Opinion

The Best Print News Providers:

• The Washington Post  This news paper is probably the best news source in the United States.  It is a national asset.  This news source is doing most to protect the United States from slipping into a dictatorship.  I personally subscribe on line.  Excellent.
• The Associated Press is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.  It is a trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news.   I personally look at this news application on my cell phone first to see what are the lead stories.  Excellent
• British Broadcasting Company (BBC)  One might argue that this news source is top notch and has very little bias in its reporting.  Very Good.
• The Independent (British)  (Web)The web site MakeUseOf thinks this news vehicle is worthy because “they cover many world news stories which many other corporate owned entities avoid”.
• The Real News  (Web) Here is a non-profit news organization.  Their goal is to provide “independent and uncompromising” news coverage.
• The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) (Newspaper, Web)  The story selections and writing is extremely good at times and informs and educates the reader to a very high level in non US domestic politics. This newspaper has in the past been a national asset but currently has become an US oligarch promotion organ.  It fails to value the US common man and common women’s political interests.  The paper’s main interest is business news but other broad news stories are included to a sufficient degree to compete very well with most city news papers except for local news.  The major down side to this publication is the opinion section.  It seems to be chocked full of GOP viewpoints coming from important individuals and organizations that embrace the conservative agenda. It is amusing to plow through some of the opinion pieces because they are generally so well written that you really need to delve into what they are saying to detect the flaws in the logic.  I think the opinion section is worthy of lining your bird cage poop tray.  I subscribe.
  
• Foreign Affairs magazine is an excellent source for more in depth analysis of large international stories.   For me, this is a must subscribe periodical.  Very good.
• World News (Web) compiles stories from other news organizations.  I frankly like this web site because they do a lot of work pulling the best and most important news stories from other world news organizations.
• The Intercept (Web) This web site claims it resents aggressive, adversarial,  journalism across a wide range of issues.  I like this web site because it seldom writes asides but sticks to the main subject.  Also, it seem honest in its reporting of facts, its evaluations, its analysis.  It does not seem to waste my time reading because it sticks to the subject.  I also like its web layout.  
• The American Prospect (Quarterly Print & Digital)  A left of center publication dedicated to American liberalism and progressivism which the United States needs to survive as a republic based on democratic values.  Right now the United States is under assault by a pending dictator and he needs to be stopped by you and me.   This publication provides a counter to the national propaganda organ, FOX “News”.  I subscribe.
  

Very Good:

• The New York Times  In my opinion, this was my number 2 for protecting this country for a very long time.  But, there is a new important review for this paper from the Globalist: “Are the reporters of the New York Times simply incapable of candid reporting? “  I personally subscribe to this publication as an online subscription.  
• Voice Of America (VOA)  (Short Wave Radio, Web)  I am a short wave listener and I found the short wave VOA programming terrific when a child.  The bias here is to promote the values, ideals and life style of the U.S.A..  Their productions were very professional.  I learned quite a lot about my own country listening to VOA.
• National Public Radio (NPR)  (FM Radio, Web)  A very good way to be informed while driving, away from a computer, and not watching TV.  NPR tries to be objective and I think they are.  The conservatives always complain that NPR is not unbiased and want to do away with this very important national asset because it is not like FOX “News”.
• The Week is a really nifty magazine that has a near perfect ability of taking a large news story and compressing it into a paragraph or two.    Part of its format is to pull short news pieces from other publications.  It also offers opposing views as part of the single news story presentation.  The front cover art work is astonishingly good.  I personally find that the magazine gets old after one week, when the next issue hits my door step.  The one detraction is to renew this publication.  It took me over an hour to try to log  into my account.  I finally had to call customer service and insist upon talking to a live person before I could make a payment.  Also, (9-2019), I discovered that this company asked me to renew my subscription just a couple of months after I renewed.  I am really annoyed with this practice because I had to go and confirm that my subscription was active.  I was told that the company sends out renewal notices to all subscribers with no regard to when their subscription runs out.  This is so typical of quite a few good product companies where the business practices are not.
  

 TV News Providers

• Cable News Network (CNN) (Cable TV, Satellite, Web) offers a mixed performance.  It seemed to always embrace being entertainment for the masses like FOX but with much less party politics until recently.  Recently, it has moved more to the right.  I used to love this channel – no more.  On the weekends, its news disappears, which is profoundly stupid.   I recommend, instead French News, for weekend viewing. FAIR to POOR.
• MSNBC seems to be very progressive in its stance.  I love this channel. But, on the weekends, its news disappears which reveals its lack of national responsibility to the public.  I switch between CNN and MSNBC each Monday  through Friday evening.  I have tried FOX “news” but the bias is so stark at times.  Very Good.
• Aljazeera  (Cable TV, Satellite, Web) The ownership and where this news organization is located sets it way down from being totally objective but one must admire this organization for providing a surprising level of  news gathering capability and resulting delivery to the Arab world.  This news organization, one might argue, has furthered the Arab enlightenment and honor.  Al Jazeera America will shutter its cable TV and digital operations by April 30 of 2016.  The fall back position is “significant expansion of its worldwide digital operations into the U.S. market”.  We recommend that you still follow this news organization’s offerings.

