Balanced news sources?

[swimmermom3]

This morning I had a delightful time meandering around the zoo with a good friend and seeing few of the animals because we were so busy discussing economics which then led to politics. This could be a course for disaster as we are on opposite ends of the spectrum in many ways. We agree on fiscal responsibility, but not waterboarding as a means of interrogation. Think NPR vs. Fox news. However, it is always a learning experience and I enjoy hearing what she has to say because while I may not agree, she's darn sharp and has spent a lot of time reading about and pondering on topics like the debt ceiling.

 

Afterwards, I got to thinking about how our individual opinions of certain presidents and their administrations really reflect the stereotypes. What I mean is that while I thought we were both somewhat well-read, we both stick to the news sources that say what we want to hear. I am not sure that covering only one side is really a trait of being all that well-read.

 

I would like to branch out a bit from NPR and The New York Times and try to look at both sides of the current economic crisis. Honestly, I am tired of both piles of the partisan manure (not from my beloved NPR and NYT, of course;)) and would like to read some balanced opinions, if that is possible. I want to know how both sides see their "plans" for economic viability working. Or maybe nobody has plans. Some days, I think we are like an old married couple with him arguing about spending money on cars while she wants to spend money on decorating and neither of them can pay the mortgage. How does it work if we cut taxes, but Americans save instead of spend? What would have happened if we had let banks fail? What portion of the budget is military spending? If there is no welfare or medicare and people take care of themselves, how will that be played out? Could we really go back to the 2008 level of spending? How?

 

I know. My ignorance is showing even with graduate courses in economics. That was too long ago. I want relevant statistics, well-researched info and intelligent discourse. Where do I find that?

 

Oh and with a BS in Journalism :D, I don't do well with news sources that rant and rave and news anchors that smile while talking about fatal plane crashes. The live news videos on the WSJ drive me up the wall.

 

So please, give me your best news sources. You don't need to answer my above questions as I listed them just to give you an idea of my ponderings. Books are great too.

[Jane in NC]

Well you may not want more NPR, but I find the Planet Money podcasts to be illuminating as is the Planet Money blog. There are two podcasts a week. I find that they make an interesting luncheon companion.

 

Jane

[Medieval Mom]

I'm all ears. :bigear: Dh takes the approach of reading several online newspapers in different languages (from different countries). That gives him an interesting perspective! He likes to keep up with what they're saying in his native country. (And he knows 4 languages. ;))

 

This is sad to admit, but I get 99% of my news from my husband. The other 1% comes from the News Hour on pbs :)

[mamachanse]

I would like to branch out a bit from NPR and The New York Times and try to look at both sides of the current economic crisis. Honestly, I am tired of both piles of the partisan manure (not from my beloved NPR and NYT, of course;))

 

 

Why? It will likely just piss you off. ;) I have tried to explore both sides, but it makes me absolutely furious.

 

But I'll :lurk5: in case anyone has a good answer.

[ElizabethB]

Real Clear Politics has interesting articles from both sides. They recently added Real Clear Markets. I appreciate reading both sides.

 

They are slightly right leaning overall, but link to both the right and left.

 

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

[calandalsmom]

I like Christian Science Monitor, The Economist, and I occassionally peep at Wall St Journal.

 

But I am a NPR junkie.

[Imprimis]

I like The Economist.

[swimmermom3]

I forgot about Planet Money, but you are right, Jane, in that it probably won't be a new viewpoint, but at least I could answer some of my questions.

 

Medieval mom, your dh is fortunate to be able to gain the additional perspective. When my kids were younger, I would sit out in the afternoon in the driveway of my Danish neighbor's house, drink wine, watch the kids, and discuss politics. Her opinions would regularly rock my American self-perception. She was way more aware of what was happening politically in the US than I was and of course, she brought a European viewpoint. I miss those conversations as they kept my housewife's brain from rotting at that point in time.

