Guest mormonmusic Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 I currently have my home page set to Yahoo, and I find the news that comes on the front page to be very celebrity and human interest, and not really about larger issues facing the country and the world. Do any of you have recommendations for places where you get balanced domestic and some international news regarding topics like the economy and politics? Quote
Tyler90AZ Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 Glenn Beck, duh! Atleast that is what my family in law tells me. Quote
Vort Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) You want a single source to get balanced news? Good luck. Fox News comes closest, despite the outcry from the left. Unbiased it is not, but its biases are not nearly as evident as those of, for example. CNN (not to mention leftist rah-rah sites like MSNBC, or the right's equivalent such as Drudge Report). The Economist is far from unbiased, but it does give a reasonably balanced perspective on many international topics.Actually, I often go to Yahoo! for news. It is not necessarily better than any of the above, and obviously slants leftward as basically all major news outlets do, but somehow seems a bit less overtly biased to me. Stays fairly current, as well. Edited October 10, 2011 by Vort Quote
Tyler90AZ Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 Fox news the same network that let Glenn Beck link President Obama to a terrorist organization. Cnn is also bias........ I would have to say yahoo leans Democrat. If you ever find an unbiased network let me know. I don't ever see a network being completly unbiased. That happened to be the first and last episode of Glenn Beck I watched. Quote
Dravin Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) Google News is an option, and you can customize the weightings it has on news stories so you can reduce the frequency of a topic (topic in the sense of Sports, Entertainment, Business, US, World...), bar its display, or even create one (e.g. Geology). As far as bias it links to multiple sources. So you can either steer for the ones you figure are least biased, or read several and try to figure out where the truth actually is. Or do you want to avoid an aggregate site? Edited October 10, 2011 by Dravin Quote
Guest xforeverxmetalx Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 Pretty sure an unbiased news source doesn't exist. What I do is subscribe to multiple news stations on my Twitter account (I don't use it for social networking, just news). For example, I've got Fox, Time, CNBC, Reuters, CNN, Wall Street Journal, BBC, AP, and a couple other random ones like The Weather Channel. I figure it gives me a pretty balanced picture overall, or as best as possible. Plus since I mostly scan over the headlines rather than read the full article (unless I want to know more, naturally), it makes it easy to see which headlines are major because they appear multiple times. Quote
Jennarator Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 I currently have my home page set to Yahoo, and I find the news that comes on the front page to be very celebrity and human interest, and not really about larger issues facing the country and the world. Do any of you have recommendations for places where you get balanced domestic and some international news regarding topics like the economy and politics?Bahahaha!!! I don't know if there is one. Ok, shouldn't have laughed, but I don't know if the media can NOT be bias... Quote
Dravin Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 Bahahaha!!! I don't know if there is one. Ok, shouldn't have laughed, but I don't know if the media can NOT be bias...I agree. As long as there are people involved there will be bias. People don't report the truth, they report what they perceive to be the truth. From some hypothetically objective perspective they may be more or less accurate in their perception, but ultimately everyone sees the world through a filter of some sort. Quote
captmoroniRM Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 I'm a fan of Drudge but you can't trust one news source. Drudge and Fox News are tipped to the right. CNN and MSNBC are tipped to the left. The Blaze is good, but again leans to the right. WorldNet Daily is good, but it is run by the conservative Christian right and they tend to obsess with some issues (like the birth cirtificate, etc). The best place to find the best information\news is across multiple sources. That can help you see the different ways different outlets are spinning it and help you come to a better more informed conclusion than someone who watches only one source. Quote
