patrick.net

wikileaks.org

usually its faster to simply read http://www.twitter.com/wikileaks

Really good stuff.

Not one of you mentioned "The Onion." :)

This one is informative...
http://www.commondreams.org/

@elliemae

A lot of humor there, thanks.

I've been reading AP, if CNN is at odds with them, then they must be worth while.
Actually they have stories that our Left or Right wing media doesn't report. "The Truth"
http://www.ap.org/
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/fronts/HOME

Also Reuters is another one I've been looking at.
http://www.reuters.com/news/world

Glenn Beck may start his own tv channel (from nytimes):

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/23/business/media/23beck.html

But I suppose that his tendency to frequently devolve into a stark raving fucking lunatic *might* make him too extreme. I just hope he slots in a good cooking show...

It appears that many of the major media outlets like AP, and others are lying, spinning and propagandizing constantly to try to misrepresent the condition of the economy.

I'm suspicious when I see or hear any of the following happening:

1) Language to the effect of economic data coming in "better than expected".... (common)

2) Cherry picking data to make things look better than they really are. (also common)

3) Comparing terrible numbers from one month with a little less terrible numbers the following month and making it sound really positive, when the reality is both numbers are not so good.

4) Ignoring any news or data that sounds bad, while overemphasizing any news or data that looks even a little good or encouraging.

5) Using adjectives and verbs like "improving", "strong", "surging" , etc, when there no evidence of any such occurrences.

6) Using meaningless and anecdotal evidence of things getting better for a small individual or company and extrapolating the say it is representative of the whole economy. (ex. green shoots).

7) Purposely confusing cause with effect, for example, saying that higher gas prices are due a stronger global economy, rather than from Federal Reserve policies and QE2.

8 ) Talking about "the recovery" in the past tense, when there is obviously no sign anywhere of a recovery in the economy, except when you use "fuzzy math" government number.

9) Falsely proclaiming that an improving trend is place, using data that is either false or of too short a duration to have any meaning or predictive value. A favorite is the “three out of four” trick. If you hear them talking about new unemployment claims falling in “three out of the last four weeks”, and then claiming this is the start of a new trend, you are being fooled.

10) Calling a small increase in something a "large increase".

11) Talk about how a problem is “stabilizing”, when in reality it is getting worse.

American in Japan says

It appears that many of the major media outlets like AP, and others are lying, spinning and propagandizing constantly to try to misrepresent the condition of the economy.

Agreed. I try to stick to the numbers as much as possible, but even those are often biased and misleading, depending on the source.

>"I’ve been reading AP, if CNN is at odds with them, then they must be worth while."

Always good to check a number of sources. It is sad that many Americans still rely on a single source of news and sometimes that is more of a commentary than news.

How about a US source that is a bit conservative but not extreme ?...

I like USA today for starters… Some consider this one to be liberal, but not myself.

I think it's very important to read various different sources from different countries and different political points of view. Too many Americans get their news from only one or two sources, max. And usually these sources are strictly from an American point of view. It's a valid point of view but it's not the only point of view.

Some of my favorites:

BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ Middle of the road, definitely a British slant.

Le Monde http://www.lemonde.fr/ (french) http://mondediplo.com/ (english) I read this in French because it's more complete and in depth in French. The English and French sites are somewhat different. It's a center left perspective from a French point of view. I started reading it when I used to work in Paris.

Reuters http://www.reuters.com/news Mostly moderate leaning.

The Chicago Tribune http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Conservative leaning in a liberal city.

NPR http://www.npr.org/sections/news/ Center left leaning (with moments of solid left leaning).

NHK http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/ Japanese News that seems to be a solid news source. Not sure of political bias yet but it seems to be centrist.

CCTV http://english.cntv.cn/01/index.shtml Chinese News that definitely has a pro-Chinese Communist slant. It's very interesting to see their perspective.

Al Jazeera English http://english.aljazeera.net/ Pan-Arab News that you just don't get anywhere else. The slant is pro-Arab and I'm not sure if it's left, right, or center.

Haaretz http://www.haaretz.com/ Israeli News from a leftist perspective.

The Jerusalem Post http://www.jpost.com/ Israeli News written from various political perspectives. The subsection "The Jerusalem Report" handles political commentary in a balanced way providing a forum for left, center, and right leaning commentary. The Jerusalem Report print magazine is an excellent forum for various political views. I read this magazine heavily during the Oslo Peace process and I found it to have points of view from all subsets of Israeli and Jewish political thought.

