How do you know what's happening in your world?
你会通过什么方式去了解这个世界正在发生什么？
The amount of information just a click away may be limitless,
动动鼠标，你就可以知道大把消息多到数不过来的消息，
but the time and energy we have to absorb and evaluate it is not.
但是我们用来吸收和判断这些消息的时间和精力却是有限的。
All the information in the world won't be very useful unless you know how to read the news.
对你来说，并不是每一条消息都有用，除非你知道如何去选择新闻。
To your grandparents, parents, or even older siblings, this idea would have sounded strange.
对你的父辈，祖父辈，甚至是年长一点的哥哥姐姐来说，这个话题听来略显怪异。
Only a few decades ago, news was broad-based.
也就十几年前，新闻是包罗万象的。
Your choices were limited to a couple of general interest magazines and newspaper of record,
而你的选择也是很有限的，局限于那些普通的杂志、报纸，
and three or four TV networks where trusted newscasters delivered the day's news at the same reliable time every evening.
还有3到4个电视频道权威的播音员每天准时准点播出的每日新闻中。
But the problems with this system soon became apparent as mass media spread.
随着大众传媒的普及，这些老旧的收取新闻渠道的缺点变得越来越明显。
While it was known that authoritarian countries controlled and censored information,
专制的国家对于新闻的控制和审查这一点大家心知肚明，
a series of scandals showed that democratic governments were also misleading the public, often with media cooperation.
一连串的丑闻被曝光显示出民主政府也同样会通过传媒，去误导大众。
Revelations of covert wars, secret assassinations,
隐蔽的战争，秘密暗杀，
and political corruption undermined public faith in official narratives presented by mainstream sources.
政治腐败，无一不在摧毁大众对于由主流媒体报道并粉饰的政府丑陋行为的信心。
This breakdown of trust in media gatekeepers lead to alternative newspapers, radio shows, and cable news
对主流媒体的信任瓦解，导致了报纸、电台、有线新闻
competing with the major outlets and covering events from various perspectives.
与另一些持不同观点的传播渠道竞争。
More recently, the Internet has multiplied the amount of information and viewpoints,
近年来，互联网上各类的信息咨询和评论观点多不胜数，
with social media, blogs, and online video turning every citizen into a potential reporter.
因为大众传媒、博客、在线视频网正不知不觉将每一个人打造成有潜力的记者。
But if everyone is a reporter, nobody is, and different sources may disagree, not only opinions, but on the facts themselves.
但若每个人都是记者，则每个人也都不是记者了，同一事件不同渠道的报道各有不同，不仅评论有异议，真实性也众说纷纭。
So how do you get the truth, or something close?
此前提下，试问你如何了解真相？
One of the best ways is to get the original news unfiltered by middlemen.
其中一个最好的方法就是去找到未经中间人过滤的新闻原始版本。
Instead of articles interpreting a scientific study or a politician's speech,
那些所谓经科学研究的，或是出去政客之口的文章多半有水分，
you can often find the actual material and judge for yourself.
所以，你完全可以找到原始信息，然后自己做判断。
For current events, follow reporters on social media.
对于那些时事新闻，你可以听听电视上那些记者是怎么说的。
During major events, such as the Arab Spring or the Ukrainian protests,
对于那些热门大事件，比如阿拉伯之春或是乌克兰的抗议，
newscasters and bloggers have posted updates and recordings from the midst of the chaos.
新闻工作者和博客主们已经提供了最新的情况和记录。

Though many of these later appear in articles or broadcasts, keep in mind that
要注意，我们从电视和报纸上看到的很多信息，
these polished versions often combine the voice of the person who was there with the input of editors who weren't.
都是在场的当事人以及不在场的编辑制造出的混合体。
At the same time, the more chaotic the story, the less you should try to follow it in real time.
同时，事件越混乱，你就越不该实时跟踪此事件。
In events like terrorist attacks and natural disasters,
比如恐怖袭击和自然灾害，
today's media attempts continuous coverage even when no reliable new information is available,
即使没有可信的信息支持，当天的媒体也想对事件进行持续报道，
sometimes leading to incorrect information or false accusations of innocent people.
有时候会提供错误信息或造成对无辜群众的错误指控。
It's easy to be anxious in such events,
面对这样的事件，我们会变得焦虑，
but try checking for the latest information at several points in the day, rather than every few minutes,
但是要尝试从不同的渠道接受有关同一事件的信息，大概每隔几分钟，
allowing time for complete details to emerge and false reports to be refuted.
电视上就出来一个新的细节消息推翻错误的报道。
While good journalism aims for objectivity, media bias is often unavoidable.
好的记者看中事件的客观性，媒体的偏颇却也是无可避免。
When you can't get the direct story,
当你无法直接知道事件的真相，
read coverage in multiple outlets which employ different reporters and interview different experts.
多看看不同媒体的报道，看看不同的记者是如何报道，同时听听不同专家的评论。
Tuning in to various sources and noting the differences lets you put the pieces together for a more complete picture.
浏览多渠道并且注意到不同点，你将这些消息片段拼接在一起，便能看到更完整的画面。
It's also crucial to separate fact from opinion.
学会将事件从评论分离也很重要。
Words like think, likely, or probably mean that the outlet is being careful or, worse, taking a guess.
那些不确定多字眼，像是认为、有可能、也许，代表着媒体的谨慎，或许，这只是在媒体的猜测。
And watch out for reports that rely on anonymous sources.
对于那些匿名的信息来源就要格外当心了。
These could be people who have little connection to the story, or have an interest in influencing coverage,
那也许是内部人士提供的，或是在事件中能够获利的人提供的，
their anonymity making them unaccountable for the information they provide.
他们的匿名使得所提供的消息并不可信。
Finally, and most importantly, try to verify news before spreading it.
最后，也是最重要的一点，在传播消息之前要确定它的真实性。
While social media has enabled the truth to reach us faster,
当大众传媒令真相那么唾手可得的时候，
it's also allowed rumors to spread before they can be verified and falsehoods to survive long after they've been refuted.
也令流言能在未被证实前传播开来，假象在被证实前也已经流传很久了。
So, before you share that unbelievable or outrageous news item,
所以，在你传播那些不可思议或是劲爆的新闻消息前，
do a web search to find any additional information or context you might have missed and what others are saying about it.
上网查阅，看看这个消息被遗漏的要点或是别人对此事件的评价。
Today, we are more free than ever from the old media gatekeepers who used to control the flow of information.
现如今，我们比起以前生活在官媒控制下的人们有着更大的自由。
But with freedom comes responsibility:
但是自由带来责任：
the responsibility to curate our own experience and ensure that this flow does not become a flood,
我们有责任去保证这条新闻不会造成无谓的新闻泛滥，
leaving us less informed than before we took the plunge.
让我们变得更加一无所知。