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[Ace Harding]

What are some of your go-to news sources (tv/video and "print") that don't seem to lean one way or the other? In simply trying to watch the DNC last night I was disturbed by CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. They all make these half-assed attempts to get some clown from "the other side" who is shouted down by the host or the rest of the panel before he/she can get a point across.

"Papers of Record" like the NYT and WSJ are only slightly better as long as you stay away from the Opinion sections.

Do you just read/watch both "sides?"

I always thought people were exaggerating about media bias but after watching a bit of Hannity and Giraldo (holy shit!) and then seeing Paul Begala fellating Bill Clinton and President Obama on CNN without being challenged by supposedly non-partisan hosts I decided I needed to find some new sources.

 

[Transistor]

Try NPR. Many people say they have a liberal bias, but then again, so does reality

 

[Orbis Tabula]

At the very least, I'll say that you can watch the conventions on C-SPAN to see them without any punditry overlaid. So maybe not non-partisan as much as sans-partisan, but I've found it to be an enjoyable experience.

 

[jaekeem]

npr is good

 

[Jonm1010]

For convention coverage: CSPAN.

NPR, BBC and PBS are good general news sources.

 

[shintoki]

Typically what I use is NPR and BBC.

 

[Cheebo]

Reality has a liberal bias, it isn't comparable to compare supposedly "liberal" media to the right-wing insanity that is Fox News.

The best of the best in the US is NPR.

Try NPR. Many people say they have a liberal bias, but then again, so does reality

Bingo.

 

[Auto_aim1]

Typically what I use is NPR and BBC.

Yup, these are great sources.

 

[SliceSabre]

NPR is the only one I can think of aside from maybe C-SPAN.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

The Democratic National Convention YouTube channel is uninterrupted live footage.

 

[Pagusas]

I've been told by a Bernie supporter that NPR is bad, in fact they told me all mass market news was bad and bias and the only way to hear the truth was to subscribe to underground news, such as the one Bernie supporters run.


not kidding.

 

[Jeels]

NPR

International - BBC and Al Jazeera English

 

[RandomHopeInc]

I'm personally a big fan of the weekl news magazine, "The Week". They always present differing opinions to illustrate the bigger picture.

 

[pa22word]

Try NPR. Many people say they have a liberal bias, but then again, so does reality

I can't tell if this post is a joke or not, and I really enjoy NPR.

 

[Mr. X]

I watch on youtube stream

 

[Killer Queen]

I've been told by a Bernie supporter that NPR is bad, in fact they told me all mass market news was bad and bias and the only way to hear the truth was to subscribe to underground news, such as the one Bernie supporters run.


not kidding.

I think this past week we've all confirmed certain Bernie fans are delusional.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Really though, no one in journalism is questioning anyone on the air.

I'll be happy when the news is "Trump says shitty thing and lies, every single media outlet presses him on the lie until he clarifies" and not just "Trump says thing, what do Twitter and these talking heads think about this?"

 

[Transistor]

I can't tell if this post is a joke or not, and I really enjoy NPR.

Why would it be a joke? I love NPR and I listen to them daily.

 

[ZealousD]

I've been told by a Bernie supporter that NPR is bad, in fact they told me all mass market news was bad and bias and the only way to hear the truth was to subscribe to underground news, such as the one Bernie supporters run.


not kidding.

US Uncut and TYT are the only unbiased news sources out there. I know this because they always agree with me.

 

[freeofgreed]

I don't think what you're looking for exists. Every news site will have a slant one way or another. The best you can do is look for sources that minimize that slant.

I personally like the New York Times, The Economist, and the BBC.

 

[olympia]

NPR is easily the most objective news source.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

PBS. C-SPAN for certain events. It's dry though.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

Associated press and NPR

 

[NimbusD]

I've been told by a Bernie supporter that NPR is bad, in fact they told me all mass market news was bad and bias and the only way to hear the truth was to subscribe to underground news, such as the one Bernie supporters run.


not kidding.

You can hear similar things from any supporter really. Especially supporters of candidates who lost. People seem to really like believing in conspiracies.

 

[pantsmith]

BBC and NPR are both considered "left-leaning", but are actually two of the best news sources you can turn to for an unbiased opinion and intelligent reporting on varying perspectives on an issue. Coincidentally, they're both public services rather than profit-focused entities.

If you want to hear what an interview is supposed to sound like, the BBC has you covered.

 

[Gabriel_Logan]

CSPAN

 

[orthodoxy1095]

I use BBC. Can't stand any of the big "traditional" US outlets.

 

[Horns]

As others have mentioned Reuters, AP, BBC, NPR, and al Jazeera are pretty good sources for news down the middle. Check out factcheck.org, snopes.com, and politifact.com for non-partisan fact checking of political claims.

 

[Iksenpets]

I don't think what you're looking for exists. Every news site will have a slant one way or another. The best you can do is look for sources that minimize that slant.

I personally like the New York Times, The Economist, and the BBC.

I like The Economist a lot, but I think it's hard to argue that they're unbiased. They're pretty openly ideological, it's just that that ideology is fairly mainstream centrism.

But yeah, I agree, completely unbiased media doesn't exist. The NYT and BBC and NPR are as close as you're going to get. And really sometimes it's better to have openly ideological coverage and just to be aware of the bias as you're reading, try to check the other side for counterpoints, etc.

