News sources

Submitted by jef costello on October 6, 2016

I was thinking about this the other day and akai made me think about it again.

Where do you get your news from? I've realised that probably 90% of the news I read is from the Guardian (probably 60% of that is football). Which is obviously a pretty poor state of affairs.

1. Where do you get your news from?

2. Do you think it would be worth maintaining a list of alternative news sources?

3. Would it be better as a forum post / blog post / content page?

jura

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jura on October 6, 2016

Apart from local news sources specific to my country, I try to read the Economist every week. Just google "The Economist mobi " and you'll find pirated Kindle versions. Works for me.

Noa Rodman

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Noa Rodman on October 7, 2016

World socialist website, particularly their podcast (which contains usually a reading of 3 articles of the day). It is probably the best out there: https://www.wsws.org/en/special/podcast.html

Sike

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Sike on October 7, 2016

Noa Rodman

World socialist website, particularly their podcast (which contains usually a reading of 3 articles of the day). It is probably the best out there: https://www.wsws.org/en/special/podcast.html

I sometimes go there for the film review section but that is usually about it.

Typically, the first place I come is here to see what is going on in anarchy and commie land and then I visit google or bing news to see what is going on in the 'normal' world in general. And even though I typically really hate doing so I also skim over the local online news.

potrokin

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by potrokin on October 7, 2016

The Guardian and the Independent (neither what they used to be), Freedom Press website, this site, various political Twiitter accounts-mainly anarchist ones, and various channels on youtube including Bread and Roses TV, Secular Talk, Democracy Now, Majority Report, David Pakman Show aswell as more anarchist/libertarian-socialist stuff on youtube- which I wouldn't consider actual news- they tend to be responses or counter-arguments to anti-feminists and racist idiots and people who don't know what anarchism/libertarian socialism/communism is.
I also like looking at the SPGB's website and always find it interesting. I used to look at the Afed one but it hasn't been updated for a long time. I also sometimes watch Novara Media. The Secular Talk channel is a good source of information but the presenter, Kyle Kulinski, can be a bit of a cock and is pro-porn and sometimes expresses such views, which pisses me off but as I say- I've found it to be a good source of info and it is regular news. Kulinski is a Social-Democrat and I think the same can be said of the Majority Report and David Pakman. I only watch these channels as they are pretty much the only regular,american reliable sources of news I can get, there is no regular anarchist news outlet that I can think of.

Entdinglichung

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Entdinglichung on October 7, 2016

mainstream ones: Irish Times, Haaretz, Der Spiegel, The Hindu, taz, NZZ, ...

jondwhite

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jondwhite on October 7, 2016

Urban75, reddit, BBC, The Guardian, SPGB, libcom etc.

cactus9

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by cactus9 on October 7, 2016

The Guardian, Twitter, BBC breakfast, various evening news programs on the tv, radio news at 10pm usually but I mostly tune that out, online local news for all my "biggest potato/ cat stuck up tree" stories.

I loathe and despise most of these sources, the evening news are probably the best of a bad bunch but I'm quite often out at this time.

jesuithitsquad

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jesuithitsquad on October 8, 2016

Speaking of The Guardian, I've really been enjoying the "Long Reads" podcast, where weekly ( I think?) they do an audio book style podcast for one of their longer stories. This one in particular seems apropos to the conversation, since it deals with how people get most their news these days. "How Technology Disrupted the Truth" if nothing else is worth the listen/read because it opens talking about the Cameron as pig fucker story.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2016/jul/22/how-technology-disrupted-the-truth-podcast

I use twitter primarily to collate a wide variety of sources. I'm also on a few email lists that aggregate stories on particular subjects like enviro issues etc. The beauty of those lists is the stories are usually C&P into emails so less data usage and paywalls are not a problem. Typically, I'll also listen to roughly an hour of NPR news on any given day.

ajjohnstone

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by ajjohnstone on October 9, 2016

As a contributor to the SPGB blogs (well worth adding to your own existing news sources as it usually has three or four interesting news items a day), i do a trawl of the mainstream news and increasing find they are heavily biased.

I use a lot of US websites - Alternet, Common Dreams, Truthdig, Truthout, Counterpunch, and the Indian Countercurrents and for Africa Pambazuka is sometimes useful.

And for union news, try LabourStart

Chilli Sauce

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Chilli Sauce on October 10, 2016

NPR One, bitches.

But also the Guardian and, for my sins, Democracy Now. Also the American joke news programs.

This topic seems to keep up fairly regularly on libcom. I'm not sure there's much value in anarchist news sources as such. I tend to think that what's news for non-politicos is also news for lefties, it's just as matter of finding good analysis of that news - or finding sources that dig more deeply into the stories that aren't given adequate coverage in the mainstream media.

Auld-bod

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Auld-bod on October 10, 2016

I find the BBC World Service news very early in the morning interesting, particularly when they use their foreign correspondents. Then later on catch the Radio Four news and note the omissions and changes once it’s been editorialized. They often drop the first hand reports and wheel in some schmoozer to waffle their way through.

Serge Forward

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Serge Forward on October 10, 2016

Channel 4 news. Better than the Beeb by a long chalk.

Entdinglichung

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Entdinglichung on October 10, 2016

as a "post-mandelite", I'm still pretty much relying on some USFI-related sites, especially ESSF, another important news source for me is Labournet Germany, ... don't read that much French stuff anymore, mainly Solidarité Ouvrière which is not only a good source for French but especially also for Middle Eastern and African stuff, used to rely on Le Monde among the mainstream sources and Le Jura Libertaire (not running anymore?), together with the org pages of LO, the CNTs, NPA, AL, etc.

