Good News Hunting: Finding Truth in Today’s Headlines

A friend recently sent me the link to a surprising news story about one of our favorite celebrities, someone both of us have admired through the years. It was the kind of tragic, can-you-believe-it story that triggered alarm bells on my authenticity-meter. Thankfully, after a bit of independent research, I let my friend know the story was a hoax. After an initial sigh of relief, she lamented, “I don’t even know what or who to believe anymore. Where can we go for honest, reliable news?”

It turns out my friend is not alone in her exasperation. America’s confidence in mass media is at an all-time low. According to a recent Gallup Poll, an astounding 70% of Americans say they have little to no trust in print and broadcast media to deliver news that is full, fair, and accurate.[1] That’s a far cry from the Golden Age of broadcasting just 50 years ago. Back then, when giants like Walter Cronkite, John Chancellor, and Harry Reasoner ruled the airwaves, the numbers were flipped and Americans’ confidence in reporting hovered between 68% and 72%. What happened to our trust?

Some observers might argue that our confidence is strained because we are living through dramatic and dangerous times. Headlines scream about our polarized political landscape, environmental fears, wars and rumors of wars, unbridled technology, and worldwide health crises. Yet, the 1970s also produced no shortage of global upheaval. News anchors began their broadcasts with the nightly body count as the Vietnam War dragged on. Cold War diplomacy, the Watergate scandal, stagflation, and a global energy crisis—all provided front-page fodder.

Other onlookers believe erosion of the public’s trust in the media began June 1, 1980; the day Ted Turner launched Cable News Network (CNN). Overnight, the 24/7 news cycle was born. Prior to that, the Big Three (ABC, CBS, and NBC) controlled broadcast news, which was limited to short, fixed intervals throughout the day. Continuous, real-time reporting fundamentally changed the way news was gathered, verified, and delivered. In the decades since, the public’s insatiable appetite for more and instant content frequently comes at the expense of careful fact checking. It has given rise to a clickbait mentality, which in turn has contributed to a slow slip of journalistic credibility. It’s not Uncle Walter’s newsroom anymore.

Of course, we cannot underestimate technology’s impact on the media and how it has shifted public perceptions about reporting. The pervasiveness of technology has made news more accessible but also more suspect. The internet and smart devices mean anyone anywhere can be a reporter bringing news from more places than ever before. But the rise of independent voices has opened the door to questionable accuracy and unchecked bias. Likewise, the ability to manipulate images and videos—which grows increasingly common with artificial intelligence—means that seeing is not always believing. Deep fakes, misinformation, and AI-generated content are no longer the stuff of science fiction. They are the root of much of the public’s quandary about where to find and how to curate news that is trustworthy.

We’ve lost our trust for a mix of reasons. But frankly, how we became skeptical matters less than how we choose to respond to the current moment. I know many of us, including my friend, might be tempted to throw up our hands and simply unplug, cancel the paper, delete the social media accounts. However soothing that option may seem, it is not practical. Nor is it a solution that honors God.

In their book City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era, Peter Wehner and the late Michael Gerson explore the role of Christians in the public square. Though the focus of their narrative aims squarely at Christians called to serve professionally in the political arena, their central premise applies to all believers: our voice is important, and we are called to use it and participate.

When the secular world gets messy, Christians don’t get a pass simply because we are Christians. In fact, we’re a rather messy lot ourselves. The truth is, Jesus would be in the mess and so should we be. Wehner and Gerson write, “Christians in every generation have dealt with the same tension. They inhabit, in St. Augustine’s vivid image, the City of Man—the flawed and fallen realm of history, government, and politics—while owing their ultimate allegiance to the City of God.”[2]

For those of us with eyes fixed on heaven, then, what is a proper response to a media climate fraught with suspicion? Cynicism and outrage are fashionable choices these days but seem antithetical to a spirit-filled life. Retreat may feel like a more attractive option. Who hasn’t fantasized about a news holiday now and then? After all, it’s much easier to check out than to dig deep.

