All The News That’s Fit to Print

In a recent post, we talked about media bias. While any human being that writes or edits will have a perspective, and that perspective is likely to come through to the reader, media bias seems to have gotten out of hand.

I like a story that tells me the information, presents pros and cons, asks tough questions, and lets me decide how I feel about it. I don’t like being told how to think or feel by the author. Often times, things that seem to be true and are considered “hard facts” turn out to be less true after they’ve been tested and challenged. That’s OK, we all learn as we go, but when the media chooses to tell us what’s right or what’s wrong, it often has a stake in this position and can sometimes be more focused on defending that position than learning and evolving.

That’s my opinion, and that’s why I think it’s best for all if the story is presented with as little perspective as possible.

I read a story the other day where the author was quoting what they represented as a false claim of something or other. How do they know it’s false? Tell me the claim, tell me the information about it, and let me decide if it’s false.

Don’t Get Me Started

I could go on for days. I don’t like the news from outlets that lean opposite me because I think they’re nuts. I also don’t like the news from the outlets that share my perspective because they are pandering to me. It doesn’t really seem that they explored the topic. Don’t tell me a particular presidential candidate is a moron. Clearly each candidate has done something right to get to the point of being a presidential candidate. It’s OK for my buddies to say that, but I expect more from the media.

I’ve been disappointed more often than not.

Better Choices

Pull your head out of the oven. There are some better choices. After my post Can We Trust The News, I got lots of great feedback on sites readers have used to get news that is less biased. Thanks for that and I’ll share some of them here.

My Favorites

I have a few that I use daily.

AllSides – I talked in detail on my prior post. I like allsides because it aggregates news from sites that lean left, right and center. Allsides will show us the headlines of left, right and center leaning publications and explore the discrepancies.

The Daily Upside – I’ve been reading this for months. I get an email each morning with the top stories. I find it tells me the story and lets me think for myself. Also pretty funny and clever commentary.

The 1440 – another daily email I subscribe to. Similar to the Daily Upside, it provides a handful of relevant stories. It also covers a broader spectrum, with some odds and end stories that are interesting.

Clark.com – Clark shares money saving and other financial tips. I get his newsletter daily and always find something new. Did you know that gas is cheapest on Monday, and most expensive on Thursday? I learned that today.

…And The Rest

I haven’t spent a lot of time on these, but I’ve stumbled across them or they’ve been recommended by readers.

• Nice News – if you’re just sick of politics and world affairs, this is a daily dose of, well, nice news. Stories like “Nationwide shares most unusual pet insurance claims of the year”
• Aljazeer – Reader Mike, and also neighbor Mike, recommend this to get the “across the pond” perspective. If your name is Mike, check it out.
• BBC – Similar to Aljazeer in that it will give you a non-US perspective

Wrap-Up

It turns out that very little of the news is fit to print. Again, my opinion, but seems to resonate with our readers. Check out some of the suggestions and post a comment if you have another source our readers might like.