Is Indy news biased? Here’s my advice for finding reliable sources

What’s the No. 1 complaint I hear from Indy residents about our local news? It’s biased. At every single public event I host, at least one participant tells me they can detect bias in our news, and, as a result, they consume less news. 

Hoosiers aren’t alone in these sentiments. In fact, Pew Research Center, a not-for-profit research organization, found in 2025 that 58% of Americans say most journalists are biased, creating a lack of confidence in today’s news.

Here’s a few comments I’ve gathered during my outreach events around town:

“What frustrates me about the news is when it is biased.” 

“How does one know when the reporter is telling the truth, opinion or slanting the facts to control the reader’s perception and choices?” 

“Not knowing if I’m getting factual information or if there is political slant, I am more cautious about what I believe and feel like I usually need to do more follow-up research. And, sensationalizing things/events is frustrating.” 

Most people who share this insight with me do not want to be named. They don’t want to pick a fight or be labeled for turning away from current events. They want their concerns heard and taken seriously.

This widespread belief that our news is biased presents a challenge. Here’s why: When people can’t agree on a set of facts or a source of truth, we can’t collectively address problems.  

After talking to experts, I learned that perceptions of bias are rooted in consumers’ media habits. And, as news consumers, we can take action to weed out the sources we don’t trust and focus on those that provide the facts we’re looking for.

Three types of bias permeate our perceptions 

There are typically three ways bias is perceived by news consumers.

Some people will call a news outlet biased because of the stories they tell or the topics they cover. If this is you, you might get irritated when stories seem to embrace political views that are different from your beliefs. And, you might yearn for coverage of issues that you deeply care about. Below, I’ll share how you can still find value in news that doesn’t seem like a perfect fit for you.

Other people detect bias in the tone of certain stories, or the preference for sources with a particular point of view. This might leave you feeling skeptical of particular stories because they don’t seem balanced or neutral.

And other people find it difficult to distinguish between journalists who deliver straight facts and the “talking heads” that offer their opinions or are trying to persuade you. If you watch 24-hour cable news, this might sound familiar. 

“Journalists do a poor job often explaining which type of content is which, and that leaves news consumers not sure what the goal is,” said Joy Mayer, founder of Trusting News, a nonprofit resource that helps journalists build their credibility with audiences.

The news is not going to change, but here are some better approaches for your news consumption habits

There is bias in journalism, but it’s not often a flagrant disregard for one particular viewpoint. Newsrooms have a preference for controversy and recent developments. Journalists tend to focus on what’s broken, rather than what’s working. And many times, when a reporter selects a story, it’s because that reporter believes the story is the most important issue to cover that day. Those are all forms of bias.

While you may not share those same biases, don’t let that stop you from getting the news you need.

Even when the biases in a news story differ from your own, the information may still be reliable. Vanessa Otero, CEO and founder of Ad Fontes Media, created a media bias chart at an inflection point in political polarization in the U.S., to help family members who were unfollowing each other on social media during the Trump/Clinton election of 2016. What started as a personal project quickly became a guide for news consumers.

Nine recommendations for a healthy news diet

If you adopt a handful of these suggestions, you’ll save yourself time, energy and frustration. Ultimately, you will become a savvy news consumer.

1. Make deliberate choices about what form of news you consume.

Do you enjoy listening to local and national news as you head to work? Do you tune into a local news broadcast as you get ready each day? Or, do you begin your day scrolling through headlines on social media from sources you trust? Narrow down which form of news best suits your lifestyle and be consistent with your routine. Eliminate sources that feel like noise.

“Keep in mind that the news landscape, it’s literally tens of thousands of information sources you could go to, so you want to be able to consciously choose the news sources that you’re consuming,” Otero said. “You only have so many hours in a day to follow the news.”

2. Go to the original news outlet that first reported a story—all the rest is just a rehash.

A lot of the noise you encounter on social media and elsewhere can be avoided by checking out who first reported a story and going to that outlet for firsthand information. For instance, for news about a natural disaster, look for reporters who are close to the scene.