[goldberry]

Wow, thank you for asking this questions, as I look for the same thing. I only do online and don't watch on TV. I typically do CNN, but have since added Foxnews (which normally I wouldn't come near) just for the sole purpose of trying to see the other side presented. I'm hoping that maybe I might be able to combine them somehow to see the middle ground. As yet, it has not worked! It is SO FRUSTRATING.

 

Isn't it sad that we even have to be asking this question, and there aren't alot of answers?

[Margo out of lurking]

I hate FOX, I hate CNN. I would love to find an easy to read, balanced (key word!) news home page. And it'd sure be nice to finally read a NEWS page that never has a headline on Lindsay Lohan, a Playboy bunny, or Jen Aniston.:glare:

 

I don't think such a thing exists, but I'd sure like for someone to prove me wrong.

[goldberry]

Real Clear Politics has interesting articles from both sides. They recently added Real Clear Markets. I appreciate reading both sides.

 

They are slightly right leaning overall, but link to both the right and left.

 

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

 

This looks interesting. Do they just link to other news sources?

[Liz CA]

How about a nice cocktail of National Review, BBC, NPR and Fox? :)

[ElizabethB]

This looks interesting. Do they just link to other news sources?

 

Mostly. They have a few people who write original articles, however. They do have core people they link to on both sides, but come up with interesting links outside the norm, there is always something interesting there.

 

I hate FOX, I hate CNN. I would love to find an easy to read, balanced (key word!) news home page. And it'd sure be nice to finally read a NEWS page that never has a headline on Lindsay Lohan, a Playboy bunny, or Jen Aniston.:glare:

 

I don't think such a thing exists, but I'd sure like for someone to prove me wrong.

 

Real Clear Politics! It does have a political slant, however. Their Real Clear World does not, it's just news.

[Susan C.]

How about a nice cocktail of National Review, BBC, NPR and Fox? :)

 

Whoa, that will certainly make your head spin!! LOL

 

I really miss the short news of my childhood, Walter Cronkite (sp?) style. I'm on the conservative side, but very tired of all the verbage. Just tell me what happened, I'm good!

[Hillary in KS]

OK, I do like Fox News - but ONLY the news. It has been my experience that the NEWS portion of Fox News is as balanced as anything else out there. In some cases, more so. (Fox News had fewer stories than CNN on Trump, Obama's birth certificate controversy, and birthers over the past several weeks, for example.)

 

HOWEVER, I do not like the opinion shows or commentators on FOX. For the record, I also don't like or watch the commentators on CNN or other news networks.

 

If you're looking for balanced opinion shows or commentaries, you're not going to find any. But if you're looking for a presentation of the day's stories, FOX is fine. Well, just as fine as CNN, NPR, etc.

[Mama Geek]

I am very conservative. I read drudge for most of the news I get. It is right leaning but, it is mostly links to outside stories. I have occasionally gone to the Associated Press, but that has been a while. Maybe I will start looking at that one again for awhile. We have no TV, I occasionally read a couple of newspapers.

 

I like to read the oil and gas section of the Anchorage Daily News (Alaska). You can get a feel for what is going on with gas on the North Slope.

[LidiyaDawn]

I'm not really a big news reader/watcher (too depressing) but here's a few Canadian news sites….

 

CBC

CTV

The Globe and Mail

The National Post

Cnews

 

(I don't know many American news sites; I just go to CNN because that's the big one)

[Mary in VA]

OK, I do like Fox News - but ONLY the news. It has been my experience that the NEWS portion of Fox News is as balanced as anything else out there. In some cases, more so. (Fox News had fewer stories than CNN on Trump, Obama's birth certificate controversy, and birthers over the past several weeks, for example.)

 

HOWEVER, I do not like the opinion shows or commentators on FOX. For the record, I also don't like or watch the commentators on CNN or other news networks.

 

If you're looking for balanced opinion shows or commentaries, you're not going to find any. But if you're looking for a presentation of the day's stories, FOX is fine. Well, just as fine as CNN, NPR, etc.

