Stop Fake News: The 6 Best News Apps for Your iPhone
Fake news is everywhere, especially on social media. Companies are trying to fight it, but have yet to figure out an effective strategy.
One of the biggest problems with false information is that it’s easier to spread than truth. The internet is a massive frame that connects the entire world, and social media tends to be more popular than actual news sites.
Con artists simply have to target those that are likely to believe and tell them what they want to hear.
While the fight to purge or discredit fake news rages on, there are ways to avoid it. There are plenty of phone apps that deliver the real news right to you. We’ll talk about some of the best news apps in the paragraphs below.
1. Apple News
Getting reliable news can be as simple as typing http://setapp.com/how-to/apple-news-plus-guide into your phone. Apple News has a lot going for it, from favoring content that comes with pictures and videos, which automatically gets rid of some fraudsters, to giving the user control over their content.
This doesn’t mean that anybody can edit the news source. It means that the user can filter news based on sources they trust.
Our faith in the media has fallen in recent years and is now below 50%. This is a trend that has been continuing at least since the 1990s and may continue if the landscape of the news doesn’t change.
Allowing readers to choose from sources they trust can help them avoid outlets they consider dishonest. They’re also partnered with the New York Times and National Geographic, both of which have a reputation for being accurate.
2. Flipboard
With Flipboard, not only can you effectively sort news based on sources you trust, but also track news from more niche categories, such as sporting news focused on a certain team or media news regarding a specific movie or show.
You can even see the same story from different political perspectives, which, in a climate as polarized as ours, is very important. Instead of seeing those with opposing views as monsters or morons, we are allowed to see them as people with a different way of looking at things.
You will need a Google account to use Flipboard, but it’s definitely worth it.
3. BBC News App
If you can stand a very slight liberal bias, the BBC is a great news source. It tends to be more reliable than American sources and shows far less bias.
There’s also something to be said for it being a foreign source. Since it isn’t American, it will be less focused on American politics and affairs. This can give you a better sense of perspective.
Not only that, but it may give you a more nuanced attitude about your country. No, we’re not perfect, and sometimes can be downright cruel. However, this is true for the politicians of most countries, so we’re not alone.
4. The New York Times App
The New York Times is one of the best news apps in the country. We’ve already mentioned that it’s partnered with Apple News, but what if you don’t have an Apple phone?
Thankfully, the New York Times has its own app that can bring you the best the famous publication has to offer. The app even has advanced features, including an augmented reality feature that will allow you to interact with the news on a more personal level.
Some of these advanced features do cost money, but it’s worth it if you want to change the way you experience the news. The yearly cost for the complete app is over $100 per year, but you don’t have to pay for it yearly, or even at all.
The base app is free, and even the free version gives you access to a great deal of content.
5. Reuters
Reuters is one of the few sources on this list, and in modern media in general, that shows little to no bias. It’s a well-regarded news outlet that holds accurate reporting above all else.
It can be argued that Reuters is not as polished as some of the other news sources, but its journalists work hard to get breaking news to the forefront quickly. The Reuters app is also free, which means that everyone can access breaking news.
6. Google News
Google News is a great app that does the same thing for news as its parent company does for everything else. It allows you to sort through the news to find the stories you most want to read.
This app is also designed with an adaptive AI, which means that, much like some other services, it will evolve to recognize what you want and bring it to you.
Unlike Apple, Google is an internet company that doesn’t make phones or computers, so you can load it onto any phone. You can even save and download news stories that pique your interest.
The Best News Apps for the Discerning Reader
These days, people have very little trust in the media, largely owing to the political bias many of them have developed. Oftentimes, this gets so extreme that some sources fail to check facts or even make things up.
The good news is that there are places to read accurate news with little to no bias, and you can find them on your phone. We’ve talked about some of the best news apps in the paragraphs above, but there are others out there. We encourage you to do more research on your own if you’re interested.
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