LittleWyvern Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 (edited) I agree. As long as there are people involved there will be bias. People don't report the truth, they report what they perceive to be the truth. From some hypothetically objective perspective they may be more or less accurate in their perception, but ultimately everyone sees the world through a filter of some sort.I've usually observed that bias is reported relative to the observer. For example, if you're more of a right-leaning person you'll think Fox is unbiased and MSNBC/CNN/NPR/BBC/etc. are left-leaning, or if you're a left-leaning person you might think MSNBC is unbiased and Fox is right-leaning.I think it mostly depends on how often we agree with a news source.That being said, I usually watch CNN mostly because it's a very global news company. It offers much more world-wide news than FOX or MSNBC does. Before I went to college I'd watch all three, but since MSNBC isn't offered in Provo (but FOX is) I've mostly gone to online news pages. With online pages you'll want to avoid pages run by a specific political group unless you're trying to understand they way that such a group thinks. Even then, stick with large, professionally run sites that aren't dedicated to just bashing the other side or running conspiracy theories (which is why I rarely, if ever, go to sites like WND and infowars). Although it's already been mentioned, I usually get the majority of my news from Google News, which (if you have a Google account) is a very nice highly customizable news aggregator. Google has done a really good job picking reputable news sites and organizing them into neat categories. What I really like is the option to view the same news story across multiple news sites, so it's easier to get a balanced view. It's the news without the news site. Edited October 10, 2011 by LittleWyvern Quote
Spartan117 Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 Associated Press. Fox and MSNBC are no different in any way. A Republican will tell you Fox isn't biased and a Liberal will tell you the same about MSNBC.I personally think Fox news is on par with The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, not that MSNBC is less biased, just more credible. You can play connect the dots and pretty easily link both political parties to the same corporate financial sponsors that back any of the 24 hour news stations. Ralph Nader had it right all along if you ask me. Quote
prophetofdoom Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 I would recommend alternative news sites that have no allegiance to corporate ownership. 1. Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!2. DRUDGE REPORT 2012® Quote
prisonchaplain Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 The Week gives both sides of the commentary, and usually waits until the last paragraph to offer its spin. It still has a slant (mostly moderate), but at least it gives several viewpoints, letting each speak for itself. The Week Magazine: Political News and Cartoons, Current Events and Entertainment Online Quote
prisonchaplain Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 Associated Press. Fox and MSNBC are no different in any way. A Republican will tell you Fox isn't biased and a Liberal will tell you the same about MSNBC. This Republican will tell you that FOX is slanted to the right, and that MSNBC will made anyone right of center suffer minor convulsions.I personally think Fox news is on par with The Daily Show or The Colbert Report, not that MSNBC is less biased, just more credible. More credible? MSNBC, which has Lawrence Odonnell focusing on the great issues of the day, like asking Cain how he justifies AVOIDING the Vietnam War (on the advice of his draft board, he served as a mathematician for the Department of the Navy instead)??? Let's just admit that FOX and MSNBC are both political entertainment channels, pandering to their audiences, and quit with the silly notion of either having more than a modicum of CREDIBILITY. Quote
Vort Posted October 10, 2011 Report Posted October 10, 2011 This Republican will tell you that FOX is slanted to the right, and that MSNBC will made anyone right of center suffer minor convulsions.I am not a big fan of Fox News, except that I think they are the least slanted of a slanted lot. But if they lean, they lean left, not right. Only by comparison with the other major news outlets can Fox be considered right-leaning.Can you provide specific examples of Fox "leaning right"?Btw, PC, your assessment is much kinder than mine. Anyone who claims that MSNBC is more credible than Fox News has just proven his opinion utterly useless and irrelevant. Quote
Spartan117 Posted October 11, 2011 Report Posted October 11, 2011 Btw, PC, your assessment is much kinder than mine. Anyone who claims that MSNBC is more credible than Fox News has just proven his opinion utterly useless and irrelevant.I was thinking the same thing about anyone who thinks Faux News is anything more than recycled John Birch Society talk radio. Small world! And news editors from everyone from the LA Times to the BBC agree. The Project for Excellence in Journalism has a report they put out that analyzes the major news networks and compiles statistics and data. In 2004 their study of 5,570 story segments, the PEJ report noted that investigative stories only make up 11% of newscasts for Fox. CNN has around double that, which isn't much better but Fox was bottom of the barrel for statistics like that. And if you really wanna take a look at Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch we can do that. Hopefully you'd be surprised at their political and business associations and track records, otherwise it would be sad. Like I said to begin with, I don't think ANY of the 24 hour news stations are ideal for anything and I personally get all my news from AP. Mostly. I agree with PC about Fox and MSNBC are entertainment at best. I think one is worse than the other, but at the end of the day that's like being the shiniest turd on the pile of poop and none of the networks is to be taken seriously. I also think the same of the 2 main political parties. No real difference. One of the best song lyrics ever written by The Who goes "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." And Metallica agrees with "Sad But True." Quote
