(playful music) - Coming up next on NewsDepth.

Where do Americans get their news?

Farms are dealing with water issues.

Mary talks about a few of our top crops, corn and soybeans.

And what can rocks tell us about our state's history?

NewsDepth is now.

(playful music) About half of adults in the US say they regularly get their news from social media, but is that always the best source of information?

Hello, I'm Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

While getting news and information from social media can be okay much of the time, I mean we all do it.

Some things on social media might be inaccurate.

Media literacy is the ability to critically analyze what we learn from media to determine its credibility, which is why the US Surgeon General is asking for a warning label on social media apps for the threat it poses to young minds.

Julia Vargas-Jones has more.

- It's fast, it's convenient.

A lot of the time they're going there for entertainment.

- [Julia] Most news consumers on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X report seeing inaccurate news at least sometimes, but X and Facebook users are most likely to say they see news that seems inaccurate, often.

- There's sort of like a different level of expectation on these platforms than on the traditional ways that people are getting news.

- A key question is who's the author who made this?

Question that follows up is why?

What's the purpose?

- [Julia] And younger minds might have an even harder time.

- Just because they know how to use the technology doesn't mean that they understand the consequences.

- [Julia] On Monday, the US surgeon general demanding Congress add a warning label on social media apps for the threat they pose to children.

- Not only have companies not demonstrated that their platforms are safe for kids, but there's growing evidence of harm.

A warning label would help parents to understand these risks.

Many parents don't know that those risks exist.

- [Julia] But advocates say legislation is no substitute for education.

- It's not enough, it's never enough.

The young people need to have the skills themselves.

- Thank you Julia.

And that brings us to our poll for this week.

Where do you get your news?

Jump over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between social media, television.

This can include NewsDepth, of course, radio, newspapers, or from other people.

And this is a multiple choice poll.

So remember to select all that apply to you.

Last week we talked about the different roles people have played in our democracy and we wanted to know what you thought was the best way to be an active citizen.

Let's look out the results of the poll.

Whoa, 58% of you said that the best way to participate in the democracy, is to do a mix of everything.

I think I agree.

25% of you voted for voting.

See what I did there?

About 9% of you said that staying informed is very important.

5% of you said your idea of democracy definitely includes public demonstrations, and 3% of you think more people should run for office.

We already know that almost anyone can post on the internet.

Almost anyone can make their own website or write their own blog, and almost anyone can post on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, you name it.

But how do you know if the information you see on the internet is 100% true?

Sometimes people post misinformation.

Misinformation is information that is untrue.

For example, rumors, false data, or sometimes even completely made up stories.

When misinformation is presented as news, it can spread confusion or fear.

One strategy to practice quality media literacy is to check for evidence.

For example, if you see a post on Instagram that claims dogs can now speak fluent Spanish.

(speaking in Spanish) It's important to first check for evidence, if the account does not reference any experts or official news sources, then that claim could be misinformation.

Another clue to look for is an author's name.

If an article posted online doesn't say who the author is, that might not be a trustworthy source.

Last of all, do some double checking.

If a news source makes a claim that sounds surprising, you can look up other sources to see if they're saying the same thing or something different.

So even as you're watching NewsDepth, feel free to find even more news sources.

For our Write To Us this week, we want to hear your tips for knowing if a news source is credible, tell us what it is you look for in an article or report that indicates the news is accurate.

You can send us your answers by using our inbox form on our website or by sending us an email to newsdepth@ideastream.org.

I can't wait to read what you all have to say.

Last episode, we talked about the mental load life can take on a young person like all of you.

And we learned that sometimes talking to a peer can really help.

So we wanted you to share some supportive words.

Let's see what you had to say by opening our inbox.

Mya from Gordon Dewitt Elementary in Cuyahoga Falls starts us off with some science.

"Dear NewsDepth, I think you should talk to someone you know or write down your problems and keep it somewhere special.

It's good to express your feelings and makes you feel a lot better.

And if you need to, you can always give a good cry.

It releases a chemical called oxytocin.

I learned that from a science video on YouTube."

Noah from Marion Local in Maria Stein is encouraged with some simple words.

"I can do this, you can do it.

This would be what I would like to hear when I'm having a bad day."

Ireland from Claggett Middle School and my hometown, Medina, sent in the supportive words.