Juan Conatz

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Juan Conatz on October 10, 2016

I regularly read the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times, either on my Kindle or I buy hard copies from the nearby corner store. I also have a subscription to The New Yorker, which I got as a gift. I'll also pick up the Chicago Reader, The Economist or New York Times occasionally. For podcasts, I regularly listen to Economist, NY Times, FiveThirtyEight, and KPFA's Against the Grain.

Entdinglichung

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Entdinglichung on October 10, 2016

and the Essex County Standard ;-)

jura

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jura on October 10, 2016

Here's an auto-generated version of Guardian's online content for the Kindle:
http://sphinx.mythic-beasts.com/~mark/random/guardian-for-kindle/

There's a new one every day.

cactus9

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by cactus9 on October 10, 2016

Serge Forward

Channel 4 news. Better than the Beeb by a long chalk.

I used to think Channel 4 news was superior to the BBC but I've started to think it's all political fur coat and no knickers and that the BBC news, dumb as it is, delivers on a more basic level.

Entdinglichung

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Entdinglichung on October 11, 2016

always a good source for stuff from India: http://www.epw.in/

Auld-bod

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Auld-bod on October 11, 2016

One of the things I like about the World Service is it can sometimes go ‘off script’. The other night after the presidential debate an American academic was being interviewed. He stated that the exchange had sunk to the level one might expect in the third world. The fellow doing the interview strongly objected to this remark and insisted, as an African journalist, he had never heard African politicians accuse each other of sexual offenses, and that on election, declare they would jail their opponent. He was completely miffed, and the American on the end of the line was obviously nonplussed at the outburst.

Who would expect that someone would object to casual racism? I loved it.

petey

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by petey on October 11, 2016

just nobody touch the NY Post. show some solidarity, people.

jef costello

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jef costello on October 11, 2016

Thanks for all the responses, especially those of you who put in links.

I did write anarchist news but I meant more usable for anarchists. For example I remember Rob Ray saying he always started with the Financial Times because you needed to read the paper the bosses relied upon for news. Whereas I wouldn't want to read the Daily Mail unless I was playing a drinking game where you took a shot every time you saw the word migrant, vile, hero.. and hated my liver.

I'll put these into the OP or perhaps a blog post at the weekend.

Steven.

7 years 6 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on October 12, 2016

Yeah, paper wise the FT is the best. Online I generally look at The Guardian or BBC, or random links from friends on social media

Noa Rodman

6 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Noa Rodman on June 26, 2017

Any else think that the financial press like Financial Times, Bloomberg etc. has deteriorated last couple of years? (just my sense from their online edition)

Entdinglichung

6 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Entdinglichung on June 27, 2017

the German financial daily Handelsblatt couldn't detoriorate, liked the German edition of the Financial Times which was published between 2000 and 2012 which was las triumphalist

Noa Rodman

6 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Noa Rodman on June 27, 2017

btw, NewsClick India has some good stuff: https://www.youtube.com/user/NewsClickin/videos

petey

6 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by petey on June 27, 2017

in the US bloomberg has been expressing consistent anti-trumpism, which buys a little cred from me. as to their actual financial reporting i can't speak.

adri

6 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by adri on June 27, 2017

For 'breaking news' I usually just flip on the TV or visit RT (don't really like them with their obvious pro-Trump, pro-Russia biases and the fact that they're a favorite among reactionaries - while at the same time they give airtime/shows to leftist-minded people). I'll read some articles from the Guardian, Washington Post, the BBC, Politico, etc. (usually on my handheld devices) - Guardian by far the least insufferable - just to keep up with what's going on in Washington and elsewhere. Democracy Now is also a nice news source and features a lot of great guests (albeit most are liberal-minded, though there are some who are more left-leaning), in addition to 'the Real News' which is similar to DN (though their black and yellow color choice reeks of 'an'caps - though I don't think that's how they align). That's about it - for a more radical perspective on news events I usually read all the stuff here, blogs etc., and elsewhere.

Any of you have any left-leaning periodicals you subscribe to (physical subscription I mean)? I was considering the Fifth Estate.

Noa Rodman

6 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Noa Rodman on June 27, 2017

petey

in the US bloomberg has been expressing consistent anti-trumpism, which buys a little cred from me. as to their actual financial reporting i can't speak.

iirc it deteriorated a couple of years ago when they dumbed-down their site layout, along with the content it seems.

A symptom that the FT was going downhill perhaps was their take-over by some Japanese investor.

Financial news is key because that's the origin of news, i.e. objectively its main function is a provider of information for stock exchange participants. Really, if you're not a stock investor, than why should you care about the outcome of any political event, etc.? If there is a disaster, dump stocks of the concerned products/firms, or buy stocks for cures/needed products. Ordinary news junkies are make-believe investors, why does it matter that you're up-to-date?

In another thread on the news cycle I mentioned some research about the lack of original content, etc. of news.

Companies pay news distributors to spread their financial statements. Governments release press statements. Btw, Marx did a good analysis of a British newspaper, a blogger did a post on this (can't find it again).

petey

6 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by petey on June 27, 2017

jesuithitsquad

Speaking of The Guardian, I've really been enjoying the "Long Reads" podcast, where weekly ( I think?) they do an audio book style podcast for one of their longer stories.

I've subscribed to that now.

jef costello

6 years 9 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by jef costello on June 29, 2017

Now summer holidays are sort-of starting (sorry UK colleagues) I can start having a look at these, at the moment it is probably 90% guardian which isn't great. My new work does have free hard copies of newspapers so I might start reading those on the train.