Being Evaluated:

• Reddit  (Web, Cell Phone, Tablet)  My son does not read any newspapers or magazines but yet he is surprisingly well informed.  His only method of getting the news is from using his cell phone and reading from an application called “reddit is fun lite” (Google play Android store).  There are a number of reddit readers available.  Reddit explains itself in this way: “reddit is a source for what’s new and popular online. vote on links that you like or dislike and help decide what’s popular, or submit your own! ” The mechanism is that you can vote to move any story up or down in ranking.  You can submit a story.  The home page does not conform to the usual editor placing what he or she thinks is the best story for you to read across each page.  This is a social network site where you help decide which stories should be moved to the top.  You see on the home page what all other readers think is most important.  Exploring off the home page is a very interesting adventure.  The home page does offer a menu of items along the top of the page including atheism, which I find most remarkable.  The main users seem to be technology savvy young people.

Allegedly Lacking Objectivity:

•  SiriusXM Progress (progressive politics) is just one channel offering you get if you subscribe to SiriusXM radio.    This is a satellite system offering the subscriber a very large selection of all kinds of audio for you to listen to.   This radio service is often times included when you buy a new car.    I listen to SirusXM in my car, my phone and computer.  This particular channel for progressive politics is #127.  This channel presents progressive political views that seem to align with the Democratic Party.  Unlike Fox “News” I have not yet detected lies and corporate propaganda.  Quite Good, Recommended.
• Fox “News” Channel  (Cable TV, Satellite, Web) Allegedly a politically conservative push to their news and views. This “news” source seems to serve as a propaganda channel for the oligarch class to help the rich business class maintain control over the political process.  It is partly responsible for keeping President Trump supporters ignorant and for this reason this channel deserves hatred and contempt.  This channel also, I believe, helps to expand the Dunning-Kruger effect in some people.  Our country is becoming more divided and this “news” outlet is helping to widen this divide.  This single news channel may contribute to the divisiveness of the United States.  I personally despise this “news” source.  Fox “News” is a significant factor tearing the United States apart.   When Tucker Carlson is the news anchor, this channel could also be called Fox RT Propaganda Channel because he has defended the Russian leader’s invasion of Ukraine.  “Many of Murdoch’s papers and television channels have been accused of biased and misleading coverage to support his business interests and political allies…”   This sort of journalism is an embarrassment to their profession.    Deserving hatred and contempt.  Awful.  Not recommended!
  
• Sinclair Broadcasting Group      “… Sinclair has often been in the business of making conservatives look good and liberals bad.”   The American public 
• Israel Broadcast Authority (IBA)  Definite pro Israel and religious views prevail.
  IBA where you can choose the language you wish to use.
• RT stands for Russian Times.  This is a Russian propaganda channel. Propaganda.

 

Propaganda News Sources In The United States And Possible Threat To Democracy:

• Fox “News” Channel  (Cable TV, Satellite, Web) Allegedly a politically conservative push to their news and views. This “news” source serves the purpose of the oligarch class.  I frankly think it comes close to being an entertainment show for the right wing nuts.  This single news channel may contribute to the divisiveness of the United States.  I despise this “news” source.  This sort of journalism is an embarrassment to their profession.  Fox “News” actually covers what they consider news on the weekends but CNN and MSNBC fail in this delivery which is a marketing mistake by the progressive organs.  There are reports that Rupert Murdock may have guided President Trump with their frequent phone calls.  Awful.  Propaganda.
  
• Sinclair Broadcast Group  is controlled by the family of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. The company is the largest television station operator in the United States by number of stations, and largest by total coverage; owning or operating a total of 193 stations across the country (233 after all currently proposed sales are approved) in over 100 markets (covering 40% of America).   Sinclair made most of its new anchors recite the same script written by the corporation.  There are reports that this corporation has aligned itself with President Trump.  Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, may have stuck a deal with Sinclair.  Awful.  Propaganda.
  

Stupid:

• American Forces Radio and TV Service:   When the A.F.R.T.S. decided to stop short wave broadcasts and rely on satellite service to our troops was a dark day for me.  Their live sports game reporting was simply the best.  They do offer Internet listening but “content is not available in your area” was the result of trying to connect.   I definitely believe that people from other nations listened in on these shows and AFRTS did almost as much as VOA to promote a positive image of the U.S.A to the rest of the world.

Highly Recommended Radio Programs:

• Ian Masters, United States radio show Background Briefing, broadcast from KPFK radio station is an excellent radio show and podcast  that covers national and international politics from a progressive viewpoint. Ian Masters interviews all sorts of really knowledgeable academics, authors, politicians, military, etc.  This radio show is way more important than reading the newspaper or news magazine.   I will go so far as to claim that this radio show is a national asset.  You will get an honest education of current events.  It is the only podcast that I listen too regularly.  I try to listen to this podcast Monday through Friday for the purpose of keeping up with world affairs and getting blog ideas.   Beware that your education and views on some subjects may possibly change and definitely be influenced.  Excellent!
  • https://www.backgroundbriefing.org/

Note:  All the listings above has been received in the U.S.A. through the use of mail, cable TV, short wave radio and/or Internet.  The above evaluations were made from, in most all cases, way more investigation and evaluation than shown or listed here.

 

Revision:  May 14, 2023