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News literacy: Push alerts only tell a portion of the story

Getting news on your phone can help you stay informed in real time. But a balanced news diet is just as important when it comes to push alerts.

AUSTIN, Texas — Some days, the news push alerts just don’t stop. They are constant and they come from a lot of different outlets.

Getting them can help you maintain a healthy news diet and help you stay informed.

"A push alert is a really useful way to find out here's what's happening right now, but it's usually really, really short," said Talia Stroud, the director of the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin.

That’s the catch. As a news consumer, you might have to do a little more work – like clicking on the alert and reading the story or going to your TV – to find out more information.

"The nature of a push alert is to be provocative," said Gina Masullo, the associate director of the Center for Media Engagement.

When news breaks, journalists are constantly looking for updates and clarifications from sources like police, lawmakers and anyone connected to the story. The information that you see in the first push alert might not be the full and final story.

"Any big breaking story is going to change. Information changes as journalists find out more, as officials find out more," Masullo said.

Here are some tips:

  • Keep following the story if it’s of interest to you
  • Be careful about relying on any preliminary information

We want to hear from you with your questions about how news is gathered and then reported to you. Text KVUE at 512-459-9442 or email bnewberry@kvue.com.

WATCH: Gathering news on social media: The impact of the 'algorithm'

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