Researching outside Mainstream Media

Finding a reliable search engine

Article by Andrew Yerian

Edited by Elijah Savage

Layout by Rachel Klosterman

In college, students, especially those who are STEM majors, are often encouraged to research information for their assignments. However, students are limited to the sources they can use. Wikipedia, for example, is often considered a terrible source to use, because the information available is subject to change. This also makes websites like Wikipedia subject to biased information if anyone can change information at any time. However, mainstream sources that are known for being very trusted, such as CNN, have shown to be biased and untrustworthy at times. This is a problem for college students. Fortunately, with the right mindset, college students can freely search for information on websites that are outside of mainstream media. Here are three steps on how college students can be encouraged to research outside of mainstream sources like CNN and The Atlantic.

1. Consider other search engines:

Google is a very popular search engine, but it is not the only source of information. There are other sources, such as DuckDuckGo and Yandex, that provide the same information, but they also provide information that Google would never show. I have experienced finding the information I would never find on Google and it has changed my life. All students should be encouraged to not rely on just one particular search engine.

2. Be open-minded to alternative facts:

If there is one annoying thing, it is ignorance. Being open-minded shows that an individual is willing to learn and become more educated. Just because it is on the internet or in a book, that does not make it true. That is because some information might be outdated or someone might post lies to stir up readers for the sake of scamming readers out of their money.

3. Use critical thinking and consider you might be wrong: Critical thinking is a very essential skill to have in order to be able to reason and form our own opinions and weed out information that does not make sense. If we simply believe what we read without questioning it, we will fall for anything. This is why we must consider that some things we read or hear might be wrong. The media only gives college students a limited view of what they are seeing. This is why critical thinking is needed.

With these steps, college students can make less biased decisions and feel more educated, knowing they will, and can make decisions for themselves on what is true without the need for mainstream media or any other sources constantly telling them what to think.