Where can we read real news?

[Tiggereast]

So tired of news shows calling themselves news shows! Its opinion shows!  Where can we get just the news without spin…left or right?  

[BigK]

Depends on who you ask, right?

I'd argue there dozens of major news outlets that spin the news one direction and one major outlet that spins the news the other direction. None of them can be trusted completely.

[BigK]

I'd like to know too, but I fear we're hunting flying unicorns.

[Luckyforward]

I don't know there is any "one source" to read news that we think is real.  I have tended to read or watch different programs on all sides of the political spectrum and make up my own mind  Take one story and examine it from more than one place and it's interesting how you reach your own perspective.

One website I've found helpful is: https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news

[BigK]

14 minutes ago, Luckyforward said:

I don't know there is any "one source" to read news that we think is real.  I have tended to read or watch different programs on all sides of the political spectrum and make up my own mind  Take one story and examine it from more than one place and it's interesting how you reach your own perspective.

One website I've found helpful is: https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news

They consider Fox to be far right and only consider CNN, Politico, Bloomberg, and NPR to be left of center instead of far left. I'm suspicious out of the gate.

[Luckyforward]

I see your point.  For me, it is less about how each site identifies itself as much as it being a place I can read a number of stories from different sites and come to some understanding on my own.

[BigK]

12 minutes ago, Luckyforward said:

I see your point.  For me, it is less about how each site identifies itself as much as it being a place I can read a number of stories from different sites and come to some understanding on my own.

That's fair. I did notice how they try to present left, right, and center articles for each media story. At least they're trying and I commend that.

[jpx2rk]

Sometimes a person needs to hear the "facts" from the left side and the right side, and the truth could/usually is somewhere close to the middle.

[gregintenn]

It has been said the first casualty of war is the truth. Make no mistake. War has been declared on Americans. Neither Russia nor China declared it. Prepare accordingly. You’re not going to get any factual news for the foreseeable future.

[MacGyver]

It takes a commitment to doing actual work to be an informed citizen these days.  There's not a single source you can just turn to outright - but there are some that are better than others - and when taken in combination can be helpful.

Here's some of what I do personally:

1. I consume *a lot* of sources.
2. I don't consume *any* Fox News, barely any CNN or MSNBC - these aren't news sources.  At best they're opinion entertainment that sometimes parallels real world events. 
3. I don't consume *any* Facebook.  They've shown over and over again that they can't be trusted with our data. They're an active threat whose business model incentivizes them to weaponize our data.
4. Both of the above exacerbate the problem of Balkanization.  That is - their algorithms really only present me with stuff they already know I'm interested in.  Or, I only follow people who largely agree with me.  I'm not right about everything.  I need to be challenged on my beliefs - and give myself the grace to be able to change as we move into the future. 
5. I am on Twitter - for now. I do expect Elon to burn it down.  But, I still use it mostly because a major part of my media diet is a group of people that I trust as reliable actors.  Note, these are individuals not organizations.
6. The more local you can get - the better.  I don't take the Tennessean since it got bought out by USA Today - but their local reporters are great.  They generally only stick around a few years - but they reliably live tweet the city council meeting every Tuesday night.  Same for the school board meeting.  Whatever.
7. Don't discount the alt-weekly in your town.  Papers like the Nashville Scene are great for local news.
8. The New York Times is still the paper of record - but isn't as good as it used to be.  The Wall Street Journal really shattered the wall between the news room and the opinion desk.  It's just another piece of the Murdoch empire these days.  The Washington Post is doing some great work - especially when you consider it as a paper reporting on local DC happenings.
9. When talking local reporters - don't discount your local NPR station.  They've got local beat reporters who are likewise a fixture at community events.  One thing about NPR - you may or may not necessarily align with some of their worldview - but they always source their work.  So, if you're interested - you can listen to a story on NPR and link back to a primary source.
10. We live in a world where more data is public than ever.  It's worth having a working knowledge of how to read datasets
11. Sites like OurWorldInData are great for collecting publicly available data and putting it into forms that the average person can consume.  

In all of that - you probably also have to be comfortable knowing that you can't know everything about all the things.  But, you can pick some things that matter to you and be well informed about them.

 

[MacGyver]

Oh, and don’t discount your local investigative reporter.  There’s not an elected official in the state of Tennessee whose breath doesn’t catch when they see Phil Williams’s name on their caller ID. 

