It is important to remember the context in which you are doing your own research. Popular sources, like magazines, news, and blog posts are not inherently "bad", and scholarly sources are not inherently "good".
When doing research, there are many occasions where it would be appropriate to use a "popular" or non-scholarly source. Scholarly articles present research about specific topics, but you might need more background information from a reference source or need to see what people's opinions are from a magazine, etc.
Knowing that information comes in different types can help you find credible information that answer your questions.