 

[otake]

I watch the PBS Newshour exclusively.

As to non-partisan online sources...... I haven't found any really. maybe NPR but they don't write much.

I don't mind reading partisan reporting. It's important to get both sides. For example, I read David Brooks, I also read Raheem Salam in Slate. This is analysis. For news, google news keeps it varied for me with the washington post, slate, new york times. I'm not sure they are completely unbiased but they seem balanced to me.

 

[boiled goose]

Try independent media online.

 

[SirClinksAlot]

NPR and PBS.

 

[FyreWulff]

Doesn't exist, but PBS and NPR don't use screeching and yelling to get their point across.

 

[hollomat]

I like The Economist a lot, but I think it's hard to argue that they're unbiased. They're pretty openly ideological, it's just that that ideology is fairly mainstream centrism.

But yeah, I agree, completely unbiased media doesn't exist. The NYT and BBC and NPR are as close as you're going to get. And really sometimes it's better to have openly ideological coverage and just to be aware of the bias as you're reading, try to check the other side for counterpoints, etc.

The NYT is extremely left leaning. Definitely not a non partisan paper.

As others have pointed out, NPR and BBC are better since they are public entities.

 

[The Albatross]

NPR is excellent. It skews moderate-liberal, but it's presented in an unbiased, news-first, truthful format. If you listen to a local NPR affiliate, then their opinion shows skew more liberal, they have more liberal guests who represent more liberal positions, but their presentation of the news the likely the most unbiased, straight forward, fair-minded presentation, though their choice of stories fits their moderate-left skew. But it's not overwhelming in anyway and generally very, very reliable.

 

[Chibot]

Politifact.com and Factcheck.org are good sources for individual statements.

 

[Acorn]

I'm british but I tend to use NPR for my American political news. I like vox too but they aren't really unbiased.

 

[Aiustis]

NPR is good.
PBS NewsHour is also good; it does have a little bias towards environmental policy.


CSPAN is good.

Internationally I enjoy BBC

 

[ZealousD]

NPR is excellent. It skews moderate-liberal, but it's presented in an unbiased, news-first, truthful format. If you listen to a local NPR affiliate, then their opinion shows skew more liberal, they have more liberal guests who represent more liberal positions, but their presentation of the news the likely the most unbiased, straight forward, fair-minded presentation, though their choice of stories fits their moderate-left skew. But it's not overwhelming in anyway and generally very, very reliable.

When you get outside the hard news shows NPR definitely moves left. "On Being" is conservative kryptonite.

 

[D i Z]

The Presidential Convention channel (PRSCON) if you're a cable tv watcher and if it's available in your area is great for having zero narrative or presenters. It's just pure unfiltered convention speeches from start to finish with not a word uttered by anyone else.
For other worldly news, I tend to go to BBCworld. It's often very dry, but it's better then the other cable stations by a mile in this particular regard.

 

[SDCowboy]

I've found USA Today to be pretty good.

 

[DOWN]

Associated Press is the best, then BBC, and USA Today (all three also deliver awesome top headlines via iOS notifications too). NPR is good too, though I'll admit I think if anything they do lean liberal.

MSNBC and FOX NEWS are super ideological and I can't watch them. I like CNN TBH but they are somewhat liberal indeed, though some of their shows try to avoid it more.

 

[jmdajr]

CBS seems ok to me.

edit: heh maybe not to this...

edit edit: lol buzz feed

 

[ZealousD]

CBS seems ok to me.

edit: heh maybe not to this...

edit edit: lol buzz feed

You know if you redid this poll, Buzzfeed's numbers would probably improve. They've been doing better in the hard news department.

 

[TestOfTide]

The idea that you have to focus on the "partisanship" of sources was just something conservatives kept insisting to go along with their complaints of "liberal mainstream media" so that they could convince other conservatives to outright ignore non-conservative news sources.

You don't need to worry about "partisan"-news sources as long as you keep in mind the following:

1) Follow the Paper Trail: You will know what sources are reliable and what sources aren't simply because the reliable sources will give you references like any reasonable writer would. And the best writers will even invite you to their sources within their article so that you as a reader can critique the validity of the paper trail, including how honestly the secondary source portrays the primary source.

2) Seperation of Facts and Opinions: Brietbart isn't trash simply because it's conservative. It's trash because it shoves opinions into what are supposed to be objective articles. This does not mean your objective articles can never have opinions, but when they do have opinions, it's supposed to be in quotes attributed to an individual to reflect that it is just an opinion.

3) Debate and Discussion: What makes a moderated forum like neogaf such a great way to digest news is that you can see, and even partake in, the debates and discussions of the news given. These are important because they both allow us to learn more about the facts we might not otherwise learn and allow us to see the what is driving the different sides of the discussion.

 

[Timeaisis]

NPR leans slightly liberal in it's programming but it's reporting is very non-partisan. It's one of the few news sources I listen to these days.

EDIT: LOL at Buzzfeed.

 

[Cday]

You're asking for unbiased sources from a very biased source.

 

[Pagusas]

CBS seems ok to me.

edit: heh maybe not to this...

edit edit: lol buzz feed

So the wallstreet journal?

 

[Arkeband]

NPR is good, their coverage of the DNC has been stellar - in that they are very unmoved by the appeals to emotion but recognize a good speech when it occurs. In a way, they're kind of boring, but thats journalism.

 

[cDNA]

So the wallstreet journal?