Answering a Question About Media Hygiene

We talked about media hygiene last week, and one of our members wrote this question on their Connect Card: “Knowing media is biased and profit from info they’re sharing, what do you listen to for the truth?”

If you’re looking for a minimal amount of news with less bias, go to thepourover.org and sign up for their emails. They try to offer as unbiased news as possible, keep it short, and only provide the news three days a week. Part of their philosophy is that the 24/7 news cycle is bad for our spiritual health, and we ought to read the Bible more than we listen to the news. They also have a podcast that reads the news to you. And they provide some Scripture throughout the news as a break for reflection and meditation.

If you want to go deeper, try the AllSides app. This app not only provides all sides on some of the top news stories, but it also hones our discernment skills.

I don’t get my news from TV, but some people I trust suggest BBC News. AllSides rates them at the center politically.

It’s not a news source, per se, but the Church Politics podcast will help hone your discernment skills as it covers two to three news items in depth each week. They are willing to criticize and praise both the political and theological left and right, and they talk a lot about how to think and act biblically in the political arena. In my opinion, they embody the “be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” ethic with their political savvy, commitment to fairly presenting the arguments of those with whom they disagree, and humility.

I have a lot of other podcasts and news sources I love and follow, but I’d have to offer so many qualifiers for each one that this post would get too long (and I don’t have time to do that right now).

Photo by Nijwam Swargiary on Unsplash