Online Alternatives to Mainstream Media (News/Discussion/Debate)

[unclemick]

Unfortunately this rating service is biased as well. There just isn't any unbiased news that I have found, but as long as you realize that it can be pretty entertaining to see how each one spins it for their audience.

heh heh heh - I have the 5th Edition of 'Language in Thought and Action'. . College Communication 101 1963. Radio. TV and now the internet/social media. Amusing eh?

 

[Lsbcal]

I stay away mostly from the opinion sections of the news. That tends to be where the extremes are.

For instance, in the AllSides ranking I posted above we see that the NY Times opinion section is rated Left but the news section is "Lean Left" and for Fox the opinion section is Right but the news is "Lean Right".

 

[mountainsoft]

I read most of my news with an RSS newsreader (the free RSS Owl). I pick up my local newspapers, Yahoo, New York Times, CNN, NPR, etc. I also subscribe to a variety of retirement related RSS feeds, environmental feeds, Engadget, Lifehacker, Crunchgear, etc. I currently subscribe to about 30 feeds and can read through them all in 30 minutes or so, usually less.

Unfortunately, RSS seems to have fallen out of favor. You either have to link through Facebook or Pinterest, have the news sent by email, or visit each site individually. I don't have time for that.

Forums are similar. Things were so much nicer back in the Usenet newsreader days. I could read and participate in numerous subjects quickly and easily. Now I would have to visit each forum individually, logging in to each one, and checking for new posts. Who has time for that? So, Early-Retirement.org is about the only forum I visit anymore. There are others that interest me, I just don't have time to visit them.

I watch local TV news at lunch time, and national news in the evening. That's it.

I have a direct link to the weather page of a local TV station on my desktop so I can quickly look at the weather forecast when I need it.

On rare occasions (when we're visiting family and I'm bored), I'll use Google News on my phone to read news. But I can't really customize it, I read whatever they decide to send me.

 

[target2019]

Seeking Alpha has a "Wall Street Breakfast" page. You can also get it in a morning email.
https://seekingalpha.com/market-news/wall-street-breakfast

 

[TimeMeasure]

I once saw an article which listed headlines from the front page of a newspaper, details redacted. Standard topics - scandal in government, economic worries, potential conflicts with other nations, etc. All very current headlines; the only question was which newspaper they came from. And then the clincher: It was revealed that all the headlines were from a newspaper 100 years ago.

... Which is why I don’t invest a lot of time in watching or reading news. The patterns are often the same, so facts that are truly “new” and noteworthy are rare, and there’s not much point in reading news either for the pleasure of having it confirm one’s own views, or for the righteous indignation invoked by seeing it take the opposite stance.

That said, it’s good to have a general idea of what’s going on in the current world... and to read more detailed, thoughtful articles.

I’ll watch 60 Minutes, and snippets of PBS NewsHour, for a relatively unbiased look at the current world. On the radio, NPR’s All Things Considered has always been good.

For reading, some good sources for current news are The New York Times, The Straits Times, Al Jazeera English edition, ProPublica, South China Morning Post. As with any reading, one has to apply judgment to evaluate articles for omissions, biases, etc.

For longer, more thoughtful, in-depth pieces, The Atlantic and The New Yorker tend to have thought-provoking writing.

And for a connection to the world of poetry, literature and more meaningful topics - the daily email of The Writer’s Almanac, started by Garrison Keillor of The Prairie Home Companion.

 

[harllee]

I don't watch any TV news any more. It made me mad.

I follow BBC on Twitter for world news. I am amazed how quickly they report on things that have happened only minutes ago.

I listen to NPR radio for local/state and some national news. I especially like the NPR Friday news roundup--one hour of domestic news and one hour of international news

I read the local newspaper online each morning for local things.

I follow all my local government departments on Twitter

 

[CaliKid]

I go these 50 sites every day.

