Naomi Lewis/ March 22 2024/ MCO 427

6:45 a.m:
At this dreaded time, I wake up to the sound of my alarm at my annoyance and before beginning my day, I check my texts and emails. After determining that I have no texts or emails worth noticing, I check the weather app to see if I need to defrost my car before driving my brother to school, which I thankfully do not. With Georgia’s bipolar weather, you never know what to expect, as temperatures rise and fall every other day.

8:00 a.m:
After dropping off my brother at school, I returned home to find my dad watching the news. As an online student, I spend most of my time at home with my father, who also works from home and enjoys watching the news all day. My father enjoys switching between news networks such as CNN, FOX, and MSNBC; but, on this particular morning, he was watching CNN, and the news story was about the situation in Ukraine. Russia appears to have launched one of its greatest missile attacks on Ukraine since the beginning of the war, with 150 missiles and drone strikes against Ukraine’s energy systems, leaving over one million Ukrainians without power. Another news story CNN covered at the time was about an Alaska Airlines flight that had a door fly off in midair, and how passengers on that trip could have been victims of a crime.
Most people consider news stations to be reputable sources; nonetheless, there have been instances of misinformation and false information presented on these media outlets, as well as them being known to be biased. There is an assumption that new channels would provide reliable and unbiased information to their consumers; however, this is frequently not the case, since most organizations are more concerned with views and interesting headlines than the quality of material they produce. However, I consider CNN to be one of the more reliable news sites, and I rarely challenge the facts they provide.

9:30 a.m:
After eating breakfast and getting my morning started, I looked back on the TV to see CNN reporting a story on Princess Catherine and revealing some shocking news as she has been out of the public’s view for the past few months. In a video, Princess Catherine reveals that she has been diagnosed with cancer and is in the early stages of preventative treatment. The Princess also shares that the diagnosis was the reason why she was avoiding publicity and asks the public for privacy as she deals with her health and the task of explaining it to her children

Of course, with the information coming straight from the source, there is not much to fact-check, and you just have to hope that they are being truthful about the information they are sharing.

11:00 a.m:
Around this time, I try to complete my day’s workout. Today I was doing cardio, so I had to distract myself with something to watch while working out on the treadmill. After looking around, I chose to watch 90 Day: The Single Life, a spin-off of the 90 Day Fiance series. If you appreciate dramatic reality television, 90 Day Fiance is the show for you. However, with reality shows, particularly those of this popularity, one wonders how much of it is genuine and how much is staged or exaggerated. Although I am less concerned with the show’s factual content than with its entertainment value, this is not the type of media from which I anticipate much credibility.

1:45 p.m.
After I finish my workout, I open my favorite app, TikTok, and spend a few minutes scrolling through my FYP (For You Page). The majority of my FYP content consists of food, fashion, workout videos, and personal stories or vlogs. However, I sometimes stumble across the occasional conspiracy theory video, and today I saw a few about the activity in the Appalachian area. Some people who reside in the Appalachian Mountains report inexplicable and paranormal events, such as hearing disembodied voices and screams or seeing creatures at night. Some claim there are unwritten laws for life in Appalachia, such as staying indoors by sundown, not peeking out windows at night, keeping your doors locked, and dismissing any voices you hear, even if they sound familiar. However, numerous Appalachian residents have refuted these allegations, claiming that they have never witnessed any weird behavior while living there. In any case, there is no way to back up or refute these assertions unless I go to the Appalachian Mountains and witness for myself.

2:50 p.m.
After showering and eating, I check my phone to see my significant other has sent me something on Instagram. After opening what my partner sent me, I saw that it was a post posted by the account Saycheesetv, which claims that Putin uncovered an “ancient box” that revealed that Jesus was black. Again, this appears to be a difficult subject to fact-check since, while I can verify that Putin opened an antique box, there is no way to prove that Jesus was black. Fortunately, I already believed that Jesus was black, so I don’t feel the need to double-check this information, even though this Instagram account isn’t the most reliable source.

5:00 p.m.
After picking up my brother from school and completing a few errands, I returned to Instagram and discovered another interesting post. Candance Owens was fired from the Daily Wire for supposedly encouraging antisemitism, according to another uncertain source, the Shaderoom. If you’re unfamiliar, Candance Owens is a political commentator, TV host, and author known for her strong conservative views, which are frequently viewed as controversial. I was first familiarized with Owens through TikTok, when I observed her giving lectures at campuses, where she frequently expressed controversial viewpoints, generally on the LGBTQIA community. However, Owens has been known to speak out against feminism and the oppression of black people, while being a black woman herself.
While the Shaderoom is not the most credible source, subsequent research revealed that other news reporting accounts had posted and confirmed the same thing, indicating that the information was accurate.

7:00 p.m.
After I finished cooking dinner and completing a few chores, I decided to go through TikTok again to pass the time. The first video that appeared on my page is from another reality TV show, “Love is Blind.” Love is Blind has grown in popularity over the years, with unaired material regarding the current season being revealed regularly. This season has had numerous scandals, particularly involving the show’s male competitors. For example, some have been accused of being in relationships before and even during the filming of the show, which naturally irritates many people given the show’s objective is to find love and hopefully marry. While some of the competitors’ “girlfriends,” “former fiances,” and “family members” have provided some information, it is difficult to know who is telling the truth and who is looking to cash in on their moment of fame. Reality shows like this are packed with uncertainty, which is why I enjoy watching them for entertainment.

8:00 p.m.
To pass the time while doing homework and getting ready for bed, I watch another reality TV show (see a pattern here?). This time, I chose the show “Naked and Afraid,” which, as you might expect, features people who are naked and often afraid. The show follows a group of people, generally two, who are sent to a distant location and must team up to survive the elements for 21 days while nude. To survive, the contestants are given only one item of their choice and must build a shelter as well as search for food and clean water. While the show is entertaining, I’m curious how real it is, as there is always a camera crew following the competitors around, so they are never truly alone, and medical personnel are on standby in case someone is hurt or becomes unwell. Of course, these are needed steps to take to safeguard the contestants’ safety, but they reduce the show’s extremeness.

In the end: After tracking my media consumption throughout the day, I realized that I favor entertainment over facts. When I watch the news, I expect real and reputable information; nevertheless, I am aware that it is rare for everything to be completely truthful and free of bias. In today’s world, with so much misinformation and disinformation, I hardly accept what I see, including the news. I believe this is why I rarely fact-check, because most things are either true or false, and if they are, other news organizations or social media accounts will write about them, proving the material is true.