Day: October 23, 2025

News updates are essential for staying informed, making decisions based on a thorough understanding of the issues, and helping individuals adapt to changes in their lives. Additionally, being well-informed allows individuals to participate in civic life by participating in debate, voting in elections, and holding elected officials accountable. It also helps foster critical thinking and encourages individuals to evaluate multiple viewpoints of a story before coming to their own conclusions. Finally, reading the news promotes global perspectives and fosters empathy and international cooperation, as it exposes individuals to diverse cultures and experiences.

In addition to chronicling current events, the news often provides a historical record of past events and longer-term trends. It also helps people understand how events are connected, which is a vital aspect of being informed.

Despite the fact that many people complain about the media being biased, there is usually competition within the news media market which means that people can easily find different sources of information to compare perspectives on a particular topic. In addition, in some countries there are laws that require the news to present a non-biased view of events.

Google’s news experiences are designed to help people stay informed by featuring unpersonalized content from a range of trusted sources and allowing them to explore a wide variety of viewpoints on the stories that matter most to them. This is a central part of our mission to empower people with the information they need to make informed choices and thrive in a complex, interconnected world.

Media coverage of protests is typically driven by the old journalism adage, “If it bleeds, it leads.” But that approach delegitimizes protesters and undermines their ability to alter existing power structures. The media needs to shift its focus from confrontation and chaos to a broader view of the movement’s goals and impact.

This is particularly important when protests are occurring on college campuses, where young people have the most significant stake in changing society’s systems and values. Students’ concerns about injustices, demands for reforms and desire to engage in civil disobedience are often missing from the headlines — but they are essential elements of a movement to improve racial, socioeconomic and environmental conditions.

Moreover, the news media’s tendency to gravitate toward and directly quote sources that have status and authority (like politicians, police and university officials) is likely a contributing factor in skewing their coverage. When those sources equate protesters with criminals, terrorists and racists, it is likely to get the most attention.

Finally, studies have found that the use of words evoking fear and anger in news coverage is disproportionately greater for non-White protesters than White ones. This may be because conservative outlets employ negative sentiments of all protesters, whereas liberal grievances are unlikely to appeal to their audiences. Despite these challenges, NPR and local stations that cover protests can still serve their communities by providing important information to citizens, especially when those stories are well-sourced, fair and accurate.