Information is created and shared across various mediums and at different times after an initial event takes place.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Source: "Information Timeline" by QCCLibrary, educational use
After an event occurs, you can look to…
Social Media sources
- within minutes – here social media platforms “breaks” the story. Info may be incomplete, false, or biased.
- Examples: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Blogs, etc.
News sites, TC, Radio & Daily Newspapers
- within days – As time passes, info gets added, updated and verified. Opinions emerge. Examples: cnn.com, BBC radio, New York Times, etc.
- within a week – These offer more insight, likely to include context info, interviews, related topics.
- Examples: Newsweek, Time, People, The New Yorker
- within a month – additional time allows for better reporting. May include opinions.
- Example: Time, People Magazine, Wired, National Geographic, Scientific American
- Within 3+ months – written by experts, well-researched and objective.
- Examples: Journal of American Culture, Nature, JAMA
- Within 12+ months – benefits most from hindsight. Gives most in-depth coverage of a topic.
- Examples: non-fiction titles, textbooks, reference materials, etc