If not an all-out retreat, maybe we prefer to consume media through the filter of our own thought silos, stick with like-minded media sources that mirror our own viewpoints lest we be duped by bad actors. Today’s algorithm-driven media create comfortable filter bubbles that serve up the validation many of us crave. But the same technology also fosters a culture of isolation. It limits our exposure to new and different ideas and makes it nearly impossible for others to know and understand our perspective.

Ultimately, a day filled with cynicism, retreat, or isolation results in disappointment with and disconnection from each other—and God. The ancient Israelites offer a better example. After years of exile in Babylon, they understood outrage. Yet a faithful remnant did not give in to sarcasm or withdraw from daily living. Instead, they took encouragement from God, remained devoted to Him, and managed to build houses, plant gardens, marry, and raise children.[3] In other words, they flourished in plain sight. We can do the same, and our media habits can help create the right conditions for healthy participation in the public square.

Wehner and Gerson continue: “We live in a time when our character-shaping institutions are weak, when sources of moral authority are in many respects on the defensive, and when the concept of truth itself often seems up for grabs.”[4] Most of us won’t have (or even seek) the opportunity to engage in policy and politics. Some of us will, and with enthusiasm. Either way, we all have the opportunity (and responsibility) to participate in our communities as well-informed citizens.

To be informed is to be engaged, which is exactly where God wants us. Instead of hiding from the news, Christians are called to share the good news and to shape the conversation. Jesus left us with a simple metaphor to underscore the importance of this mission: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”[5]

We add flavor when we stay tuned in. Our perspective, when graciously delivered, helps preserve for society what is good and true in the Father’s creation. Which brings us back to my friend’s very practical question: Where can we go for honest, reliable news? We are saturated with copious amounts of information; how do we wring out the truth? And in that pursuit, how do we cultivate a Philippians 4:8 attitude, seeking what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise?

To begin, posture counts. Do we reach for the phone first thing in the morning to check the headlines? Or do we first greet the day, make the bed, read a morning devotional, and then dive into the news of the day?

For example, while in graduate school, Jason Woodruff became a self-proclaimed news junkie. “I started consuming a lot more news thinking that it was the adult, correct thing to do,” says the preacher’s kid from Lake Bluff, Illinois, who grew up to be the founder and CEO of a faith-based media platform.[6] His aggressive news consumption while studying turned out to be a bad idea. “For the first time in my life,” he says, “I was consistently anxious and angry.”

To remedy the situation and get his personal relationship with news in check, Woodruff started summarizing the week’s headlines and pairing those summaries with brief biblical reminders and Scripture. He shared the summaries with a few friends and family in what would become the recipe for The Pour Over, a faith-based, politically neutral news platform with over 1.6 million subscribers. Three times a week, an email lands in subscribers’ inboxes with an unbiased digest of current headlines that leave readers feeling “informed (not drained) and focused on Christ.” There are also a Pour Over podcast and app—because everything has an app these days.

Reading the news after first grounding ourselves in Scripture creates a proper posture for discerning truth. It reminds us that God is sovereign; there is nothing in the headlines that surprises him. He is in control, and he is faithful. Legendary motivational speaker Zig Ziglar liked to joke that he read the newspaper every day and the Bible every day so that he would “know what both sides are up to.”

Indeed, if we want to strengthen our discernment muscles, we need first to seek God: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”[7]

Next, we need to choose our media diet wisely. The news ecosystem in 2026 is vast and varied. According to a study by The Media Insight Project, Americans regularly tap into traditional outlets like broadcast television, cable news, radio, and print, as well as digital-only sources and social media platforms to get news on a range of topics.[8] For national news and pop culture, a surprising 57% of those surveyed say they get at least some news from influencers or independent content creators. These are folks that respondents may or may not know personally but who share opinions, commentary or updates about current events. They may or may not be professional journalists.

From blogs to podcasts, search engines to chatbots, and TikTok to Reddit, American consumers encounter a media smorgasbord every day. It is easy to over-indulge in this environment or fill our plates with empty calories. The average American spends nearly one-quarter of their day (6 hours) consuming media.[9] Do we really need to ingest that much?

