What is your primary political news source?

[Anonymous]

Where do you get your information about politics and politicians?

[abc3643]

This is a good question.

I have digital subscriptions to the 3 primary US "Newspapers of Record":
1. The New York Times (NYT)
2. The Washington Post (WashPo)
3. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
(The Los Angeles Times is also considered a "Newspaper of Record", but I no longer live in Los Angeles and am fine with the 3 I have.)

A "newspaper of record" is a newspaper, often national in readership, whose reporting is held to a very high standard of journalism. These newspapers document history as it is happening and historians use these newspapers when conducting research.

However, when I read these newspapers, it is primarily for the actual journalism and not the editorials or opinions. Journalism - the coverage of facts - in a newspaper of record is usually excellent. Because these papers are independent, when they all cover the same event, you can often get a very good idea of a reported event. Because of their high standards and independence, there is rarely any major difference in the way that they cover the same story. That said, they may "scoop" each other with stories that the others do not have.

Now, when I read these newspapers, I usually focus on the journalism itself - the factual reporting - and not the opinions or editorials partly because of bias, but also because I am sufficiently intelligent that I rarely consider any of these opinionators (or, in modern terms, "influencers") to provide me with much insight.

I also need to watch story selection and how stories are reported (for instance, word choice) being vigilant against bias. That takes some effort and I will discuss that later.

==
Besides the "newspapers of record", I often check other news sources that are respected:
1. Politico
2. The Hill
3. Christian Science Monitor (which, believe it or not, is not religious).
4. The Atlantic
5. The New Yorker
6. The Economist
7. Canadian and European sources. For instance, the Globe and Mail newspaper or MacLeans in Canada. Reuters or the BBC from the UK.

I also check...
8. SCOTUSblog which is a website dedicated to covering the US Supreme Court.

Believe it or not, I occasionally also check out biased sources... I am not interested in their "facts" which are often too biased to be considered objectively factual, but I _AM_ interested in HOW they are reported. In other words, I am doing my own research into the disinformation / propaganda industry.

Something I also do is check media bias analysis sites to see if a new source is biased.

Here is an example: https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/

This is their assessment of the NYT:
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/new-york-times/
"Overall, we rate the New York Times Left-Center biased based on word and story selection that moderately favors the left but highly factual and considered one of the most reliable sources for news information due to proper sourcing and well-respected journalists/editors. The failed fact checks that occurred were on Op-Ed’s and not straight news reporting."

This is their assessment of the WSJ:
https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/wall-street-journal/
"Overall, we rate the Wall Street Journal Right-Center biased due to low biased news reporting combined with a strong right biased editorial stance. We also rate them Mostly Factual in reporting rather than High due to anti-climate, anti-science stances, and occasional misleading editorials."

I agree with both of these assessments.

[abc3643]

I also want to alert you about detecting bias in the media and how to be vigilant against it.

This is how I answered this question although, here, I am tweaking the answer slightly:
Do you trust the media? ↗

Depends on the media.

For the most part, the news media are OK...

But, you need to keep in mind that there's journalism - the reporting of news - and then there's editorializing - opinion pieces.

Most of the major news media are fine at reporting the actual news and that includes MSNBC and Fox.
BUT, you do need to be careful when listening, reading, or watching to see if they put a spin on things...

For instance, let's assume we have 3 news media companies.
Let's call them "JournalCom" and "PressCorp" and "NewsInc".
Now, let's assume that the Department of Labor puts out the labor statistics for the previous month and unemployment went up by 2% to 10% overall.

Here is how each reports it:

JournalCom:
"The Labor Department today released last month's unemployment figures. Unemployment went up last month by 2% so now the current overall unemployment rate is 10%"

PressCorp:
"The Labor Department today released last month's unemployment figures. Unemployment went up last month by a whopping 2% so now the current overall unemployment rate is 10%, the worst it's been since the Great Recession of 2009."

NewsInc:
"The Labor Department today released last month's unemployment figures. Unemployment went up last month by 2% which was better than experts predicted. The current overall unemployment rate is 10% which also was better than experts predicted."

(more)

[abc3643]

Can you see the difference?

All of them reported the facts (although NewsInc never mentioned who the "experts" were).

