High quality news

[grantmeaname]

In light of the recent post about the low information diet, I've been thinking about high-quality information sources. I get nothing out of my local ABC syndicate, because the reporting is shit, but I get an awful lot out of staying caught up with the world (and as a business student, like trying to relate what I'm learning in class to actual goings-on). There is a happy medium between ignorance and paranoia, and while MMM's suggestion (read books) is good, I think that it's still lacking a little when it comes to current events. There are also many books with little substance, like those written as PR tools by politicians and businesspeople.

As far as magazines go, I like The Economist and Orion Magazine, and read the Atlantic and the New Yorker essays when I come across an insightful one. For newspapers, I think that the Wall Street Journal can't be beat - I find the Times and the next five or so papers grating. For audio, I like NPR enough, but I find that it often uncritically presents both sides of an argument even when one side is clearly wrong in the interest of sounding balanced. What high-quality news media do you choose to consume?

[plantingourpennies]

@Grant-I may be a bit older than you, and remember when the WSJ wasn't owned by Murdoch-IMHO its gone downhill! I like the economist as well, and also enjoy part of the NYT.

Social media-forums like this one, boggle heads, early retirement extreme, and some sub-sections of reddit. Marketplace on NPR (Kia Risdahl?) is my go-to for financial news.

Rule of thumb-if the article takes me less than a half hour to read, it probably won't cover the issue in a way that leaves me informed, instead of just entertained and slightly worried.

MMM's article could have had a better title-you don't really get information from many news sources-you get paranoid entertainment.

Best,
Mr. PoP

[Norrie]

MMM's article could have had a better title-you don't really get information from many news sources-you get paranoid entertainment.

Paranoid entertainment is perhaps the best description of the news that I've heard. My husband and I flat out refuse to watch the news on TV, as we don't want our kids being raised with the constant sky is falling doom and gloom. Our son would probably never sleep again if he saw the nightly news.

I prefer to read interesting links on message boards such as this. If there's something like a massive tornado heading our way (which, unfortunately, is a reality of living in Oklahoma), then we'll use the computer to track the radar. Even watching weather reports in real time gets my anxiety going.

[dragoncar]

Daily show.

Seriously, though what kind of information do you want?  I get all I need just scanning the headlines of google news.  Sure it includes all the news sources you seem to dislike.  But you can expand any story into the headlines/blurbs from multiple sources.  This gives you a pretty good idea what's happening without information overload.

My problem with the Economist would simply be -- in depth articles = too much information.  If I have a specific question about a news item, well I can click through or google it.  I only click through one or two articles per day.

[Daley]

If there's something like a massive tornado heading our way (which, unfortunately, is a reality of living in Oklahoma), then we'll use the computer to track the radar. Even watching weather reports in real time gets my anxiety going.

Isn't that the truth... if I hear the phrase "maxi wedge multi vortex grinder" or see another red bedazzled tie worn by a sweaty dude screaming at viewers to evacuate the city before I die, it'll be too soon.

On topic:
I typically grab headlines from both sides of the politically extreme spectrum, mash them up with a couple reasonably neutral news agencies and a Reddit feed... and just skim the headlines in an RSS reader. If something important jumps out, I'm pretty well assured I'll be able to find a reasonable facsimile of the truth wedged between it all. I thought I'd be drowning in information overflow, but it actually cut my time keeping current with the world to a minimum because I now speed-read for keywords, I still stay current enough to be able to pay attention to stuff relevant in my slice of the world, and the news doesn't stress me out... but then, I'm also an optimistic pessimist who's at a point where nothing much surprises me anymore.

Our government shut down because the officials elected to run said government clearly couldn't pass a high school civics class? You don't say!

[matchewed]

I read a bit of BBC news online but it has not been as good IMO, they make you dig for more international news and have become more and more USA centric over the years. I browse the Gawker network with a grain of salt as I feel many of their writers show their bias a bit too much and could take a page of toning down on the rhetoric.

But The Atlantic and The Economist are both ones I also read. To be honest I've never really tried the Wall St. Journal, my dad used to read it all the time and I never understood why (I was 10). Now I just don't know if I want to give the time to read it regularly.

[Self-employed-swami]

I live in Canada, so our news isn't quite as bad as US news for being entertainment mixed with fear-mongering.  I watch CBC news, and read their website.  One of today's headline stories:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/city-of-champions-signs-vandalized-1.1875506

(someone vandalized city signs, and changed the slogans, using high-quality materials, and in such a way that they could be easily fixed).

