In a society that now relies primarily on fast, accessible and online news reporting, the real and honest truth in hard news can be hard to come by.

Confirmation bias and black and white news reporting have become a real and startling issue especially in 2025, with news sources reporting solely to specific political audiences, or viewers that they believe will agree and endorse their reporting.

One person that knows the extent of this issue is Susan Webb, a former BBC team leader for the British broadcaster’s Correspondence and Communication Department, which showed her firsthand results of how styles of reporting can affect the public.

“We see social media, vlogs, blogs, often reporting with eloquence but factually inaccurate information,” she said. “This brought huge concerns and the BBC’s first Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent, Mariane Springs began work in earnest in 2020 which helped slow down the situation but not entirely disperse it.”

A study conducted by Alan Dennis at Indiana University backed up this claim, finding that participants focused on news aligning with their opinions and often ignored contradictory information. The research also explored how presenting additional information — such as flagging fake news or displaying source reputation — affects the believability of news stories on social media platforms.

Someone that understands this preconceived bias to its full extent is Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, John Archibald, especially on a level that he notices that affects local news.

“It is more likely to be a problem on a national level simply because big ideological debates are so common in national and global politics,” Archibald said. “I’d say there is less in local news because reporters are closer to the news, and their sources and readers and generally have a lot more access and understanding of the issues there.”

In his opinion, “The biggest problem facing local news is lack of boots on the ground, personal contact with sources and original data. Good reporters seek original records, data, interviews, conversations and understanding from those involve. That kind of work reporting dispels bias and safeguards us from ourselves.”

News reporting is forever changing, especially in a society where AI is becoming more and more prevalent, so the need for true facts and accountability in modern day is more essential than ever. Information can get lost or get into the wrong hands, which can lead to worldwide misinformation, affecting those who may not even realize it.