>> JournalCom just reported the raw facts - what was released by Department of Labor.

>> PressCorp also reported the facts but added extra descriptors to put a spin on things which make the administration look bad.

>> NewsInc also reported the facts put a different spin on things which make the administration look good.

(I want to be clear that this example has nothing to do with any real presidential administration.)

Now, suppose the above story is years later when a different party has the presidency. Then, it becomes:

JournalCom:
"The Labor Department today released last month's unemployment figures. Unemployment went up last month by 2% so now the current overall unemployment rate is 10%"

NewsInc:
"The Labor Department today released last month's unemployment figures. Unemployment went up last month by a whopping 2% so now the current overall unemployment rate is 10%, the worst it's been since the Great Recession of 2009."

PressCorp:
"The Labor Department today released last month's unemployment figures. Unemployment went up last month by 2% which was better than experts predicted. The current overall unemployment rate is 10% which also was better than experts predicted."

(more)

[abc3643]

See how that works? NewsInc and PressCorp swapped how they reported because the other party was in power from the previous example.

So, it's OK to trust the news media for the most part, but you have to be disciplined to filter out the editorializing. Unfortunately, most people don't do that and that's what creates hostility and the spread of disinformation... especially if you only get your news from NewsInc or PressCorp.

This is a major reason why it's important to do your due diligence and investigate the "facts" that are reported.
"Due diligence" is really a business law phrase, but it's really more than that. It means taking a reasonable effort to verify the facts of assertions someone makes so you don't get fucked over by that someone and their assertions.

For instance, here's one way to do some due diligence when reading news media: Every good journalism site will have URLs to source material just like Wikipedia has references. So, in the example I used, at JournalCom's website, and possibly the other two, there should be a link in their story to that unemployment report at the Dept. of Labor website. You should then do your due diligence and follow the link and read the DOL's unemployment report. That's the original source material and you can make up your own mind if the increase in unemployment is "whopping" or "better than expected".

Unfortunately, "news sites" whose purpose is just to be propaganda machines like InfoWars don't usually help you do due diligence. Don't even bother with them. Both the left and right have such sites. I never bother with those sites; if you are a media source and don't give me a way to verify your "facts", then I have to assume that you are full of shit and just trying to troll me in some way.

============
Anyway, it's OK to trust the news media regarding the facts themselves. Don't trust them when they start to editorialize. Do your due diligence whenever possible.

[BeenThereLovedIt]

I pay attention to fox and cnn and a couple others just to see what's being spoon-fed to the masses. I subscribe to a handful of independent journalists who I feel do the least editorializing, and who also cite actual verifiable sources, and not other news sites.

I often go to the library of congress website to source historical documents. I use several sourcing websites to verify information.

Politifact and Snopes are both decent at finding the truth on specific topics, but they can't cover much because of the sheer amount of bad facts everywhere. It takes a little digging, but the truth is easily obtainable to those who actually want to know it. It's the spoon-fed bunch that worry this guy.

[Smoke-n-Growls]

Their track records.

In all honesty I don't have a primary source. Having multiple from both sides of the spectrum, and multiple international takes, is necessary in today's world.

Combine that with research into early career, opensecrets. org financial donation tracking, officially submitted policies, and good old Google digging for dirt.

I like to know what the interests behind the politics are. God knows it ain't the policy anymore.

[karaspara]

Several different sources
BBC
CNN
Reuters
The Guardian
The Independent
to name a few plus many politicians and analysts have Twitter accounts so you have to filter through a lot of crap but get quite a broad spectrum of news and views.

[MCheetah]

Those are all horrendous, to be honest. (Reuters is okay, I suppose.)

[karaspara]

@MCheetah The British media is a shambles and the internet is a minefield I already said you have to sift through a lot of bullshit but a wide spectrum of views is better than just one

[MrKinktastic]

Secular Talk (fantastic)
Breaking Points (covers a wider range of news)
BBC (for world news, untrustworthy for anything military/foreign intervention related but covers other world news fairly well)
Al Jezeera (middle eastern perspective for world news, a little biased but pretty well run overall. They’re the one israel bombed recently so you know they’re fighting the good fight).
CBC (for Canadian government propaganda, untrustworthy)
Russia Today (for Russian propaganda to use as a contrast to American or Canadian coverage, extremely untrustworthy)
Jimmy Dore (he can be overly critical/negative but he covers topics others don’t)




Do not trust as far as you can throw them:
Literally any mainstream news source so
CNN
mSNBC
Fox
Freedom news or whatever that right wing one Trump liked recently that got big

[rcljr]

Al Jazeera will give you completely opposing points of view, then you can judge for yourself what is the truth.