"Dear NewsDepth, something I like to hear when I'm having a bad day is you are making a difference."

Luke from Frank Elementary in Perrysburg likes to think of a goldfish when they're starting to feel stress.

"Dear NewsDepth, when I'm having a bad day, I like to hear the word goldfish.

The goldfish has a memory of eight seconds.

So when someone says goldfish, get the bad stuff outta your mind."

And Orchid from Lee Eaton Intermediate School in Macedonia sent in a hug.

"Dear NewsDepth, when I'm sad or mad, I like to have a hug.

I don't like it when someone just says it's okay because it's practically useless, but it just feels better to have a hug.

Hope you guys at NewsDepth have a great day."

Back at you Orchid.

Thanks for writing in everyone.

I think a lot of these should be on motivational posters.

It's nice to have the reminder some days.

Okay, now let's dig into some more news.

Farmers in Texas are unable to water their crops.

The crisis is attributed to a prolonged drought in a contentious 80-year-old water treaty between the US and Mexico.

Texas Water authorities report that reservoirs along the Rio Grande are at record lows.

And while Mexico is expected to fulfill its treaty obligations by October, 2025, the delay has already devastated local agriculture.

Agriculture is the science or occupation of cultivating the soil, producing crops and raising livestock.

Rosa Flores has the story.

- [Jose] I just turned 71 and growing citrus.

That's always been my passion.

- [Rosa] Jose Silva, citrus grower in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas takes us to a grove he hasn't irrigated since January.

- Well, this grove is about 25 years old.

- [Rosa] To show us how his life's work could be imperil due to lack of water.

- As you can see, the leaves folding and the fruit, how small it is because we haven't been able to irrigate like we should.

- The culprits he says are both natural and manmade.

There's the years long drought that has reservoirs along the Rio Grande at all time lows according to Texas water authorities and a dispute between the US and Mexico over an 80-year-old water treaty.

I'm in South Texas under the 1944 Treaty, Mexico, which you see over my shoulder across the Rio Grande, owes the US about 390,000 Olympic sized swimming pools of water so far this five year cycle, which ends October, 2025.

Currently about 90% of the country is enduring its most expansive drought since 2011.

- We have a 1944 Tratado.

- [Rosa] Mexico's foreign ministry points to that year's long severe drought and says it plans to meet its treaty obligations by the October, 2025 deadline.

But it's too late for some farmers.

Not only have some citrus growers pulled and burned their wilted groves.

- [Jose] When you see this, it's just heartbreaking.

It just breaks your heart.

- The entire South Texas sugar cane industry is dead forcing the state's only sugar mill, a $100 million business that employed more than 500 people to close in April.

Tudor Uhlhorn is a chairman of the Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers.

So is this equipment gonna be sold?

- Yes.

- And says a group of 90 farmers went from harvesting 35,000 acres of sugar cane and churning giant piles of sugar like this one to producing less than 10,000 acres in February.

Do you impart blame the State Department for not forcing Mexico to provide the water?

- It's definitely the fault of the State Department because this has occurred under Republican administrations and it's recurring right now under a Democratic administration.

If you start to feel like maybe the State Department doesn't care about you very much.

- [Rosa] The State Department tells CNN that the agency continues to urge Mexico to make water deliveries and continues to work with Congress to resolve the issue.

- Thank you, Rosa.

Farmers in Minnesota, on the other hand, are dealing with too much water.

A two-year drought ended thanks to excessive rain, which has also led to excellent growth in forage, hay fields and pastures benefiting cattle and hay farmers.

But the heavy rains have also caused significant issues.

David Schuman is on the field.

- [David] Let's be clear off the top.

No drought is better than drought.

Butch Cardinal just wishes the rainfall had been more spread out this spring.

- It's never perfect.

It's never average.

So you know the farmers deal with it.

- On Butch's, all good organics farm in Lino Lakes, the excessive rain and heats meant good news and bad news.

First, the good.

- The forage, the hay fields, the pastures, phenomenal, growing, just great.

You know, it's good for the cattle farmers, great for the hay producers.

We're gonna have a beautiful hay crop.

- [David] But then the rain's brought problems too.

- It keeps us out of the field.

The tractors can't go, they just, they sink.

It's mud.

Everything gums up, plugs up.

- Butch says a week ago, this land here was completely submerged in water.

