What media sources do you trust?

[jiml_63]

The Wall Street Journal

 

[Zcylen]

none.

 

[JollyRoger]

I read the Wall Street Journal and trust everything but the editorial page which I read to know what I should disagree with. Flip through all of the major news channels in the U.S. and form my own opinion without putting total trust or distrust in any of them (o.k. - maybe I trust Fox to not be fair and balanced). For local issues, read "The Dallas Morning News" in this one newspaper town and read the weekly alternative "The Dallas Observer" to tell me what the "Morning News" is omitting or slanting.

 

[Hitro]

None.

Of course I trust some more than others, but I'd never completely trust any news source. Where there are humans, there is bias.

I trust "Der Spiegel" more than "Bild", I trust state television more than private television and I trust BBC World more than CNN, but I don't really trust of them.

 

[EzInKy]

I go to a number of sites to check out stories. You can get a pretty good cross section by checking BBC, CNN, ARABNEWS, JPOST, and FOXNEWS. BBC seems to be the most unbiased of the lot.

 

[Toasty]

Who can possibly trust any information sources whose main objective is to turn a profit?

 

[Greadius]

They're all looking to sell something. I'd rather have them motivated by profit than ideology or 'altruism'.

 

[cgannon64]

Originally posted by Toasty
Who can possibly trust any information sources whose main objective is to turn a profit?

Who in the world isn't looking to turn a profit? There is not an unbiased source around. Either look at alot of biased ones or pick the best of the worst.

IIRC.

 

[Toasty]

I think that any mass media source is going to be biased, so it is hard for me to trust them, and it is often also hard to find the lines between fact and the aforementioned bias...

 

[Skullbones]

Originally posted by Toasty
I think that any mass media source is going to be biased, so it is hard for me to trust them, and it is often also hard to find the lines between fact and the aforementioned bias...

Ok, so if I had asked "What sources do you use to keep up to date in current events?" instead of "Who do you trust?" what would you say?

 

[Greadius]

Mass media biased?
Is a minor media source more trustworthy?


I don't see why people expect the media to be able to impartial. In my opinion, its the readers (specifically: us) that have the bias, the media is usually pretty placid. Its like we're too lazy to analyze the news and want to pretend the media ought to do it for us.

 

[Pillager]

BBC Radio news (as opposed to the TV news) I find to be pretty good. It seems to be pretty unbiased. Except on the Euro, of course.

Other than that, The Times (of London) is probably the newspaper I would choose as the most accurate in most situations. Although, one has to look at the owner - a certain Mr Murdoch.

 

[Pongui]

Originally posted by Pillager
BBC Radio news

I used to contrast CBC radio "international headlines" with CBC world shortwave "international headlines". They were different. I'd wager your BBC international news services - domestic audience, and foreign audience - are this way too.

I listened to some very odd stuff, over shortwave. Clandestine stations, for example. I can't be bothered listening now, but keep the set just in case of emergency.

 

[knowltok2]

I trust civfanatics.com Off Topic Forum.

Actually most of my news comes from BBC.co.uk. I also get news from my local radio station that gets most of its stuff from ABC. I will also occasionally have on nightly news while fixing dinner.

Trust is a matter of analysis. I may think Dan Rather is biased as hell, but when he tells me that traces of Ricin were found in London, I don't figure he is making it up. The major stations rarely make things up, they just don't cover what they don't want to. That is why I like going to the BBC's site so I can read the stories I want to. The radio is just something I have on.

However, if you think about it, CFC is not the worst source of news either. No one gets away with posting half-truths without someone calling them on it. And there are several news stories you just won't find many other places. It does require a bit more in the analysis side, but on a day when I haven't caught much news, or been to the bbc, CFC can inform me of things like Germany's local election results.

 

[test_specimen]

A good news source is also the "Herald Tribune". Whenever I fly somewhere (which is not too often) I try to pick up one of those for free. The paper is too expensive if you buy it at a newsstand. And it has strange regional versions, for example a spanish one in collaboration with "El Pais". But usually it is a distilled version of several newspapers including "NY Times" and "Washington Post". Alway an interesting read.

 

[Zcylen]

Originally posted by knowltok2
I trust civfanatics.com Off Topic Forum.

then you have serious problems

 

[ellie]

I think most people realise that most media are biased one way or another.

As long as we realise it we can use more than one source to find the truth.

For instance when someone here said they trusted the guardian, i nearly coughed up my coffee as they are extremely biased in their views.

The daily mail is also v.biased but in the opposite direction.

The BBC was traditionally a bastion of impartiality, unfortunatly its now full of tony blairs cronies

Ellie

 

[Simon Darkshade]

The Watchtower

 

[MrPresident]

I trust the BBC with my life however for some reason a situation causing me to do that has never occured. I also like Channel 4 news and Newsnight (Got to love the utter disdain of Paxman for anyone and everyone).

 

[Toasty]

Originally posted by Skullbones


Ok, so if I had asked "What sources do you use to keep up to date in current events?" instead of "Who do you trust?" what would you say?

TIME magazine and MSNBC are probably the most prominent.