In general, news organizations are not great sources of knowledge. News is too focused on the negative and the right now. Knowledge requires context and a more balanced look at events that often requires analysis and hindsight.
News caters to our cognitive biases because that’s what sells, and while what they provide is extremely valuable, even critical to a functioning democracy, it’s not going to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the world.
Science news is the same way. You might think that because science is more disciplined, the news might be more comprehensive by nature, but science often requires time for meanings to become clear.
You see it clearly in reports about the latest study that suggests that X food is bad for you when another study just said it was good for you.
And you hear it from the scientists interviewed about their findings, warning not to jump to conclusions based on their little piece of the puzzle.
Comprehensive understanding requires that facts, like we get from the news, be integrated and cross-checked in a larger context.
The news just doesn’t work that way.
