AUSTIN, Texas — Just like television news, there are a lot of options for getting your online news as well – Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and Parler, to name a few.
Each platform has different rules for moderating content.
"People should really keep in mind when they're watching or reading these platforms that anyone can post anything," said Talia Stroud, director of the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin.
Users can post facts or opinions or content that isn’t totally accurate. None of the social media platforms have a group of people or single person reviewing each piece of content before it gets posted.
"When you're interacting with content on these platforms, you need to be even more careful than you would be looking at a traditional news source," Stroud said.
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have started putting warning labels on content that might include misinformation. When you read or watch anything on the internet, experts caution you to think twice before clicking "share" or telling your friends about it.
"If you aren't sure if it's true, don't share it because the fact that you are questioning whether it's true makes me think you have the critical thinking skills to make an assessment that it might not be true," said Gina Masullo, associate director of the Center for Media Engagement.
It’s recommended that you do some vetting of the information you see on social media or wait until a news organization that you trust shares it as well.
We want to hear your questions about how news is gathered and then reported to you. Text KVUE at 512-459-9442 or email bnewberry@kvue.com.
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