Giving up on internet news

[Texas Proud]

I put this in the pet peeve thread but I am tired of all the 'news' that have 80% or more tweets from people with their opinion about the story... really? all these tweets are news? NOPE, they are OPINIONS...


Yahoo news has a bunch of these but I do not think they originate from Yahoo..


OHHHH, the newest thing that is getting to me is where they have a video add at the top and you cannot scroll down without it popping back up to that ad!!! Even after the add you cannot scroll down to read the story...

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by imoldernu Just too many "impossible to avoid" ads. Obnoxious. I must be alone, because it's getting worse. Can't believe this is paying off for advertisers... I guess they won't miss me.

It's been tough to find any good news source lately, internet or not. The lack of good news coverage has been especially tough for a former "news addict" like me!

[blueskyk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerides Personally I like to gather my news from a variety of sources, with multiple different "leanings" - because the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

I use this approach as well and it’s amazing how the same event is so differently characterized depending on the news organization - but it helps me sort of chart the middle where most of the truth seems to be (IMHO)

I dread the upcoming election coverage and have decided a better use of time would be to read the classics. So I’m noodling about for some good titles/authors and so far have Montaigne and Thoreau on the list.

[jollystomper]

I sometimes look at allsides.com. They show how major stories are covered by the variety of news outlets left, center, and right. At least one can see the differing views on a story from one place and make an assessment. They also rate the "bias" of each news source (their board is made up of folks across the left-center-right spectrum).

[Texas Proud]

Just to show that things are a bit biased, here is a description of a story I heard last week or so.


They were talking about the need for money for infrastructure... they were showing school buildings that were over 100 years old with leaks etc. etc. all over and how bad it is for the students... the piece was to try and get people to say 'we have to do something' so they can get fed money...


Well, the first thing I was thinking was why isn't the school district paying for this? Our school district pays for all of the new schools and to rebuild older ones (our local high school was just rebuild)... then they slipped it in with a quick sentence... the local district had voted DOWN a bond issue to pay for the upgrades... it was short and you might have missed it if you were not paying attention...


No, I do not want to pay for your schools if you are not willing to pay yourself...

[Mr._Graybeard]

Quote:

Originally Posted by unclemick 'The word is not the thing.' 1964 I took Communications 101 at the UW. One text was Language in Thought and Action. I have recently bought a paperback of 5th edition. Makes me chuckle when I channel surf the news. heh heh heh -

By S.I. Hayakawa? Great book.

[24601NoMore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Go-NoGo For the Ads try ublock Origin - an extension for Chrome that effectively blocks almost all popups and ads. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/d...jbkeiagm?hl=en

Second that recommendation. It's also available for other browsers (eg: FF) and unlike many other blockers doesn't hog your CPU cycles.

Fast, free, and it seems to work well. You can also easily disable pop-ups for any site you need them on (eg: banking) by clicking a single, prominent button..then re-click it to turn back on..easy..

[Dawg52]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjflyman I've stopped watching the national news.I don't want politics 24/7/365.There are other things going on in the world. When something big happens that the media covers, I'll tune in.

Ditto.

[pj.mask]

NPR is the best I have found. Fact checking after political interviews. The questions seem equally tough against both sides, and most general reporting is simply fact based reporting - not mostly opinion.

[Markola]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollystomper I sometimes look at allsides.com. They show how major stories are covered by the variety of news outlets left, center, and right. At least one can see the differing views on a story from one place and make an assessment. They also rate the "bias" of each news source (their board is made up of folks across the left-center-right spectrum).

Thanks for that recommendation.

[target2019]

In the google news site, one can switch to "For You", and fine tune the news sources. I just hid two sources that drive me crazy, and the overall look and feel is more positive. This works if you're logged in. Then your preferences for news follow you on each device.

Sounds intrusive, and it is, so I'll keep looking for better aggregator I can fine tune.

[Tiger8693]

I get most of my news on here, pretty (mostly) unbiased. If i want drama and bias, I look for the "closed threads".