I feel like it nicely balances local events (like the humorous signs), with local politics, and general goings-on that might interest me.  I don't ever feel scared into consuming things, and the likes of celebrities rarely make their copy, unless it is a death notice.

[Left]

not really a "source" but I like the 360news app on android. It gives a headline but under each story it gives a variety of sources for that headline. So I can dig around for other outlets. Or move on to next headline.

[Worsted Skeins]

I don't think there is much journalism to be found on television--except perhaps in Frontline docs on PBS.  Otherwise, I too listen to NPR and read the thoughtful essays in Atlantic.  I like the BBC Newshour (radio broadcast) which provides more international insight than I find elsewhere.

The community in which I live is so small that we have a weekly newspaper.  Frankly this is the source of what affects my life directly more so than any of the other larger news sources.  Nonetheless I enjoy reading the Washington Post for national news.  I admit to being a bit of a wonk as a hobby.

My husband, Corporate Guy, likes the Economist and Bloomberg Businessweek.  Marketplace on NPR is another good source for business news.

[Frugal_in_DC]

I read the Washington Post Express, a free daily featuring news mainly from wire sources, when I take Metro to work.  I skip all the spendy articles and celebrity news.  On the ride home I read a book.

When I telework and on days off I check Google news once or twice a day.  I have set up Google news to track news on a few topics of interest to me and my family.  I scan about 95% of the headlines and click on a handful of articles daily.

I get up pretty early on weekdays and have my alarm set to my local NPR station.  When the alarm goes off the regular NPR programming hasn't begun yet, so I listen to a few minutes of BBC World Service, which IMO is far superior to any news programs on NPR or PBS.

No TV news, social media (other than this forum), or smartphone apps (don't feel the need to have a smartphone).

[NinetyFour]

PBS News Hour (on PBS website)
PBS Washington Week (on PBS website)
BBC World Service (streamed)
Harry Shearer's Le Show (on website)
The Diane Rehm Show (on website)

no TV
no NPR

[GuitarStv]

I live in Canada, so our news isn't quite as bad as US news for being entertainment mixed with fear-mongering.  I watch CBC news, and read their website.

+1

CBC news is decent, and the BBC is usually pretty good quality as well.  Every time I happen to catch a few minutes of a US news broadcast it makes me laugh.

[DoubleDown]

Moderation in all things is a life philosophy that I value. I agree that eliminating all daily news as proposed by MMM is too extreme for my tastes, and staying up on current events is necessary in my career. But I completely agree with the basic sentiment of his message to get out of the hyped-up, fear-mongering, and sensationalist news cycle (particularly TV news).

I read the Washington Post print edition primarily, often cover to cover. I'm one of the last troglodyte holdouts still getting the printed paper delivered.

[matchewed]

Oh, I forgot to mention, Al Jazeera isn't too bad to get information from either.

[Ottawa]

I thought www.theonion.com was the only place to get US news!  At least they know how to crack open the absurdity of the 'mainstream' news stories. 

In light of the recent post about the low information diet, I've been thinking about high-quality information sources. .... What high-quality news media do you choose to consume?

I'm not sure what you mean by high quality news...I presume this means that you are looking for news that is both accurate AND relevant to you, the individual?

I posted a comment about what we need to measure whether or not a news source (be it an individual author or a collection of them) can claim to broadcast accurate news ...in the related MMM post, but will repost here...I think this would be my requirement in order to determine the quality of a news source.  Relevance only speaks to a source of content that interests you.

I agree totally MMM. In addition, to further bolster the notion that information should not be unquestioningly/voraciously consumed, I’d be interested in data (formal studies) that demonstrate the following:

A) Factual correctness of news media (probably varies by source)

B) Reporting completeness (factually correct, yet incomplete reporting, can often convey at best unbalanced information, at worst totally incorrect)

I’m sure anecdotally we can all add a little to this picture. I for one have seen over and over the reporting of crime news/facts which is totally inconsistent with the known facts held by the actual case investigators.

So, in summary, no matter where you ingest news from (TV, Radio, Newspaper, Internet, friends etc) take it with a box of salt. It is likely incorrect relative to the ground truth of the matter (if it is not…how would you know?).

