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Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Riptoast on April 17, 2019, 02:13:30 PM

Title: Where do you get your information?
Post by: Riptoast on April 17, 2019, 02:13:30 PM
After some recent discussions with my father, who reads some pretty extreme alt-right blogs that I am constantly feeling the need to argue against, I reflected on the importance of where we get our information from. I'm curious what sources this community might have. I'm hoping people will list their favorite blogs, podcasts, books etc with the most objective or at least thoughtful and well-researched/defended arguments. I am well aware of the difference between circle of control and circle of concern and believe that well-rounded well-reasoned and accurate information is a key to helping me target where I focus my own capacity for change. One of my recent favorites is Sam Harris's Making Sense podcast. What are yours?



Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: ketchup on April 17, 2019, 02:29:09 PM
By information, do you mean news/current events?

I get most of my "information" from Wikipedia and Google searches.  News I try to stay away from, but I do listen to Freakonomics, Hardcore History, Science Friday, You Are Not So Smart, Sam Harris, Joe Rogan, and a few other podcasts.  I have a long commute.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: Laserjet3051 on April 17, 2019, 03:13:31 PM
zerohedge, wikileaks, darkweb, marketplace.org, pacifica radio, gateway pundit, just to name a few
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: GuitarStv on April 17, 2019, 03:17:58 PM
Mostly the CBC and BBC for actual news.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: RWD on April 17, 2019, 03:21:15 PM
I do not follow any general news sources. If something is important I figure I'll hear about it from friends/family.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: jamesbond007 on April 17, 2019, 04:09:43 PM
NPR
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: Metalcat on April 17, 2019, 04:19:44 PM
BBC, Al Jazeera, CGTN, CBC, RT, The Walrus, The Economist, The Financial Times, and The Guardian.

Pretty much everything other than the major US news sources.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: Buffaloski Boris on April 17, 2019, 06:44:36 PM
I’m of the news diet persuasion. There are precious few “news” sources worth the time, as most seem to operate on a rage monetization business model. And in the end if it’s info thats actually important and relevant, you’ll hear about it anyway. When you detest politics as I do, it’s easy to avoid “news.” 

I suggest gardening, weightlifting, biking, and podcasts as an alternative.

Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: OtherJen on April 17, 2019, 06:51:50 PM
Usually I glance at the headlines on Reuters and NY Times. If there's a particularly big international news story, I might also check BBC. For a big national story, the LA Times or similarly good big city paper.

I have a very limited tolerance for TV news and no cable so I completely avoid that minefield.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: lost_in_the_endless_aisle on April 17, 2019, 07:46:09 PM
Other than whatever I see on Google news, marginalrevolution.com (which I have followed for 15(?) years, especially the comments. Slatestarcodex is also good (but the comments there are mostly tedious pedantry).
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: Zikoris on April 17, 2019, 10:06:55 PM
Depends what type of information. For current events, I don't pay a ton of attention to news, but generally I have an idea of what's going on in the world from Reddit, and if a story seems to have two different versions being told, I try to find a primary source - like if people are throwing a fit over what some public figure said in a speech, I look for either a video, audio recording, or transcription of the thing, and use that to draw my own conclusions. I don't follow news very closely, but have a general idea of major global events.

Most of the types of information I seek out are very factual types of things, not stuff with a lot of subjectivity. Visa requirements for a country. Sewing pattern for a specific thing. Recipe for a specific thing. Definition of a strange word. How to fix something.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: Tyson on April 17, 2019, 10:30:30 PM
Left leaning - Vox.com
Middle - The Atlantic
Right - The Economist

Although I don't read any of them anymore as I'd rather read books.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: gooki on April 18, 2019, 01:41:13 AM
I run a low information diet. So basically no news (online, tv, or print). It’s amazing how irrelevant 99% of it is to our daily lives.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: Khaetra on April 18, 2019, 04:48:36 AM
No low-info diet here, as I am a news whore so I stay on top of things.  I read (and subscribe) to the NYT, WaPo, my local paper.  I watch the big guys (CNN, MSNBC, CNBC) along with Al-Jazeera, France24, BBC World News and listen to Pod Save America, NPR and (very left) Progress on Sirius/XM.  Not all at the same time mind you :).
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: alsoknownasDean on April 18, 2019, 05:32:04 AM
News is mostly from ABC News (Australian ABC), and triplej radio (part of the ABC), with a bit of The Age/SMH, The Guardian and even a bit of the Herald Sun thrown in for good measure. A handful of other radio stations and a podcast or two rounds it out, along with some other stuff for specific information (cricket.com.au for anything cricket related, etc). Anything else is mostly through Google.

I'm paying for the ABC after all (public broadcaster), so I may as well use it. The absence of celebrity gossip and in-your-face advertising is just an added bonus. :)
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: chemistk on April 18, 2019, 05:59:31 AM
I follow a few subreddits for hobbies/interests, so during my daily check in I'll pop out to r/all. Seems most stuff worth hearing about eventually ends up there. I can skip the headlines, maybe read what the TLDR bot has to say, then close out and be on my way.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: Tom Bri on April 18, 2019, 08:45:51 AM
For a right-libertarian perspective I check Instapundit daily. https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/

Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: tarheeldan on April 18, 2019, 09:15:45 AM
Reuters
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: marble_faun on April 18, 2019, 10:09:53 AM
Mainly the New York Times. 

I ignore the NYT opinion columns and most personal essays, which I find shallow and click-bait-y.  (I would LOVE it if their app let readers filter all of that out!)  Instead I focus on original reporting, put together by people who actually went out and did investigative work to get a story.  Say what you will about it, but the NYT has boots on the ground all over the world.  I don't want to lose real journalism, so I pay to subscribe.

What I miss is having a good local news source.  Our paper here is pretty flimsy.  I know way more about random community disputes in Brooklyn than about my own town.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: ThatGuy on April 18, 2019, 08:35:53 PM
The National Enquirer.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: Turkey Leg on April 18, 2019, 08:41:43 PM
Stephen Colbert, of course.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: mozar on April 19, 2019, 10:47:29 PM
Your father sounds just like my father, except he reads extreme alt left stuff. Instead of engaging in the actual rant I redirect and ask him what he is doing about it. And if he's repeating himself I cut him off pretty quickly. Our conversations are much more productive now.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: Michael in ABQ on April 20, 2019, 06:00:14 AM
I scroll through the headlines on Google News. 95% of the time I don't click on anything since the business model of news is no different than any other content source, write what will get the most clicks/views. Whether that content is objectively true is not applicable in most cases.

I do get content I pay for from geopoliticalfutures.com. Very solid analysis of international events including countries outside the top tier (i.e. English speaking world, Europe, and east Asia). When they do discuss major American stories it's with far more dispassionate analysis and no hint of partisan bias.

I'll sometimes look at Zerohedge. It's click-bait with a smattering of obvious pro-Russia propaganda and the comments are mostly whack jobs. However, they'll usually provide a quick summary of most major stories with a more critical look and often more pictures and videos and the source material.
Title: Re: Where do you get your information?
Post by: nick663 on April 20, 2019, 09:33:03 AM
No single source but a combination of the websites of CNN, Reuters, Politico, FiveThirtyEight, NYTimes, and Washington Post.  If there is breaking news I would probably go to CNN's website first.

I have found some entertainment in Foxnews.com headlines for the same story that others are reporting.  The spin they add is entertaining but doesn't add much to the story when you read beyond it.