This is excellent advice. What's more, it's also true in the temporal dimension - you should generally be wary of 'breaking news'. The best news source is research into historic events by investigators, researchers, and (real) journalists.
Discussion
I will admit, and this might be apocryphal around these parts, but I think the “Do Your Own Research” populist movement to understanding the world is actually epistemically bankrupt. *ducks*
If you're talking about the US, I beg to differ. These people are far more likely to be vindicated, given enough time and in the aggregate; even though they sometimes produce complete kookery.
On the other hand, "smart people" are the easiest to fool.
I don’t “do my own research” I just look at people and decide who I trust and who I don’t.
This says more about you than about anyone else.