In high school, it is necessary to have a good working knowledge of history and current events happening in the world to succeed in school and be aware. Furthermore, many assignments, whether in AP English classes like Lang or Lit or AP history classes, have to do with current politics. I have had to navigate through news sources frequently in these classes to cover topics like voting, immigration, etc. However, it is often difficult to work with news sources, with biased sources and untrue facts being thrown around left and right. Finding sources that do not lean toward a specific political ideology is often tricky. While researching for some better news sources to get accurate, up-to-date information, I found some that will be good resources to use.
The Donut - While the name may initially throw you off, it is because this news outlet caters to a younger audience while giving informative information. The Donut has been especially helpful because it is easy to read, to the point, and unbiased. In fact, the Donut prides itself in being “impartial, trustworthy news” that is fun to read – and that’s precisely what it is. When Will I Use This? - In many IB assessments or AP tests, knowing background information about social issues and events is not necessary but very helpful. For example, you can gain sophistication points by tying CollegeBoard prompts to real-life events. Also, the AP Language and Literature argument essays are solely based on facts and ideas you already know; you do not get any outside sources. This is the same for most timed essays you will encounter in English. On my AP test for Language, I pulled in the information I read on The Donut about bipartisan politics, which was instrumental. I firmly believe I scored well on the essays because I used complex and relevant outside information. Also, you can opt-in to be sent concise text messages each day detailing the most prominent articles written.
DogoNews - Dogonews has many teen-oriented news articles, including subjects like Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies. What I love about DogoNews is that it is easy to navigate, with a special section about current events! As seen in the active comment sections, this news source is top-rated among students. DogoNews also has a section where students can rate and give their opinions on popular books they have read, from books like Divergent to personal biographies like Frederick Douglas’ Twelve Years as a Slave.
https://www.dogonews.com/category/science
The Juice - The Juice’s mission statement is to “build the strong readers of tomorrow with the current events of today” and is created for readers from elementary school to high school. While these sources are oriented toward younger audiences, they report unbiasedly on serious and complex topics. Another aspect of their site is the quote of the day - usually about a historical figure - provides interesting historical context to the passage. The Juice focuses on media literacy, inclusion, 21st-century skills, reading with purpose, and relevance. Find more information at: https://thejuicelearning.com/
Science Journal for Kids - the Science Journal includes hundreds of STEM articles “written for kids” and “approved by scientists.” Many articles include videos or additional links to learn more about each topic. The pieces pose different analytical scientific questions, like “How can we protect valuable marine habitats for fisheries?” or “What can we learn about dinosaur skin using a laser?” Each article strengthens students’ analytical minds and critical thinking and shows how scientific research is conducted.
https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/
While it is important to read news sources catered to adults as your reading and comprehension skills grow, many high school students know little about current events –so immediately starting with more complex sources can be difficult. Moreover, most teens do not even read the news so teen-oriented sources will be more fun and appealing. It is crucial to start now, develop media literacy, and learn about the world; it will benefit you so much in the future. If you go onto the Donut news site, you can quickly sign up to receive text message updates about the news. While this may be a small step, it is in the right direction.
Additional References:
https://mediablog.prnewswire.com/2021/07/14/6-top-news-sites-for-kids-teens/
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/best-news-sources-for-kids
https://www.siparent.com/teaching-teens-news-bias-and-sources/