What MMM is advocating (I think) is to draw your own information about the world ideally through your own first hand experience, or someone who is an expert* in an area you want to learn about!

* expert does not mean they must necessarily be published/peer reviewed. They could be someone you know/trust who knows more about you in some area.

[grantmeaname]

I'm not sure what you mean by high quality news...I presume this means that you are looking for news that is both accurate AND relevant to you, the individual?

Well, I was intentionally not creating one rubric by which all media should be established. Accuracy and relevance are important, I guess, but they aren't all I value. I like being exposed to several sides of an argument (like NPR does), but without the reporters treating all ideas as equally valid if they're not (which NPR also does). I like quality writing with big words used correctly and artistic flavor. I like editorial discretion - my college paper seems to run seven articles a day that say "OSU spent $xx,000 on this thing it did recently. We interviewed two freshman majoring in dance and they said 'maaaan, I wish my scholarship was $xx,000 bigger", which isn't news. Likewise, the local TV stations always have stories like "one convenience store in a city of 2 million was robbed last night. Are your children next?". I find these stories less compelling than pieces that explore a news item, its causes, and possible ramifications.

[daverobev]

I read a bit of BBC news online but it has not been as good IMO, they make you dig for more international news and have become more and more USA centric over the years. I browse the Gawker network with a grain of salt as I feel many of their writers show their bias a bit too much and could take a page of toning down on the rhetoric.

But The Atlantic and The Economist are both ones I also read. To be honest I've never really tried the Wall St. Journal, my dad used to read it all the time and I never understood why (I was 10). Now I just don't know if I want to give the time to read it regularly.

I suspect that the BBC is tailored to your IP address. I use it here in Canada, and I agree the US takes up a disproportionate share.. but make sure you stay on bbc.co.uk and don't get on to bbc.com in some of the links. Obviously you can just click "Europe" or "Asia" or whatever at the top, but yeah. It's good, could be better.

[Mr. Minsc]

I'm not really sure when but there was a time over a few years ago I pretty much stopped paying attention to the news.  Perhaps I unknowingly realized there was nothing of real value in the mainline news.

I knew nothing of this US government shutdown until I read a sarcastic comment about the impending doom of the US while I was playing the unmustachian Minecraft on a server over the weekend.  Then I gave the situation no more thought until I read an article about it in Monday's paper on Tuesday.  I still don't really know what it's all about.  Oh well, we're still here so I assume it wasn't anything all that important. ;)

[matchewed]

I read a bit of BBC news online but it has not been as good IMO, they make you dig for more international news and have become more and more USA centric over the years. I browse the Gawker network with a grain of salt as I feel many of their writers show their bias a bit too much and could take a page of toning down on the rhetoric.

But The Atlantic and The Economist are both ones I also read. To be honest I've never really tried the Wall St. Journal, my dad used to read it all the time and I never understood why (I was 10). Now I just don't know if I want to give the time to read it regularly.

I suspect that the BBC is tailored to your IP address. I use it here in Canada, and I agree the US takes up a disproportionate share.. but make sure you stay on bbc.co.uk and don't get on to bbc.com in some of the links. Obviously you can just click "Europe" or "Asia" or whatever at the top, but yeah. It's good, could be better.

I've been intentionally going to bbc.co.uk to get more international exposure to my news feed.

[davisgang90]

Fark.com  Hilarious headlines and I learn some stuff too.

[hybrid]

Nice thread Grant.  IMHO MMM is on to something, but what works well for him may not work well for others.  Books aren't going to help you much if you want to stay up on current events.  Now that I am carpooling and biking more to and from work my formerly efficient commute-NPR routine has been broken up quite a bit.  So how to optimize there?

I agree with MMM that much of broadcast news is a waste. The local TV news all too often just focuses on crime and sensational stories, I can do without most of that.  And yet I find myself turning it on in the morning with my morning coffee.  I should revisit that, make a better habit.

I've subscribed to The Economist for about three years and thoroughly enjoy it.  I can pick and choose what I want to read, I can get a nice summary of the past week, there are some good in depth articles.  In short, it's the kind of information that sticks with you.

I skim the WaPo online each day but I find myself reading less of it, especially since they have thrown up a 30 article limit monthly.  A quick skim is usually enough.

Do I really need much more than that.  Probably not.  I've been a news junkie for a long time.  Perhaps the emphasis should be on junkie and not so much news. 