 

:iagree:I'm conservative, but most of the Fox opinion shows drive me crazy, particularly Hannity and Beck. The 6-7pm news is news, not opinion, unless they label it as commentary. I love the last 20 minutes when they have the "Fox All-Stars." They have three commentators talking about the day's news. The commentators are rotating and are always from across the spectrum, although Charles Krauthammer is a fixture in that segment. The commentators seem to not be either on the etreme right or left, but on either end of the middle. I also love the show is an hour long. Many people only think of Fox opinion shows and are turned off. Give the news a try. It you had to label it probably does lean right, but not glaringly so. I think they are really trying to be balanced, and I appreciate it.

 

Mary

[DawnM]

I get plenty of both sides. I hang out with mostly conservative Christians who only watch FOX, including my parents. I get earfuls upon earfuls of that side. There is no way I could watch it too. I consider myself a moderate but after listening to the far right, I am sure they would view me as quite liberal.

 

Dawn

[TXMomof4]

OK, I do like Fox News - but ONLY the news. It has been my experience that the NEWS portion of Fox News is as balanced as anything else out there. In some cases, more so. (Fox News had fewer stories than CNN on Trump, Obama's birth certificate controversy, and birthers over the past several weeks, for example.)

 

HOWEVER, I do not like the opinion shows or commentators on FOX. For the record, I also don't like or watch the commentators on CNN or other news networks.

 

If you're looking for balanced opinion shows or commentaries, you're not going to find any. But if you're looking for a presentation of the day's stories, FOX is fine. Well, just as fine as CNN, NPR, etc.

 

 

More to the point, I only like the afternoon shows - and only when there isn't a "breaking news alert" going on. Shepherd Smith and Neil Cavuto. Oh, and Bret Baier - the panel with Charles Krauthammer is pretty interesting sometimes.

[elegantlion]

I've taken to either reading about news here or going to BBC.

[Margaret in GA]

I like The Economist.

:iagree: everything I know about world news (other than the Middle East) comes from this slightly right-leaning magazine.

[J-rap]

For a quick overview, I go to BBC news online every day. NPR is next.

[chiguirre]

Al-Jazeera English is surprisingly good. It's a bit like the Economist in that it covers the WHOLE world, not just the Middle East. It's only online, but it's a good site to visit.

 

(And just as a side note to all you kilt lovers, there's a whole lot of BBC English too--ear candy!)

[kchara]

DH gets his news from a variety of sources. Fox News (although they're becoming more tabloid-ish, and it's driving us crazy), CNN, and he reads a lot of Drudge. We don't have cable, though, so he gets it mostly online.

 

I get my news from DH. ;) I don't have time to go through all of the sites, so he tells me the highlights and I look it up when I get the chance.

[stripe]

I am not sure how much "well-researched info and intelligent discourse" there really is.

 

PBS's Newshour often has multiple viewpoints expressed by the actual people who hold them, with lots of time for discussion, which most American news programs lack. There are also targeted discussion programs such as on politics, economics, religion and women's issues.

 

I find international news sources lightyears better than most American coverage, but I doubt you will find certain positions that are popular in some groups in the US (such as concern, say, the dangers of universal health care, or rejection of global warming, or doubt about the president's citizenship, or the view that the United States is God's chosen land) well represented abroad.

[goldberry]

The Economist seems to be getting alot of votes! I will have to start checking it out. I am probably slightly left-leaning, so if it is slightly right-leaning it should be a good balance for me.

[MSNative]

I read The Economist, but I would not describe it as right leaning. If you are looking for something to give you a view of the other side, that might not be the best choice. I partake of the cocktail that a previous poster described: BBC, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, National Review. I also like reading the Wash. Post and the Wash Times to get an insight into both sides.

 

I found the best way for me to get more detailed info is to visit think tank websites and read more about individual topics. Heritage Foundation and Hoover Inst. and Brookings and Center for American Progress are all great sources of info.

[kalanamak]

I like The Economist.

 

 

:iagree: I try to catch BBC and Radio Netherlands when I can. I believe I am a moderate, with leanings toward fiscal conservatism and social liberalism, in the more "pop" meaning of the words.

