Reflections on Media Trust and Language Learning
When I first arrived in the U.S. over two decades ago, one of my top priorities was to learn English. Like many immigrants, I enrolled in ESL classes at a community college. However, I quickly realized that the curriculum, heavily focused on grammar, was not the fastest route to becoming conversationally fluent. It felt like being taught to run before I even knew how to crawl. A family member suggested I try listening to KPCC (now LAist), a local radio station in Los Angeles. Their conversational content became a valuable tool for learning English. For years, FM 89.3 was my go-to station in the car. But over time, I noticed a shift in their reporting. While they claim to remain politically neutral, it is clear that their content leans left. This in itself is not a problem since media outlets are entitled to have a perspective. What is troubling is the lack of transparency in declaring their stance. This realization has fueled my growing distrust in media reporting overall. It seems tha...