The point about relying on media outlets for information is not about personal preferences but that they need to be source-checked and used through a critical eye, especially if you're going on to cite them as a source.

They're all unreliable to varying degrees, mainly because political preferences burst out from the opinion pages and filter through the supposedly impartial news. There is no longer any "journal of record" and they're all unreliable to varying degrees. As a result I glance online at some five or so outlets from across the political spectrum every day in order to have some chance of establishing balanced facts.

Others simply consult the outlet that most coincides with their personal views, which is what most of the media (including unfortunately public broadcasters nowadays) trades on.

That ABC item on Perth based on feedback from their own Facebook page is as poor journalism as anything you'd find in the UK Sun. My point is that just because it's from the ABC doesn't mean it's reliable - about anything, whether politics or transport etc.

Tony P