by sources or claims. 

  For example, if there is an article called “Starting a Home Garden”, and it only includes the negatives involved, then that article could be labeled biased. However, if the title was “The Negatives to Starting a Home Garden”, then the reader would be aware they are only reading one side, and that there are in fact benefits. 

What to do this midterm

  When gathering information about the midterm, keep all of the tips mentioned in this article in mind. Be mindful of the tone of the article, because you can often tell whether the author is trying to get their opinion across. Check out some of the sources included above, and I wish you the best for this crazy week.