News seems to be tainted today. It’s quite obvious that Fox News leans heavily towards the conservative side, politically. And it’s quite obvious that MSNBC leans pretty liberally. We know that many newspapers lean one way or the other. Heck, many out there feel that the entire media has a liberal bias altogether.
So if someone to obtain news from an unbiased news source, where should he or she go? Or, is it even possible to find unbiased news?
I agree with Gracie's comment above.
We got rid of cable tv over a year ago and that has helped tremendously. I get my news from NPR and news.google.com. But to answer your question, I think that the best (by far) independent news source is The Economist. It's an expensive subscription, but much cheaper and ontologically better than the obnoxious echo chamber of cable news.
BON!
This is a great question. News propaganda is one of the most dangerous problems in our society today. Extremism is on the rise fueled by rhetoric, hyperbole, half-truths and over the top partisan commentary. Limbaugh launched an entire 'hate is entertainment' industry. His ratings soared and others copied him. Non right-wingers fought back out of anger. Some try to provide balance. I had hoped Barack Obama could tone things down but now it seems worse than ever. The left has moved to the middle and the right has gone over the edge.
Personally, my primary news source is NPR. I read the Dallas Morning News (conservative) and the New York Times (liberal). I fact check as much as possible. I use Factcheck.org, politifact.com and snopes.com. I cancelled my extended cable package because I could no longer tolerate the constant bickering on the 24 hr news channels.
My fellow American is not my enemy.
I pray for peace.
Don't think such a place exist !
The BBC.
I would just prefer that the biases be admitted. Either way, I can take information and process it and know "Hey, this is from a conservative point of view, etc"
I think that the sources that newsfolks use are largely already affected by spin and politics, so there isn't much unbiased info passing through anyway.
I like to watch the Jim Lehrer News Hour. In depth coverage of the important news of the day. For big issues they bring in experts, often with opposing points of view. Unlike cable news shows, however, guests are not allowed to yell at each other or talk over each other.
For newspapers, I think the Wall Street Journal is the best. The paper is decidedly right wing in it's editorial section, but when it comes to the straight reporting of the news storiesI believe they work the hardest to get it right. I've never detected any slant in their reporting and they cover a number of interesting stories most papers miss. They also print a book review five days a week.
For magazines, I prefer Fortune. A lot of research in each story. They're are really good about predicting what to expect will happen in the economy.
I think the media (not counting Fox) is generally socially liberal but conservative on economic issues and centrist-right on foreign policy. Also, much is of poor quality – from all sources – and that helps maintain the status quo, which as a rule favors those with wealth and power.
don j: Noting the point of view can help, but there are cases when outright falsehoods are "reported" and those cannot be detected without hearing a contrary point of view.
After watching the presidential debates last fall, a family friend looked at us and asked, "the media is so biased, can I change it to a better channel?" and then switched it to Fox News. I almost choked on my tongue. I avoid all extreme media left and right. I read Newsweek, CNN.com, watch local news (WFAA), and listen to NPR or KRLD (local) and I take all of it with a grain of salt. I refuse to listen to any conservative radio or watch fox news even though I consider myself a liberal conservative.
I think a variety of sources across the spectrum is the key, just to keep perspective (although I have to admit that Fox makes me think bad thoughts because the distortions are so much more obvious there … or maybe I am biased against them myself, which in turn colors my viewpoint).
NPR seems to serve a broader base, because it has member stations in really conservative areas (such as College Station) and in liberal areas. NPR seems to me more "quietly progressive" than out-and-out liberal. I read NPR and CNN, and I watch Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow just because they're made of awesome and help to debunk Fox propaganda. 🙂