Is there such a thing as a trusted media source?

Because the national news media is biased in favor of the Democratic Party, many Americans have been forced to get a majority of their information from the Internet. But if you think the Internet means social media, you're not any better off.

Media critic and Professor Jeff McCall says you can't always trust what you read online.

"We know that a lot of online reviews and ratings are actually pushed or concocted or created by people who are being paid to go online and push particular points of view."

McCall says too many Internet commenters live in their parents' basements.

"And they're not necessarily well-informed authorities who can really help us get a perspective on things."

A Pew Research Center survey finds more Americans rely on their own searches than family and friends and professional experts -- combined.

Professor McCall says it depends on what you mean when you say 'Internet.'

"This is not like Walter Cronkite of 40 years ago on CBS where he said 'that's the way it is' because you look at the Internet and there's a lot of stuff 'that's not the way it is' and people need to have a good sniff detector to be able to tell the difference."

96% in the Pew survey say they rely on their own research a lot or a little.


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