annewandering Posted October 11, 2011 Report Posted October 11, 2011 I go to all three main sources, MSNBC, CNN and FOX. I dont believe any of them but MSNBC is less likely to infuriate me than FOX and CNN is more in the middle. Lately I have noticed that we really do not get all the news so its good to also go to BBC at the very least for an outside view. Google is good for getting a bunch of sources but keep in mind that Google is not moderate so their search engines dont necessarily search in an unbiased way. What I like to do is check them all then if there is something I want to know more I search around the net. Facebook will give you some on the spot sources, amazing I know. An example is that I know people who are actually in the protests on wall street. They bring back photos and tell us what they have seen. Hardly ever matches what is said on the main news sources. Got to love the internet. If you are determined you can find out whats going on but it does require dedication and work. Quote
prisonchaplain Posted October 11, 2011 Report Posted October 11, 2011 Can you provide specific examples of Fox "leaning right"? I'll admit I'm judging primarily by the commentators. I read my news. Bill Oreilly, Rush Limbaugh, Glen Beck (up til now), etc.--pretty conservative. My definition of mainstream would be the Wall Street Journal--but I realize that Wall Street = rightwing to anyone left of center. Their business angle keeps them grounded, and averse to any extremes.Btw, PC, your assessment is much kinder than mine. Anyone who claims that MSNBC is more credible than Fox News has just proven his opinion utterly useless and irrelevant. That's me...Mr. Nice Quote
prisonchaplain Posted October 11, 2011 Report Posted October 11, 2011 I also think the same of the 2 main political parties. No real difference. Here I disagree. Most Americans are moderate. Our two political parties are also. However, there is one that is more optimistic about America's unique culture and values, about common mores, grounded in civic Christianity (note, I'm not calling for a Christian republic), one that is less likely to raise taxes, or punish productivity more than the other. I'm not a straight party guy--but pretty close. Quote
HoosierGuy Posted October 11, 2011 Report Posted October 11, 2011 BBC World Service. The Week is also good. Christian Science Monitor. Quote
Spartan117 Posted October 11, 2011 Report Posted October 11, 2011 Here I disagree. Most Americans are moderate. Our two political parties are also. However, there is one that is more optimistic about America's unique culture and values, about common mores, grounded in civic Christianity (note, I'm not calling for a Christian republic), one that is less likely to raise taxes, or punish productivity more than the other. I'm not a straight party guy--but pretty close.I do agree there are subtle differences, Democrats absolutely are more inclined to raise taxes, Republicans are more likely to cut government spending, I'm not trying to oversimplify but those seem (in my humble opinion anyway) to be some of party specific behaviors that are common. All I see are corporate politicians. I gave up on the idea of the Republicans being the party you describe after John McCain headed up a little group that wants to dissolve the Veterans Administration (VA) and make vouchers available for privatized health care as the alternative. Being a disabled veteran myself, I admired McCain for his military service. When he started with this crap after he lost to Obama, well the "values" party lost my vote for good. There's more to it but I don't want to hijack the thread anymore than I already have. Quote
FunkyTown Posted October 11, 2011 Report Posted October 11, 2011 BBC as has previously been stated. The BBC world news is balanced, insightful and thankfully mostly devoid of the editorializing that makes up so much infotainment. Oh, BBC - Where would I be without you? Quote
Blackmarch Posted October 11, 2011 Report Posted October 11, 2011 I currently have my home page set to Yahoo, and I find the news that comes on the front page to be very celebrity and human interest, and not really about larger issues facing the country and the world. Do any of you have recommendations for places where you get balanced domestic and some international news regarding topics like the economy and politics?I have yet to find one. Quote
mrmarklin Posted October 11, 2011 Report Posted October 11, 2011 Probably no such thing as completely unbiased because editors are people after all. Fox is probably closest. But Roger Ailes is right wing, which I personally prefer. Quote
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