Virtually an oxymoron these days, maybe. It certainly feels that way at least.
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It's still going on to a large extent and it's only going to get worse each presidential election.
You can't trust the news today.
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But recently I found a few tools to help me wander with a bit more confidence through our national swamp of news. I've only used them for a few hours so no guarantees. I can only give my first impressions, and they are good:
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Ground News: A website and app that shows how much a story is reported via sources on a left-right spectrum. It has a very nice blindspot feature (most of which is unfortunately behind a pay-wall) which highlights stories reported from mostly left and mostly right sources--so you can see what the other side is reading and probably outraged about that day.From their "about" page:
Looking to break free from your echo chamber?
We’ve already helped over 250,000 escape theirs and see the news from a different perspective. Ground News was created to be a news destination for everyone, regardless of political ideology.
I hope Ground News is as good as it appears to be. If so, I may even subscribe just for the blindspot feature. You may quibble with their left/right/center attribution to various news outlets, but at a glance, it's not too bad. Unless you think the WaPo is a rightwing rag, then I don't know how to help you.
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Influence Watch: founded in 2016 by Capital Research Center (which kind of explicitly leans right), pretty much gives the downlow on any person or group that has any significant connection to American politics. As my biases tend to lean right and I frequent a lot of right-leaning sites, I am very surprised I've never heard of this site.What the hell, rightwing media? This site is amazing, why aren't you linking it?
So I thought maybe Influence Watch was too one-sided for even the rightwing, but no, it seems to be a refreshingly even-handed wiki of sorts about major political players and journalists. I've only been perusing the site for a couple hours, but I have yet to spot any red-flags or obvious lies, spin, etc.
From their "about" page:
That's so refreshing it's almost quaint. Compare for yourself and check the pages on Charles Koch and George Soros. Or the NRA and the Brady Campaign.Capital Research Center conceived of this project after identifying a need for more fact-based, accurate descriptions of all of the various influencers of public policy issues. Many so-called “watchdog” groups are instead opponents of the outlets they are watching. Armed with 30-years of research and data on advocacy organizations, foundations, and donors, CRC utilizes a universe of well-trained contributors to help build the individual and organizational profiles that will populate the website.
CRC has a perspective on the public policy process as well, but this resource is more important than that. We let the information speak for itself—information that frequently is not cited in reports about these individuals and organizations.
InfluenceWatch strives to be comprehensive, and profiles are frequently updated and written in a manner that’s accurate and measured. InfluenceWatch brings unprecedented transparency to the funding, motives, and interconnections of the entities profiled.
I've bookmarked both sites and plan to use them frequently. After the last 4+ years of garbage news, these recent discoveries give much needed relief and hope. More of this please.
