About two-thirds of Americans say they follow news about presidential candidates and elections very or fairly closely. But many voters struggle to distinguish trustworthy news from fake or biased information. Here are some tips on how to get the facts you can trust.
A presidential news conference is a formal interaction between a President and reporters in which the President answers questions from a group of reporters, typically seated on either side of him or her. These events can range from an informal interaction with individual journalists to a more structured event where reporters submit questions in advance and the President selects which to answer.
During these events, reporters can ask the President questions about the news of the day or questions that have been submitted by the public. Some news conferences are recorded and broadcast live on television, but most are not. While the term “news conference” is used to describe these interactions, other terms such as “press availability,” which could refer to a more casual interaction with reporters, are also common. When choosing which sources to follow, look for a variety of viewpoints so you have the full story. And consider whether a source is objective (trying to present all sides of an issue), uses credible sources, describes its research methods and has a clear agenda or conflict of interest. A good way to do this is to look for the website’s “About” section, which should provide details about the source, including who works there and where it’s located as well as a description of its funding if it’s a nonprofit.