Not only did it put him behind in his growing schedule, but look at these pepper plants.

He says they're already dead, a complete lost cause.

- But I still have enough in the ground to, I'm okay.

- [David] The rains been enough to do something that hasn't been done in about two years.

Eliminate drought in Minnesota.

- Through the best thing for drought conditions would be a long-term, steady rainfall.

So you can get it, you can soak it into the ground and that can help with those drought conditions.

Otherwise, when we do get a lot of storms at once and you're looking at the flooding concerns.

- [David] More rain is in the forecast too.

And knowing when and how much, well that's just part of Butch's job.

- Thank you, David.

Farming or agriculture is a key part of Ohio's history and economy, dating back to Native Americans and early European settlers who grew crops like corn and beans.

Today, Ohio is a major producer of soybeans and corn using food, animal feed, biofuels, and so much more.

Mary Fecteau has this week's, know Ohio, all about the industry.

(playful music) - Boy is anyone else hungry?

It's getting close to lunchtime and thankfully I've got lots of delicious options.

But do you ever think about your food?

I mean, really think about it.

Almost everything we eat was grown for us by a farmer.

And it's not just our food.

Sometimes farmers had a hand in the clothes on our back and the fuel in our tanks.

Maybe some of you live on or near a farm, that wouldn't be too surprising because guess what Ohio's number one industry is, I hope you guess farming because it's farming.

But when we talk about farming as an industry, we tend to call it agriculture.

That's just a fancy word for all the different types of farming, from raising animals to growing crops.

But farming is also one of Ohio's oldest professions.

Before Ohio even officially existed, the people who lived here made their living, farming.

Ohio's Native Americans grew corn, beans and all kinds of veggies like squash, sweet potatoes and cabbage.

And the first European settlers in Ohio also took up the trade.

Before the 1800s, there was no Kroger or giant eagle.

If you wanted to eat something, you had to grow it yourself.

And that's exactly how the first Ohioans fed their families.

They raised wheat, corn, and other green crops.

By 1849, Ohio produced more corn than any other state, and that's still one of our top crops today.

But our number one crop is the soybean.

Soybeans and corn are number one and two, because they're so versatile.

Even if you don't see these guys on your dinner place, they can be used to feed animals or used to make biofuel, sweeteners and cooking oils.

But we're coming up with new ways to use them every day, like in plastics and building materials.

If you've driven around our state, chances are you've seen one of these farms in action.

But sadly, the number of farms in our state is on the decline.

By the early 1900s, most Ohioans were living in urban areas.

And today farmers as a group are getting older and older.

Most farm owners in Ohio are over 65 years old and younger generations aren't embracing this way of life.

That's bad news for us because without farms we have no local food source.

Because this way of life is slowly fading, the Ohio Department of Agriculture started honoring farms that have continued to operate.

The Century Farm Program is meant to recognize the many contributions of family farms that have been around for over 100 years.

And we can do our part too.

A great way to support Ohio farmers is to head to a farmer's market.

There you can meet the farmers that grow your fruits and veggies and buy food directly from them.

My favorite thing to buy from my local farmer's market is Ohio's official state fruit, the tomato.

Sometimes it's fun for city folk like me to talk to farmers at the farmer's market and maybe get some tips for my own sad, suffering garden.

It's a good thing Ohioans today don't need to grow their own food like they did hundreds of years ago.

With my black thumb of death, I'd probably starve.

Speaking of lunchtime.

- Thank you Mary.

A Wisconsin dairy farmer is using social media to help out other farms.

With more than 4 million views on TikTok, he's showing others how his small dairy farm is milking it in the modern age.

Dan Hagen has the scoop.

- Hey there TikTok.

- [Dan] Dairy Farmer, Aaron Ninnemann's TikTok following is growing, including this video with more than 4 million views.

- [Aaron] This cow here is wandering in to milk herself.

You can see she came in at her own leisurely pace.

- [Dan] It all started when he was looking to modernize the farm a few years ago, but he couldn't find anything for small dairies like his.

- The reason I started putting it all on TikTok was to give other small farmers 60, 120, 180 cow guys an option that you know you can do something like this without spending millions of dollars.

- [Dan] Ninnemann Enterprises incorporated in Wausau, retrofitted a barn using Lely Milking Robots, an investment that is paying off.