[regentrude]

I like The Economist.

:iagree:

Beats all other weekly news periodical for depth of information and world coverage.

 

Also: BBC news on satellite radio. And, if you have language skills, it can be very interesting to regularly read news originating in a different country (I regularly read the German Der Spiegel, and check France24)

[tadah]

Here's another vote for the Economist. Many young people will be interested in reading bits of it as well; it's full of concise, well-written articles on a wide variety of subjects.

[CanaryMelody]

Pretty much all news is biased. NPR, NYT, Fox, CNN, etc. I try to get news from several sources and decide that the truth is probably usually somewhere in the middle. :)

[Marylou]

World

[kalanamak]

Here's another vote for the Economist. Many young people will be interested in reading bits of it as well; it's full of concise, well-written articles on a wide variety of subjects.

 

And I love the sly captions and choice of artwork. E.g. when the N Korean leader "came out" in to the world, they had a cover of him in his bland green suit, round face, stepping off a plane with arm raised, and the caption was "Greetings, Earthlings".

From a young age, kiddo was really drawn to the covers and would ask questions about them.

[catz]

The Economist seems to be getting alot of votes! I will have to start checking it out. I am probably slightly left-leaning, so if it is slightly right-leaning it should be a good balance for me.

 

We're left leaning and really like the Economist too. I consider it quite balanced. I'm not sure I would describe it as right leaning either.

 

I like BBC and NPR. Not helpful, I know.

[elfgivas]

we read the economist cover to cover each week. it is more conservative than we are by a long shot, but its thoughtful and gives fascinating information, too. i used to try to read/watch FOX news to understand what many americans were watching, but it is the worst sort of propaganda, pushing a viewpoint with little research and substantiation, and lots of emotion, so i just had to stop.

 

the bbc is good, and al jazeera english, too, for offering differing viewpoints, and mostly good journalism....

 

enjoy!

ann

[mom2scouts]

What about The Politico? They are right in Washington and have journalists from all sides of the political spectrum.

[JennyD]

BIL got me a subscription to The Week last year and I love it. It's a weekly newsmagazine (arrives on Fridays) that is a collection of clips from a huge range of national and international (translated) news sources. It covers politics, business, science, arts, technology, everything. It's a terrific overview of all kinds of views, and I frequently go look up the original articles to read more.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

Why would you want anything but NPR??

 

Okay,okay. I do NPR, BBC, and a few French newspapers (more for language than content at this point.) But I love me some NPR. My nighttime ritual is checking the NPR app on my phone and reading all the new articles. :D

 

(And I think I'll check out some of the sources suggested in this thread, so thank you everyone!)

[nmoira]

I regularly read:

 

The Guardian

The Globe and Mail

The Economist

Reason

Talking Points Memo

Salon

NYT (less post-paywall)

Ars Technica

The New Republic

Politico

Andrew Sullivan

David Frum

Gwynne Dyer

The Atlantic

The National Review

The Weekly Standard

Al Jazeera

 

I've recently put a few others on hiatus, possibly permanently.

 

I love my smartphone... I can read whenever and wherever.

[JessieC]

I live for The New Yorker.

 

The articles are so well-researched and so intelligent. It's weekly, so I get all my current news as well as interesting articles on various random topics, fiction, book, TV, and movie reviews, and poems.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

We've bought subscriptions to both The Economist and WSJ using airline miles. It was especially helpful to keep active a couple of frequent flyer accounts that we use infrequently.

 

I like reading The Economist and WSJ (I really liked having the print edition, but I also like the wide international coverage). Once you get used to reading these, I think it's impossible to go back to something like Newsweek or Time (which come off as almost tabloid by comparison).

 

I read National Review frequently. I keep in mind that most entries are opinion pieces. (But I also think that much in the NYT and Washington Post is too, just not labeled as such.)

 

BBC's website

 

For education stuff, I really like Education Next from the Hoover Institute.