[Still-alive]

upvote for secular talk

[Oigit]

Honestly its my inner George Carlin. Some people have a inner animal and I have a George Carlin. Some people are lead by a inner jiminy cricket and I'm lead by a inner George Carlin. Once one is willing to take off the blinders and pick up some history books they quickly realize that when Carlin said “It’s called the American Dream because have to be asleep to believe it.” you realize its not a joke, its the honest truth. Just have to sperate yourself from the hive mind you are attached to and see the reality in front of you.

[Lliam]

I look at quite a few sources. NEVER anything from legacy, mainstream media (CNN, MSNBC, Fox, NYT, Washington Post, NPR, BBC, and all the others). It's a coordinated propaganda echo chamber designed to create manufactured consensus. Although Fox occasionally steps outside the box on a couple issues.

One 100% unbiased source for well researched and detailed information is Global Research.
The Highwire (Del Bigtree) is also very informative and unbiased.
Ben Swann (ISE Media) is good.

[Ghostlock]

I don't have a primary news source. It's extremely difficult to find a news source who does not carry an obvious bias and they even like to give their own personal opinions when they should be sticking to strictly facts. So unfortunately, I have to read the same story from a few different sources if I want the full story since they all seem to be a propaganda machine for either the Left or the Right. It is easy to see why so many Left and Right wingers are so brain washed by their political parties.

[Anonymous]

I view ALL sources and do my own research on what a politician has voted for or against. The media cannot be trusted so you have to do your own research. Take Biden for example. If most Democrats were aware of his voting record, he would not be president right now. Most people only listened to what he promised in his campaign. History repeats. Biden's past was a huge indicator of the mess he would make as president. His voting record would have shown he does not care about the same issues most of the liberal base does. In other words, Democrats got duped because they believed the media.

[Kaneki05]

I don't really think about it so have no idea. I just look something up and find multiple articles that confirm that news to be something that multiple sources can agree did happen. And with political leaders or whatever i rarely read any news about them, Wiki works just fine for whatever leader i want to know stuff about.

Any News to me anyway is normally rubbish, i prefer to actually just look up things and find proper articles and research on stuff.

[Sun_Kim-Ai]

I'm subscribed with all the major newspapers of my country, so I can read the same news but see what different spin they give and how they strumentalize it based on their political standing.
More often than not, it's safe to make the sum of what they say and then take the essential facts they share in common. That's how I get the essential news and wean off their political maneuvering.

[Pj1981]

Facebook of course. Just playing I avoid the news as much as I can. I can honestly say that I probably watched the news 10 times in the last year. I watched daily when I was younger but I get so mad, sad, and confused with people's actions that it's just not worth it.

[genericname85]

honestly, i don't know what sources to believe. everything is full of shit. no matter what source. the moment you scratch the surface, all you find is bullshit. i shelter myself from the news these days. i don't even wanna know what sort of nonsense they come up with next.

[dray995]

From people I follow on Social Media. I’ve gotten tired of watching cable news channels and YouTube casts. It’s too depressing to hear all that is going on in the world right now. Sometimes it’s easier to take a break from it every once in awhile and just not have to think about it all.

[MCheetah]

America Uncovered and China Uncensored on YouTube. I don't watch any other "news" besides that. Important enough things and everyone will be talking about it and you won't be able to escape it, regardless of not watching news sources.

[supercutebutt]

This genius gives me all my news. He didn't used to... but then the brain fell out of my head.

[Dargil]

Conservative news and commentary sites. Some are Breitbart, News max and American Thinker.

[Still-alive]

secular talk
Vaush
Yahoo news headlines
sometimes the mainstream media like msnbc or abc
David Pakman

[WhiteSteve]

Going outside in the world and observing first hand. We don’t have unbiased news sources anymore, just lmfao.