- [Aaron] We are currently milking 134 cows with our Lely A5 robots.

- [Dan] The robots don't end there.

Aaron uses another Lely machine.

He calls it a Moomba since it moves on its own pushing feed closer to the cows.

- So every hour on the hour it runs through to get rid of the task of going through four times a day with a broom or something like that.

So this keeps the feed up close to the cows so they can continue eating.

- [Dan] Proving that through technology, small dairy farms aren't going anywhere.

- It just makes it nice for a family farm that everything can get done kind of in a timely fashion, and yet it's profitable enough to keep on going.

- Thanks Dan.

You know who would really like that story?

Newshound, of course, he loves a little saucer of milk in the morning.

Let's check in to see if he has this week's petting zoo ready for us.

(playful music) (dog barking) Hey there, Newshound.

Well, there he is, drinking his milk.

Okay, we'll let you finish your bowl before we put you to work.

Alright, so what did you find first this week?

Oh, it's a story about a runaway Emu.

To see how this bird finally made it back home, you can check out the full story on YouTube and on our website.

(playful music) I'm really digging that milk mustache Newshound.

Thanks again.

Well, I hope you don't mind getting a little dirty because our next few stories are about just that.

A newly discovered dinosaur named Fona is capturing attention due to its unique burrowing behavior.

Burrowing is when an animal makes a hole or tunnel underground.

Scientists believe that this seven foot long herbivore used its robust hind legs and unusually large feet for digging.

This discovery is significant as it provides insights into the evolution of dinosaurs.

Eric Miller digs in.

- [Eric] It's a scene out of another world.

This seven foot long burrow dwelling plan eater climbing out of the earth.

That burrowing is what scientists like Haviv Avrahami argue makes this dinosaur Fona Herzogae so unique.

- Incredibly rare, it's only been identified as a behavior in one close other closely related species.

- [Eric] Avrahami, a PhD student at NC State and first author of the paper describing Fona says they're confident it was a burrower for a number of reasons, including the shape of its bones, especially its robust hind legs.

- And its feet are also freakishly large for the rest of the size of its body, and would've helped it kick bucket loads of dirt out of his home.

- [Eric] While the dinosaur might be from Utah, the name pays tribute to Avrahami's roots, half a world away alleged from the Chamorro people of Guam and the Western Pacific.

- And then when Fona died, she threw herself into the earth and herself became fossilized.

And from her petrified body sprang forth new life in the form of Chamorro people.

- [Eric] Avrahami says, there's plenty more to learn from this little dinosaur.

- Fona is part of a group of dinosaurs that we know almost nothing about.

- This Fona helping write the history of Fona's descendants, including one of the most famous North Carolina dinosaurs, Thescelosaurus.

- Thescelosaurus lived alongside the Tyrannosaur downstairs and the triceratops.

And so now that we know Fona lived 35 million years before it, we can kind of fill in the gaps in the evolution of these really cryptic animals.

- Thank you for the report, Eric.

Even the smallest pebble can teach us a big lesson and today's spot on science, Margaret Cavalier interviews Kevin Magee, president of the Cleveland Geological Society to talk about the rocks that can be found in Ohio and what they teach us about Ohio's history.

Geology, by the way, is the science that studies earth's physical structure.

Okay, take it away, Margaret.

(playful music) - Ever get a pebble stuck in your shoe?

It can be annoying for sure, but even the smallest rocks can teach us a big lesson.

To learn a little more, I invited Kevin Magee, president of the Cleveland Geological Society to rock it out in the studio.

I started by asking him what exactly is geology?

- So geology.

Geology is technically the study of rocks, but I really look at it as the study of the Earth's history.

The rocks, when they were laid down, the minerals were deposited, the world was very different than it was now.

And they could tell us a lot about what the earth looked like when those rocks were put down on the surface.

- Neat, so you brought in a lot of Ohio rocks.

So if we look at them like clues, we can find out some more about Ohio's history.

- We can, we can tell what Ohio was like back two, three, 400 million years ago.

- [Margaret] Awesome, well let's get digging.

- Okay, so we have sandstone.

This is Berea Sandstone from just south of Cleveland in Berea, Ohio.

And at the time when this rock was laid down, we were a river delta with the division between the ocean and the land.