http://www.metafilter.com MetaFilter | Community Weblog
https://www.military.com/defensetech DefenseTech: Modern Warfare and Weapons | Military.com
https://libya.liveuamap.com Libya live map. Libya civil war news today
https://www.strategypage.com/default.aspx StrategyPage | Military News Humor Photos
https://warontherocks.com War on the Rocks
Portada - The Corner European economic news
https://dolartoday.com DolarToday
https://angrybearblog.com Angry Bear
https://ritholtz.com The Big Picture
https://www.calculatedriskblog.com Calculated Risk
http://econofact.org Econofact
http://www.marginalrevolution.com Marginal Revolution
https://www.thestreet.com/mishtalk Mish Talk
Newgeography.com | Economic, demographic, and political commentary about places Newgeography.com | Economic, demographic, and political commentary about places
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com Apartment Therapy
http://curbed.com Curbed
http://www.fark.com FARK
http://daringfireball.net Daring Fireball
https://www.loopinsight.com The Loop
http://www.macobserver.com Mac Observer - You’ll get your Mac news here from now on!
http://www.macrumors.com Mac Rumors: Apple Mac Rumors and News You Care About
http://arstechnica.com Ars Technica
https://www.digitimes.com/index.asp DIGITIMES daily IT news
https://www.fastcompany.com/co-design Fast Company | The future of business
https://www.inputmag.com Input
https://mondaynote.com Monday Note
http://thenextweb.com The Next Web - International technology news, business & culture
https://www.theregister.com The Register: Sci/Tech News for the World
https://semiaccurate.com SemiAccurate - On Target Technology News
http://slashdot.org Slashdot News for nerds, stuff that matters
http://techmeme.com Techmeme
http://www.techdirt.com Techdirt.
http://www.theverge.com The Verge
https://adage.com AdAge
http://www.bicycleretailer.com Bicycle Retailer
http://www.bikerumor.com bikerumor
http://www.boxofficemojo.com Box Office Mojo Movie Report
https://chainstoreage.com Chain Store Age | The leading provider of retail news and analysis
http://www.indexmundi.com/commodities Commodity Prices - Price Charts, Data, and News - IndexMundi
https://gcaptain.com gCaptain – Maritime News
https://grapecollective.com Grape Collective online wine magazine, wine reviews and recommendations and buy wine online. - Grapecollective.com
http://www.hotelnewsnow.com Hotel News
https://mjbizdaily.com Marijuana Business News | Cannabis Industry Financial & Legal News
https://www.packagingdigest.com Packaging Digest
https://www.potatopro.com/news PotatoPro
https://progressivegrocer.com Progressive Grocer | Grocery & Supermarket Industry News
http://nrn.com Restaurant News
https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com Restaurant Business Magazine - Trends, Ideas and News
http://www.rottentomatoes.com ROTTEN TOMATOES Movie Reviews & Previews
https://www.supermarketnews.com Supermarket News

Great list! I just bookmarked several of those. Thanks!

 

[John Galt III]

A plug for NPR, although I don't like the fact that it seems they only interview liberals (IMO). NPR did a great job before and during the 2007-2008 mortgage fraud debacle. Unbiased. Just spot on. And very in depth. I would not call them mainstream, necessarily.

 

[skipro33]

Anyone ever catch HNK WORLD-JAPAN News? I happened upon it one day when I tuned in for PBS News a half hour early. I found it very much a plain speaking news broadcast in the vein of PBS. The problem I have with the major network evening news programs is that they sensationalize every story to the point it's drenched in opinion instead of just fact based. I'll watch it and ask my self why they chose to use lead-in language the way they do. It's very emotionally provoking to a viewer. Triggers an emotion just prior to hearing the report so that no matter what the news story is, you go in feeling anger, sadness, happy, etc. I prefer to discover my own emotion to a simply worded report of the events that took place.

Also, a new news program called WGN America is due to debut on September 1st I believe. The advertisements claim it is an unbiased cable newscast.

“We’re going to tell you what happens, we’re not going to tell you what to think about it. Every word we choose, every image we choose, it all reflects the overall mission of what we’re doing.”

I plan to watch and determine if they do.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

A plug for NPR, although I don't like the fact that it seems they only interview liberals (IMO). NPR did a great job before and during the 2007-2008 mortgage fraud debacle. Unbiased. Just spot on. And very in depth. I would not call them mainstream, necessarily.

They had absolutely the best, most insightful analysis of the economics behind the collapse on their Planet Money series.

 

[Montecfo]

A plug for NPR, although I don't like the fact that it seems they only interview liberals (IMO). NPR did a great job before and during the 2007-2008 mortgage fraud debacle. Unbiased. Just spot on. And very in depth. I would not call them mainstream, necessarily.

I do like NPR for their more in depth special interest or off the beaten path type stories.

Everything else reflects pretty consistent bias but can take that with grain of salt, like most "news" reporting.

I do find foreign outlets can be better sources at times since much of the news media domestically ignore wide swaths of the actual news in favor of opinion.

 

[tmm99]

Anyone ever catch HNK WORLD-JAPAN News? I happened upon it one day when I tuned in for PBS News a half hour early. I found it very much a plain speaking news broadcast in the vein of PBS. The problem I have with the major network evening news programs is that they sensationalize every story to the point it's drenched in opinion instead of just fact based. I'll watch it and ask my self why they chose to use lead-in language the way they do. It's very emotionally provoking to a viewer. Triggers an emotion just prior to hearing the report so that no matter what the news story is, you go in feeling anger, sadness, happy, etc. I prefer to discover my own emotion to a simply worded report of the events that took place.

Also, a new news program called WGN America is due to debut on September 1st I believe. The advertisements claim it is an unbiased cable newscast.
I plan to watch and determine if they do.

You must mean NHK. It's a lot like BBC in my opinion.

 

[Midpack]

I get most of my news from PBS Newshour. They try to avoid their personal biases, and they often have a right and left leaning guest to discuss whatever topic is at hand, and it's obvious who is who.

I don't watch ABC, CBS or NBC national news any more, but when I have it's not that bad. They sometime softball question one side more than the other, guess which...