[mushroom]

I like longform.org. It provides links to long articles from a variety of sources and I've found some great articles on there that are in-depth and thoughtful but still involving semi-current events. I try to avoid a lot of the paranoid "breaking news" type stuff.

[daverobev]

I read a bit of BBC news online but it has not been as good IMO, they make you dig for more international news and have become more and more USA centric over the years. I browse the Gawker network with a grain of salt as I feel many of their writers show their bias a bit too much and could take a page of toning down on the rhetoric.

But The Atlantic and The Economist are both ones I also read. To be honest I've never really tried the Wall St. Journal, my dad used to read it all the time and I never understood why (I was 10). Now I just don't know if I want to give the time to read it regularly.

I suspect that the BBC is tailored to your IP address. I use it here in Canada, and I agree the US takes up a disproportionate share.. but make sure you stay on bbc.co.uk and don't get on to bbc.com in some of the links. Obviously you can just click "Europe" or "Asia" or whatever at the top, but yeah. It's good, could be better.

I've been intentionally going to bbc.co.uk to get more international exposure to my news feed.

Yes but even then, the links that show up in various places are different depending on where (they think) you are.

For example... if I go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ 'here' I get a top story of 'Italy migrant boat search may resume' but if I go 'in the UK' I get 'Union anger at health pay plan'.

Which is actually quite annoying; I want the bbc news as it is in the UK, because... that's what I'm trying to *get*; for Canada I go to the CBC! I know, I can use a vpn, but bleurgh. Should probably look into Firefox addons.

[msilenus]

CS Monitor for nonpartisan news.
Foreignpolicy.com for what's happening abroad.
Stratfor has some free content.  Hard to justify paying their subscription.
Wonk blog for domestic policy issues. 
Chait at NYMag for my daily dose of acerbic wit ever since we lost Hitch.  Doesn't quite fill the cavity, but I have hopes that he'll grow into it.
Fivethirtyeight during election seasons.
NRO for when I'm curious how hardcore conservatives are thinking.  I also hunt down Krauthammer sometimes.

I'm increasingly coming around to the opinion that news simply isn't very good.  Much better to have informed analysis, which journalists suck at.  (Balance is great when reality is balanced.  It's not.)  Some POV leaks in, though, and it's important to keep the source in mind.

[gimp]

high school civics

You are far too generous. They wouldn't get _in_ to a high school civics class, because it has a prerequisite of "Don't fail History 101."

My favorite method is google news. They have the same story, with a dozen conflicting reports. Average them together, make sure to get a few of the different extreme sides of the political spectrum and a bunch that are more reasonable, and you end up with a decent version of the facts.

That, and just read scientific journals on matters of science... I don't need yet another article telling me scientists figured out light sabers. No, they entangled photos and appear to have given them mass. It's incredible and it may lead to amazing non-academic uses, but stop with the clickbait.

[Daley]

high school civics

You are far too generous.

Well, I did state I was an optimistic pessimist. ;)

[StarswirlTheMustached]

http://www.aljazeera.com/

As you might expect, Al Jazeera presents the world a wee bit differently from CNN or the BBC. It's an interesting counterpoint. (Lest you think it's all Quatari/Islamic propaganda, I should note that (last I heard) it's run by a Canadian who left the CBC over declining journalistic standards. That said, don't expect unvarnished truth. From anyone. Ever. Did I really need to point that out?)

They also have longer, magazine-style articles in addition to the written and webcast news, which I appreciate, because integrating over time is an easy way to increase your signal-to-noise ratio.

[avonlea]

I don't know if this counts as "high quality news media" but we enjoy watching a few clips of DNews everyday. (It's on youtube.)

[Paul der Krake]

The Press absolutely tailors the type of articles to your IP address on their online versions. The Guardian is the worst offender, it seems to always "forget" that I've told it explicitely to show me UK news multiple times now. Some sites don't even let me do that, which is incredibly annoying. Cookies, !@#$, use 'em.

News sites catering primarily to country X being visited from Y should have two modes:

1) I'm from Y and want a foreign perspective (please, tell me what Germany thinks of the shutdown), OR
2) I'm actually from X but live in Y, and want to know what's going on back home

[basd]

I like longform.org. It provides links to long articles from a variety of sources and I've found some great articles on there that are in-depth and thoughtful but still involving semi-current events.

Thank you. That's exactly what I've been looking for.