When we work our way through any buffet line, a little pre-decided restraint goes a long way toward healthy selections. Maybe add some broccoli to that plate of fried chicken. How about the fresh fruit instead of faux mashed potatoes. And at least consider the tofu now and then. Likewise, with a little forethought, we can make better choices at the media trough. For example, are we striking a good balance between straight-forward news stories and fiery opinion pieces? Are the sources we’re counting on credible? And are we aware of our own biases, willing to consider other viewpoints to get to the truth of a story?

Managing a healthy media diet does not mean ditching a favorite daily or switching off a preferred news program. Instead of absent-mindedly feeding our appetites, streamlining the menu may be good for the old waistline. Here are a few tools that can help with that:

News aggregators—Digital platforms such as Google News, Apple News, Flipboard, and Reddit, gather articles from a variety of sources and present them in a single location. Users can scan headlines quickly and compare coverage from different viewpoints in minutes, not hours.

Media curators—Curators also harvest news stories from multiple sources, but these models summarize and add context to the content as well. Mostly subscription or membership-based, these options include platforms such as The Pour Over (mentioned earlier), Ground News, 1440, and Tangle. Each offer a unique approach to curating and sifting the news. Ground News, for example, spotlights media bias and identifies media blind spots to help readers understand how different outlets frame the same story. 1440, named for the number of minutes in a single day, helps readers use those minutes efficiently to stay well-informed without getting bogged down. Unlike other media curators, 1440 relies heavily on human editors rather than algorithms. The Tangle platform dives deep into top political stories of the day, presents opposing views on that topic, and summarizes the competing arguments.

Media rating organizations—To help audiences get to the truth, these media watchdogs evaluate how trustworthy and balanced news sources are. Groups such as AllSides Rating, AdFontesMedia, and Media Bias Fact Check, analyze and rate news outlets based on bias, reliability, transparency, or factual accuracy. The Media Bias Chart, published by AllSides, has become a favorite gauge for seekers of authenticity and truth in reporting.

Few of us work in professions that require a 24/7 commitment to news consumption, so tools like these can help minimize the time we spend sorting and sifting the news. That is not to say we should abandon our own thoughtful assessment of current events. On the contrary, a clear-eyed pursuit of honest news remains a prudent effort. Jesus sent his disciples out as “sheep in the midst of wolves” and encouraged them to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”[10] So too, we need to stay alert to potential falsehoods and strive to maintain our own sense of honesty and integrity.

A final thought for the seekers of truth in a troubled time (which one could argue is all of human history): set a timer. Don’t lose the truth searching for the truth. We can miss a lot of life’s blessings when we concentrate too intently on finding a perfection that cannot be found. Read or listen to the news, process the information, act on it when appropriate, and then move on.

In the days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, then-First Lady Laura Bush offered sage advice to parents. She encouraged them to reassure their children that they were safe, and then she urged them to turn off the television. Little eyes did not need to watch those awful images over and over.

In the same way, we do not need to ruminate on the day’s headlines or become distracted by the latest version of outrage. Instead, with the proper posture, a healthy media diet, and a handful of tools, we can set aside the headlines for a few hours. We can build our houses, plant our gardens, and flourish in plain sight, confident that God remains sovereign and that truth, ultimately, wins.

[1] “Trust in Media at New Low of 28% in U.S.,” Gallup, October 2, 2025, https://news.gallup.com/poll/695762/trust-media-new-low.aspx.

[2] Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner, City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era (Moody Publishers, 2010), 18.

[3] Jeremiah 25:5-7.

[4] Gerson and Wehner, City of Man, 18.

[5] Matthew 5:13.

[6] “About Us,” The Pour Over, accessed June 25, 2026, https://thepourover.org/about/#staff.

[7] James 1:5 (ESV)

[8] “The Evolving News Landscape: Comparing Media Habits and Trust Between Teens and Adults,” AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. April 2006, https://apnorc.org/projects/the-evolving-news-landscape-comparing-media-habits-and-trust-between-teens-and-adults/.

[9] “Media Consumption Trend Report,” Talker Research, October 8, 2024, https://talkerresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Talker-Research-Media-Consumption-Trend-Report.pdf.

[10] Matthew 10:16.