[Luckyforward]

2 hours ago, MacGyver said:

It takes a commitment to doing actual work to be an informed citizen these days.  There's not a single source you can just turn to outright - but there are some that are better than others - and when taken in combination can be helpful.

Here's some of what I do personally:

1. I consume *a lot* of sources.
2. I don't consume *any* Fox News, barely any CNN or MSNBC - these aren't news sources.  At best they're opinion entertainment that sometimes parallels real world events. 
3. I don't consume *any* Facebook.  They've shown over and over again that they can't be trusted with our data. They're an active threat whose business model incentivizes them to weaponize our data.
4. Both of the above exacerbate the problem of Balkanization.  That is - their algorithms really only present me with stuff they already know I'm interested in.  Or, I only follow people who largely agree with me.  I'm not right about everything.  I need to be challenged on my beliefs - and give myself the grace to be able to change as we move into the future. 
5. I am on Twitter - for now. I do expect Elon to burn it down.  But, I still use it mostly because a major part of my media diet is a group of people that I trust as reliable actors.  Note, these are individuals not organizations.
6. The more local you can get - the better.  I don't take the Tennessean since it got bought out by USA Today - but their local reporters are great.  They generally only stick around a few years - but they reliably live tweet the city council meeting every Tuesday night.  Same for the school board meeting.  Whatever.
7. Don't discount the alt-weekly in your town.  Papers like the Nashville Scene are great for local news.
8. The New York Times is still the paper of record - but isn't as good as it used to be.  The Wall Street Journal really shattered the wall between the news room and the opinion desk.  It's just another piece of the Murdoch empire these days.  The Washington Post is doing some great work - especially when you consider it as a paper reporting on local DC happenings.
9. When talking local reporters - don't discount your local NPR station.  They've got local beat reporters who are likewise a fixture at community events.  One thing about NPR - you may or may not necessarily align with some of their worldview - but they always source their work.  So, if you're interested - you can listen to a story on NPR and link back to a primary source.
10. We live in a world where more data is public than ever.  It's worth having a working knowledge of how to read datasets
11. Sites like OurWorldInData are great for collecting publicly available data and putting it into forms that the average person can consume.  

In all of that - you probably also have to be comfortable knowing that you can't know everything about all the things.  But, you can pick some things that matter to you and be well informed about them.

 

Very well said.

[Nikiski Dave]

I watch the News on TV once a day. I feel that I am watching Soap Operas. That is how I get entertained. Cant wait to get out to hunt camp and see the real world. 

[peejman]

Journalism is nearly dead.  News media people just can't/won't put in the time necessary to do proper research.  

I read the USAToday, it seems less inflammatory than some.  A lot of their editorials can be rather left, but I usually skip those. I very rarely read anything political.  I also read the BBC.  The British perspective on US events can be interesting, and they cover world events without the US political slant. 

I don't do any social media or TV news programs. 

[gregintenn]

1 hour ago, MacGyver said:

Oh, and don’t discount your local investigative reporter.  There’s not an elected official in the state of Tennessee whose breath doesn’t catch when they see Phil Williams’s name on their caller ID. 

Phil Williams has an agenda and he’s a pekkerhead of the highest order. He does serve a purpose, however. The days of the investigative reporter are pretty much dead. I miss that.

Whatever happened to Michael Turko?

[Defender]

2 hours ago, MacGyver said:

Oh, and don’t discount your local investigative reporter.  There’s not an elected official in the state of Tennessee whose breath doesn’t catch when they see Phil Williams’s name on their caller ID. 

The Scene.  Seriously?  They are as left as you can get. Ok maybe they fairly report on music or good places to eat.  NPR is also left leaning.  And ole Plil almost always has an agenda, just look at his recent hit piece on guns for example.

[MacGyver]

34 minutes ago, Defender said:

The Scene.  Seriously?  They are as left as you can get. Ok maybe they fairly report on music or good places to eat.  NPR is also left leaning.  And ole Plil almost always has an agenda, just look at his recent hit piece on guns for example.

They may be left leaning - and I’m capable of filterIng through that. But they break some local stories because they have people on the ground in the community.

Phil Williams was the reason Rep. Campbell resigned last week after harassing/potentially assaulting a couple of 19 year old interns.  I can’t speak to their broadcast news - I don’t have a TV that receives it.  But I guarantee you that Cameron Sexton is sleeping a little less easy tonight knowing that he’s looking into his per diem reimbursements as speaker - knowing our last mayor pled guilty to a crime that kind of rhymed with that.