[TheBigGuy9]

Local talk radio, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Tucker, MSNBC, the hill. I watch them all. Then I use my core values I grew up with to make an educated decision on what makes the most sense for the country. Not me. The country.

[ThatNoUVAtYourEyes]

Rt. com, politico. eu, cnn. com, thetimes. co. uk, smh. com. au, vrt news English, Der Spiegel International, rarely Le Monde

[summiter]

I like AP news and Reuters.

I think FOX is the worse

[rcljr]

CNN is the all time worst, but FAUX news is no prize winner

[DWornock]

https://www.newsmaxtv.com/, lewrockwell. com, and Russia Today (https://www. rt. com/).

[BokieLoc]

The elite control every news source so I don't watch any of it. The fake covid BS woke me up to the lies and I do not watch fake scripted news anymore which is all of them.

[Bjornasey]

My politics involves distrusting every politician and wanting to end the government.

[Aimée__LJ]

Fox news is pretty reliable if you just like take everything they say and make it opposite 🤣

[Hathor]

Mostly independant journalist, and I browse the majors sometimes.

[Caliguy88]

I try to look At big things happening on Fox and cnn. I’m very middle of the road so always trying to get both sides.

[Anonymous]

Their own mouths?

You dont need a 3rd party to see them hang themselves with their own rope.

[Sabretooth]

MSNC, FNN, Farron Cusins from Ring Of Fire, TYT, Jessy Dollamore, David Packman. i often agree with progressives except on a few issues.

[Anonymous]

The Timcast Network.


But a lot of it is checking and reflecting on other sources. So it’s sort of a news aggregator and fact checker.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Yahoo News with various sources and YouTube and Facebook with CNN, FOX News, BBC etc.

[cloud9vortex1234]

I don't have no Particular Place because I don't trust any of them enough.

[Anonymous]

I don't really completely trust any of them especially NOT FOX or CNN.

[jimmy2]

I tried Fox , comerical out the butt, i mow watch Al Jazeera

[saffoler]

The radio

[Asker]

What station?

[saffoler]

A local ABC affiliate.

[tartaarsaus]

Nederlandse Omroep Stichting and Financial Times

[Lillie_xo]

TLDR News B)
they the beeeesssstttt

[Peuples_Francs]

RT first, then CGTN, rhen Al Jazeera

[rcljr]

Mostly from my military sources, OANN or Newsmax.

[Riebeck]

"Your life will be much happier without the news"

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

I usually get my political news from Channel CNN

[cth96190]

Infowars, Blaze, Rebel News, RT, Epoch Times.

[FilmGuy93]

I consistently pull from 5 different sources.

[michol123]

TYT YouTube Chanel and abc new radio station

[Iron_Man]

Local news in Miami and Fox News

[Fuentes]

Google just randomly tells me

[PurpleDrank69]

A Mongolian underwater basket weaving forum

[bulletbob555]

The gaurdian, google, and I watch CBS news.

[bamesjond0069]

Citizenfreepress. com

[888theGreat]

News Max , ATN , OAN

[Anonymous]

Breaking points
The hill
Fox news

[exitseven]

Fox News.

[supercutebutt]

LOL. My Pillow News.

[exitseven]

@supercutebutt -oddly enough it is the best pillow I ever slept on.

[DarkWinterNights]

4 years on mine and it’s still holding it’s shape well. I have neck problems and it’s very effective.

[humanearth]

None,

[J2ohhhhh]

Reuters

[Anonymous]

Your mom's facebook posts.

[rcljr]

I had your mom last night, she needs to lose a few pounds…

[Opinion Owner]

@rcljr I agree. I call those "few pounds" dad.

[rcljr]

That’s sad that you feel that way, but understandable if he’s abusive.

[LtJackass]

Memes

[Joker_]

Reddit

[Joker_]

this is my funniest comment

[Blistersonmybrain]

The onion.

[ChocoBat]

Memology 101/102

[crmoore]

Tim Pool

[Anonymous]

The Blaze.

[Firerubies]

My parents.

[Gnome0]

It is NPR.