[target2019]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jollystomper I sometimes look at allsides.com. They show how major stories are covered by the variety of news outlets left, center, and right. At least one can see the differing views on a story from one place and make an assessment. They also rate the "bias" of each news source (their board is made up of folks across the left-center-right spectrum).

Thanks for the tip. That is an interesting site to keep bookmarked.

[marko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerides Personally I like to gather my news from a variety of sources, with multiple different "leanings" - because the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

Agree, but isn't that a sad state of affairs. We shouldn't have to 'work' to get to the truth in journalism.

How many 'Bombshells' have been reported that, 2-3 weeks later are never heard from again?

For me, I've turned most of it off and just watch how the markets react to the latest 'Breaking News!' or 'Bombshell'; if the market reacts, it's likely true and/or important.

[easysurfer]

I have issues are click bait and too much taylored news.

I'd read news stories where the headlines seem interesting (who knew? more breaking news!!) then only to think afterwards, was the news really so pressing? Articles that seem newsworthy but really are not. I think even Marketwatch is guilty of ginning stories up. On day an article will say the market is due for a record bull. 24 hrs later, an article will better prepare for a big crash.

As for the taylored news, on my phone I have a habit (that I need to break) of left swiping and that leads to google news. Google with their tracking, I read one story then google things I want to continuously follow such stories. I may have a passing interest in a sports transaction. Next thing, any news about both teams start showing up. Or I may have click baited into an article a celebrity. Next thing, google thinks I wish to real all about the celeb.

As for TV news, I've cut the cord so only have news from the major networks. I'm more interested in national news than local news. The fast forward button on the remote on my DVR is my friend to fast forward past commercials and the political propaganda news of the day which I have no interest in suffering through. I do like some of the informative features, so watch that.

[eytonxav]

At least in terms of reporting political news, if there was a site that presented perspectives from the different point of views in an unbiased way, I can imagine it would attract an army of dissatisfied viewers who just want facts without the political spin. Do not understand why this does not happen.

[stevemac]

I've been seeing advertisements on TV for "Newsy", which claims to be focused solely on "facts, not opinions", or something like that. I took a quick look at the website (newsy.com) and it seems to focus on issues that people throughout the spectrum might find of interest.

Note: I have not read any of these so I don't know how neutral it is, but if they're really trying to steer clear of opinion and editorialized reporting, it could be a good site.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjflyman I've stopped watching the national news.I don't want politics 24/7/365.There are other things going on in the world. When something big happens that the media covers, I'll tune in.

I did the same and forgot that there are all these people out there who hate me and I am supposed to hate back.

Now, excuse me while I listen to a news story about something that probably may occur based upon an unnamed source who is intimately involved with certain anonymous members of a secret group in the capital.

[W2R]

As for ads....

One of the most helpful posts I have ever read on the ER forum (which is saying a lot!!!!), was by Just_Steve who mentioned the "reading view" available on Microsoft Edge (and Firefox and Safari, I believe?). Here's his post where I first heard about it, although he does not call it by name:
http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ml#post2140966

Anyway, I use this function nearly every day, when I go to news sites for example. It removes all popups and videos and sudden distracting sounds, and scrolling up and down whether you want to or not, and blocking one's view with ads, and everything, leaving you with a text only presentation with perhaps one key still photo. I use Edge, and to me the reading view is simply wonderful and I like it much better than Adblock.

However, even the resulting text only presentation doesn't improve the content.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevemac I've been seeing advertisements on TV for "Newsy", which claims to be focused solely on "facts, not opinions", or something like that. I took a quick look at the website (newsy.com) and it seems to focus on issues that people throughout the spectrum might find of interest. Note: I have not read any of these so I don't know how neutral it is, but if they're really trying to steer clear of opinion and editorialized reporting, it could be a good site.

They are on my cable. They lean to a very young audience, and that's their bias. Probably more on the issue selection and ignoring of other issues than anything else. Their hosts try to be edgy. You won't find any suits being worn. I'll say this, at least they are not constantly talking 100% about one person as the majors seem to be doing these days.