Truth be told, I’m going to purposefully seek out things that I don’t necessarily agree with.  I’m an adult who can glean from all kinds of sources.

Your mileage may vary.  You’ve got to find something that works for you. 

[GlockSpock]

4 hours ago, MacGyver said:

It takes a commitment to doing actual work to be an informed citizen these days.  There's not a single source you can just turn to outright - but there are some that are better than others - and when taken in combination can be helpful.

Here's some of what I do personally:

1. I consume *a lot* of sources.
2. I don't consume *any* Fox News, barely any CNN or MSNBC - these aren't news sources.  At best they're opinion entertainment that sometimes parallels real world events. 
3. I don't consume *any* Facebook.  They've shown over and over again that they can't be trusted with our data. They're an active threat whose business model incentivizes them to weaponize our data.
4. Both of the above exacerbate the problem of Balkanization.  That is - their algorithms really only present me with stuff they already know I'm interested in.  Or, I only follow people who largely agree with me.  I'm not right about everything.  I need to be challenged on my beliefs - and give myself the grace to be able to change as we move into the future. 
5. I am on Twitter - for now. I do expect Elon to burn it down.  But, I still use it mostly because a major part of my media diet is a group of people that I trust as reliable actors.  Note, these are individuals not organizations.
6. The more local you can get - the better.  I don't take the Tennessean since it got bought out by USA Today - but their local reporters are great.  They generally only stick around a few years - but they reliably live tweet the city council meeting every Tuesday night.  Same for the school board meeting.  Whatever.
7. Don't discount the alt-weekly in your town.  Papers like the Nashville Scene are great for local news.
8. The New York Times is still the paper of record - but isn't as good as it used to be.  The Wall Street Journal really shattered the wall between the news room and the opinion desk.  It's just another piece of the Murdoch empire these days.  The Washington Post is doing some great work - especially when you consider it as a paper reporting on local DC happenings.
9. When talking local reporters - don't discount your local NPR station.  They've got local beat reporters who are likewise a fixture at community events.  One thing about NPR - you may or may not necessarily align with some of their worldview - but they always source their work.  So, if you're interested - you can listen to a story on NPR and link back to a primary source.
10. We live in a world where more data is public than ever.  It's worth having a working knowledge of how to read datasets
11. Sites like OurWorldInData are great for collecting publicly available data and putting it into forms that the average person can consume.  

In all of that - you probably also have to be comfortable knowing that you can't know everything about all the things.  But, you can pick some things that matter to you and be well informed about them.

 

This is one of the most valuable posts I've seen on TGO in a long while. I'm considering creating a dummy account just so I can like it twice.

[ck1 actual]

www.zerohedge.com 

create a good aggregate of people to follow on twitter and you’ll hear of most things before they are news.  

[RED333]

Do not laugh, I get a LOT of my news here on TGO, we as a whole are good at keeping up with the things that are going on in the world.

Edited April 27, 2023 by RED333
Because I can

[Luckyforward]

10 hours ago, MacGyver said:

Truth be told, I’m going to purposefully seek out things that I don’t necessarily agree with.  I’m an adult who can glean from all kinds of sources.

Exactly - read it all from all kinds of sources, and then make up your own mind!

[gregintenn]

3 hours ago, RED333 said:

Do not laugh, I get a LOT of my news here on TGO, we as a whole are good at keeping up with the things that are going on in the world.

You get a host of different views on a given subject instead of the .gov endorsed AP talking points.

[Jeb48]

I subscribe to the free daily summary of the NY Times for my daily liberal views on the world and read the One American feed for right view and try to figure  the truth. It is interesting when they both report the same story. I seldom click on any of The NY Times articles because most are behind paywalls. I also read the Google News feed tuned to my interests and blocking a few sources that are always behind paywalls because if there is a slot open google finds a different source to fill the spot.

I watch the National Desk most mornings for an hour or so. They seam to mostly report the news but do tilt right at times. I try to take my nap during the evening news it gives be double benefits that way.

 

[RED333]

3 hours ago, Jeb48 said:

try to take my nap during the evening news it gives be double benefits that way.

 

Amen brother

[BigK]

8 hours ago, RED333 said:

Do not laugh, I get a LOT of my news here on TGO, we as a whole are good at keeping up with the things that are going on in the world.

I'm not laughing at all. I learn about news stories that interest me 9 times out of 10 here first. Most of what gets skipped here is news I don't care about. Like @gregintenn said, I hear different viewpoints here too. At least they're as wide of a host of viewpoints as I can tolerate.