I wouldn't waste my time with CNN, MSNBC or Fox and certainly less so with any of the many fringe groups out there.

 

[John Galt III]

An 'all day' news show called 'France 24' showed up on my cable somehow, and at first I was pleased with it. They allowed equal time for both political sides to speak, but sided with the liberal side. Then gradually they no longer interviewed people from the conservative viewpoint. I still tune in now and then just to see what the European news is lately.

 

[statsman]

Trying to find balance with the news becomes tougher and tougher. Amazon Prime Video live streamed all four nights of the Democrat National Convention, but they decided not to show the first night of the Republican National Convention live. Why?

 

[REWahoo]

Amazon Prime Video live streamed all four nights of the Democrat National Convention, but they decided not to show the first night of the Republican National Convention live. Why?

This set up is a joke writer's dream!

Note: The above statement is politically balanced as jokes can poke fun at either political party - or both!

 

[MichaelB]

Trying to find balance with the news becomes tougher and tougher. Amazon Prime Video live streamed all four nights of the Democrat National Convention, but they decided not to show the first night of the Republican National Convention live. Why?

Media partisanship is topic for another thread - and a different forum. Let’s not get into partisan matters, please.

Oh, and by the way, here is the Amazon Prime link to livestream the RNC https://www.amazon.com/Republican-National-Convention/dp/B08GBX8KKG

 

[statsman]

Oh, and by the way, here is the Amazon Prime link to livestream the RNC https://www.amazon.com/Republican-National-Convention/dp/B08GBX8KKG

Yeah, from 9am to 10:30am yesterday. No evening presentation.

 

[MichaelB]

Yeah, from 9am to 10:30am yesterday. No evening presentation.

How about we just get back on topic

 

[nvestysly]

OP here...

I certainly appreciate all the information provided. I've been able to broaden my horizons with all the information mentioned on this thread.

I think there was a previous post (although I can't find it now) about a news broadcast that will be starting on September 1. It's said to be a program that will be available via most cable/satellite systems but I have the cut the cord and only use over-the-air and internet. I did a little investigating and hope I can access that show via the internet.

Even though I mentioned "news" in my OP I was hoping to find references to debates and discussions and long-format programs that discuss topics in detail. I realize all of us (humans) have some sort of filter or built in bias but I see a need for more discerning points of view on a variety of topics.

I hope everything I said above is acceptable to moderators and will not get us off track. I think the item I mention below is acceptable but if moderators feel the need to remove this paragraph, the following paragraph and the link below that's okay with me.

I've done some extensive internet searching (IMO) to find ways to discuss polarizing topics with friends and family. I don't want to discuss polarizing topics in this thread but want to mention something I came across that I hope others will find helpful. Braver Angels is an organization that hosts online, moderated debates by individuals like you and me, as well as moderated debates by scholars and subject matter experts. Here's a link to their home page:

https://braverangels.org/

 

[fandk]

I like nextdraft.com--but, he has a clear bias that some will disagree with. The Atlantic has good articles, as does the Economist. They tend to run longer articles.

 

[ERhoosier]

OP asked for ALTERNATIVES to the mainstream media, so suggesting ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, etc. does not answer the question. Since EVERY source has its own bias, I suggest watching/reading MULTIPLE news sources of different slants......and source verify questionable (even some non-questionable) statements. IMHO the overall quality of news these days ranges from barely adequate to negligently horrible.....even on non-political subjects.

 

[OldShooter]

I subscribe to The Economist. It's pretty close to unbiased and the English style of journalism allows authors to express judgments, so at least some of the bias is explicit. It covers the world and the world economy better than any other source that I am aware of. On occasions when the magazine is late or I am traveling I download it and read it on my tablet or phone. I do not frequent the web site because the majority of the stories will be in the magazine when it arrives in Saturday's mail.

I also subscribe the clearly-liberal local newspaper in order to see what's going on locally.

I listen to NPR radio All Things Considered news during my afternoon snooze. Sometimes I stay awake for all of it, sometimes not. Anyone who doesn't detect the liberal bias simply isn't paying attention.

Morning internet includes Reuters and Google News. WaPo and The Hill are in the bookmarks list but I rarely spend much time on them. https://fivethirtyeight.com/ is important stuff around election times, well worth discovering.

We haven't watched any TV in decade; never, ever, have had cable.

 

[gooddog]

There was a fellow who said something along the lines of: 'If you don't read the newspaper you are uniformed. If you do read the newspaper you are misinformed'. That is probably the best description of news these days. Yahoo, Facebook, and others lean hard left. While Fox leans to the right. While we have more information today than ever before, it has become more difficult to become 'informed' than ever.

 

[Gumby]

My advice to all, regardless of your political persuasion, is to go to the original source. Don't accept any news channel's characterization of what a law says, what a court has held or what a scientific study has found. Go read that law or that opinion or that study for yourself and draw your own conclusions. In the age of the internet, that is easier to do than ever. I think it will make you a more informed person.