“Even though there are so many, tens of thousands of news sources, most of the new, original, important information still stems from the people who are working as journalists,” Otero said.

3. Install news apps from the outlets you trust and go to them for local, national and international news consistently.

Have you already decided which journalists you trust most and which are a turnoff because of their tone and the sources they use? If so, you can comfortably select the apps of local, national and international news outlets.

Otero recommends downloading a local news app, which is usually free, in addition to respected national and international outlets like AP, Reuters, BBC, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. (Hack: Having a public library card can get you free access to some of these national outlets with paywalls.) Local Indy TV news apps are free. WFYI has a free app and so does NPR, which you can set to WFYI. Same goes for Axios Indianapolis. And, the IndyStar’s app will let you see headlines for free.

4. Go local and consume less national news.

When you think of the news, do you lump local with national news and call it all bad? National news outlets tend to reflect the values of the large cities where they are headquartered. They also are more likely to blur the lines between straight reporting and news with an opinion, which they sometimes call “analysis.” Distinguishing between local and national news can help narrow your focus.

Mahadevan advises people to simplify their lives by consuming more local news and avoiding opinionated content.

“I always say ‘go local,’ because I think when people think the news is biased, what’s in their head is talking heads that are on the major broadcast channels,” he said. “Many of whom are opinion journalists or columnists or people, who look like journalists because they’re wearing a suit and they’re a talking head on TV, but they actually work for a think tank in D.C. or something.”

5. Judge the experience of the reporter on the beat, not the outlet overall.

Read the bylines. Learn the names of expert reporters. Then follow their work. This will save you from wasting time sorting through random bits of misinformation your friends might post on social media.

Ask questions: Is the reporter an expert? Do they routinely cover whatever they’re reporting on? Is there charged or loaded language or unnecessary adjectives in the content? Are they quoting legitimate sources? Asking these questions will help you form healthy news judgment, Mahadevan said.

6. Do your research on the news outlets you frequent, checking Wikipedia for basic information.

Wikipedia can offer some clues if you’re still not knowledgeable about your news sources. If you don’t know a news outlet’s reputation, a quick search will help you glean information you need to judge whether it should be part of your news diet. Look for an “about” page on a website. For local Indy newsrooms, check out our database.

“While there are some people who try to politicize Wikipedia, it’s still a very, very solid source for finding out more information about an outlet,” said Mahadevan. You can learn who owns the outlet, if there have been controversies with deep bias and what the outlet typically covers.

7. Get news from a variety of sources.

Mayer also advises news consumers to seek out a variety of news sources. If you have a good understanding of how your news providers line up on a political spectrum, make it a point to tap into different ones on the same issue.

“Every journalist is coming from somewhere, and it’s always a good idea to see how different journalists are covering the same thing,” she said.

8. Seek out news outlets and sources that have representation across the political spectrum as their value proposition.

Some news providers make it a point to show their audience exactly how issues are reported from different political perspectives.

Mayer recommends two sources that are helpful. Ground Newslabels the political bias and shortcomings present in various news stories on a daily basis. Tangle News is a daily newsletter that covers the top issues of the day with a deliberately neutral approach. It then shows consumers how liberal and conservative newsrooms are framing the stories. Starting with these sources will eliminate any guessing games and doubts around political slant.

“It involves a lot of opinion journalism, but it does a really wonderful job of engaging with the best version of arguments from different sides,” Mayer said of Tangle News.

9. When you are frustrated, give news outlets feedback.

Giving feedback will help both you and the journalists. “Whenever you feel like you can be specific about what they’re missing, what they’re mischaracterizing, what they’re getting wrong, that’s actually very useful,” said Mayer. CNN and other big companies might not listen to your criticism, but local outlets and local journalists are more likely to take feedback, she said.

Let local journalists know if they missed something. Most people think journalists have ulterior motives for the way they report a news story, but usually that isn’t the case. Helping reporters see alternative sides to a story can help them improve their reporting.

I also want your feedback. If you are among the many people frustrated by bias in the news, try some of these techniques. And let me know how they work. You may discover a new approach that could help others. Together we can help make media literacy second nature and keep your news diet healthy.