If you have ever worked with an instructor or a librarian who taught you to check the credibility of your sources by using CRAP, CRAPP, CRAAPO, RADAR, SHEEP, TRAAP, understand what those checklists do...and don't do. They're pretty good at evaluating ethos but do little to nothing for evaluating logos and pathos. Unfortunately, the only way to truly understand an article's argument is to read the article and critically engage with it. Sorry, no shortcuts here. You have to be able to think for yourself.
SIFT can be a really helpful acronym when trying to make sense of the news beyond a checklist.
Locating fake news--disinformation and misinformation entails carefully judging the information you encounter. You must be able to recognize the underpinnings of the story. This takes practice.
The Book Bistro (second floor of Rod Library) includes current issues of the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Des Moines Register, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, and Northern Iowan.
You are not required to use physical copies, but sometimes it's nice to flip through a physical product!
