My thoughts on 'unorthodox' views:
People do need to think for ourselves. That cuts both ways. I see people who claim to be 'critical thinkers' who reject anything said in a mainstream media outlet but uncritically swallow any garbage from randoms on youtube.

I also see people who consider themselves 'rational' but who swallow anything from an 'authoritative source', despite the numerous examples from the past that warn us not to take such things at face value.

Neither of those positions is helpful IMO.

Read widely. Don't rely on a single source, or on sources that just reference each other. Go to the original and see if it says what people claim it says. Test the evidence, and not just to find confirmation of what you already think.

But also recognise that at least mainstream media has some level of professional accountability that youtubers do not.

Published and peer reviewed research can have flaws, but at least it has levels of accountability and scrutiny that youtubers and bloggers do not.

If there is a seemingly 'consensus position' in the mainstream, it doesn't mean that it is correct - but it does mean you need to have very good evidence to reject it.

And if individuals lie about some things to grab your attention, they will probably lie about others. They undoubtedly have a political agenda that is not in your interests. Don't bother with them.