We were right on the edge and big rivers were carrying eroded rock from big mountains that no longer exist in Canada to the north down here and deposited as it rivers went into the ocean.

And then this right here is coal.

And the coal was deposited when we were more inland.

We were swamps and again, south the equator 300 million years ago.

And it's all ferns and trees that don't exist today.

All dead and compacted and forming coal.

And then we have salt here.

Salt was laid down in the Silurian about 425 million years ago.

And the salt was from this area being an ocean and then being dried up and then an ocean, then drying up and then an ocean.

And we just got layer upon layer upon layer of salt.

And some of it is light color.

Some of it's dark color depending on the minerals that were in the water when the salt evaporated or the water evaporated.

- That's neat.

What about this next guy?

- So that is world famous Cleveland Shale.

It's a very black flaky rock.

And it tells us the world back then was under three or 400 foot of ocean at least a year in Ohio.

And it was interesting because it was a stagnant sea.

There was no oxygen on the bottom of the sea and nothing could live there.

And it forms a very dark rock when it does that.

But we know that there was life in the upper waters because large fish like Dunkleosteus, the big armored fish when it died would drift to the bottom of the sea and get buried and fossilized.

And so we know that there were animals living in the upper waters, but in the lower waters it was just all black silty, rot stuff that eventually became rock.

- Oh wow, and how about this one?

'Cause this guy's got some interesting kind of seashells in it.

- It does.

Yeah, this is limestone, 400 to 450 million years old and it actually has all sorts of little creatures in it.

Some you can't even see little diatoms, things that live in the water.

And when they die they drift to the bottom.

They form a lime mud.

And then within that there's also corals and shells and things like that.

And they all eventually get turned into rock together.

- And what do some of these rocks get used for today?

- So limestone, you see a lot on gravel driveways, on break walls along the lakefront.

For the sandstone, it was used a lot in the past for grindstones and also for buildings.

You would see it in building materials and even making curbs.

They used it for curbs as well.

- And then what about the shale?

What is that used for?

- There really is nothing that shale is used for.

- It's just too flaky and too soft, and so it just sits there.

Nobody uses it for anything.

- Well, we can use it for figuring out more about Ohio's history.

- You know, it does.

- Awesome, well thank you so much for coming in.

It's been really interesting.

- Thank you, my pleasure.

- I think that means that our state rocks.

Thank you, Margaret.

You know who else rocks, our A plus award winners.

We are continually impressed by students who know what they want to do in life and take the steps to reach their goals.

That's the reason this week's A plus award winners are the business professionals of America at Buchtel Community Learning Center in Akron.

The Business Professionals of America, or BPA for short, our sixth, seventh, and eighth graders who are honing their skills for leadership and business or other related fields.

Michael told us that it's not just about learning about public speaking and how to use spreadsheets, but it's also about building your confidence.

Quincy added that BPA has really helped him to work with other people and to develop goals and strategies.

Maliah told us that it really helped her learn how to advocate for her ideas and what she believes in.

You see BPA students get to participate in competitions that challenge the students to work together and communicate effectively.

Joslyn explained to us that in the competitions they have to give public speeches and even record videos.

Zion and Michael told us that they use all kinds of editing software, especially CapCut to make their videos.

And Braelyn told us that they will be really organized with their thoughts and ideas so that they can communicate effectively when making videos and giving speeches.

The BPA team at Buchtel has been scoring high marks in their competitions as they're competing at the state leadership conference held in Columbus, they became national qualifiers to attend and travel to Chicago for the 2024 Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference.

This group of Buchtel Griffins left us with some wise words that really motivated us to make the season of NewsDepth the very best.

They told us that if something is important enough to put your name on it, it's important enough to do your very best.

Congratulations to the Business Professionals of America from Buchtel Community Learning Center in Akron.

I think we're out of time for today's episode, but let's keep the conversation going.

You know, we always want to hear from you and there are plenty of ways for you to stay in touch with us.

You can send us a letter.

We're at 1375 Euclid Avenue.

That's Cleveland, Ohio.

Zip code here is 44115.

And you can email us at newsdepth@ideastream.org.

Plus you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube.

Hit subscribe if you're old enough so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.

Thank you for joining us.

I'm Gabriel Kramer.

We'll see you right back here next week.

(playful music) - [Announcer] NewsDepth is made possible by grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

(playful music)