Also I occasionally will read the Drudge Report. Occasionally I like to know what the radical right is up to from one of their own outlets. Fox News is just dreck plain and simple. It's got entertainment value. Sadly there are people who think that Fox News is actually news and some of these people only get their news from Fox News. Anything affiliated with Newscorp is suspect. The other major newspaper in Chicago (in competition with the Chicago Tribune) is the Chicago Sun Times (owned by Newscorp). The Chicago Sun Times is basically the equivalant of the New York Post. However, it does have a certain popularity in Chicago and is taken seriously by some people there.

I do have to give a special mention to USA Today though. Sometimes I read it and sometimes they have stories that you don't find elsewhere. I find it to be rather centrist but others would argue that it's leftist.

Damn, I just realized how much of a news junkie I actually am.

This is not news... For a guilty occasional treat I listen to Green 960AM (Definitely unabashedly liberal) in the car. There are some commentators on this station whom I can't really stand. Mike Malloy is someone who I really don't like. He's biased to the point of not being able to demonstrate critical thinking. He shouts over callers all the time and I think of him as the left's equivalent to Rush Limbaugh. Norman Goldman is just OK. He annoys me sometimes. Generally I do like Stephanie Miller and Randi Rhoads is entertaining too. I generally like Tom Hartmann. I like his interviews with Bernie Sanders on Fridays. Green 960AM isn't news. It's liberal talk radio. It isn't news just as conservative talk radio isn't news. It's commentary, opinion, and entertainment.

Also I listen to KCBS 740AM in the car sometimes too, especially when I need a traffic report. LOL!

Oh and Thunderclips... I agree about “Russia Today” or RT http://www.rt.com. It is an interesting perspective and I've only seen it a few times.

Also, I can recommend Deutsche Welle http://www.dw-world.de/. I've enjoyed their perspective at times too.

@simchaland

Thanks! especially for the Chicago Tribune link.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/

I agree.

Shinjukuboy said (On JapanToday):

>"... sfjp330 is right about press coverage here in Japan. It is a cozy club. That is why you have to read the weekly scandle magazines. They have great coverage of what really goes on in politics here. The problem is that their great political coverage from "inside sources" is between pictures of naked women and articles on how to have better sex in stairways of your office. This tends to make people not take seriously this political reporting, which is closest to reality."

This is so true. The big five newspapers in Japan have a systematic bias (influenced by the goverment).

Thunderclips, I agree. That's why I read the Drudge Report.

I cant believe that millions of Americans get their news from Fox News and only that. At least look at a few sources!

Be aware:

http://www.alternet.org/story/151497/14_propaganda_techniques_fox_%22news%22_uses_to_brainwash_americans?page=entire

Fox News isn't the only station do do most of these but they are one of the worst ...

I'm in Peru visiting my MIL, I'm amazed at CNN that is broadcasted in the rest of the world. Like CNN Asia and CNN I'm viewing here in Peru. It is homogenized non rhetoric, void of the Talking heads bashing the republicans 24/7, or the Talking head talk segments doing damage control on the Obama administration.
It is actually just news stories from around the world. Why doesn't CNN show their Liberal Foxesque colors like they bombard America with constant politico white noise?

At least FOX stays FOX they don't put on a front and act all BBC when America isn't looking. The Phony plastic Bastards!

Translator, please?

I think he's saying that he resents the quality of CNNs news, and that he would respect them more if they would be more like Fox.

Maybe his issue is that CNN deals with politics in a relatively unbiased way in the US, whereas there isn't a market for discussion of US politics in international markets, so it isn't even discussed there.

And we all know that any relatively unbiased discussion of politics to Tot is going to sound highly biased (left leaning). We've seen it on this forum, dozens of times. He sees everying through the lens of what a terrible travesty Obama's presidency is.

Thanks goodness Fox is there for him to get his fix.

No I'm protesting against the Phoney rhetoric and the sanctimonious Hypocrisy of not just CNN but the American Liberal Media in general.

The CNN broadcast for the rest of the world mirrors more like the BBC and other note worthy news outlets. Yet in the state they are 24 hour Obama administration damage control.

come on CNN show the shit to the rest of the world you show us here in the States.

Even their website is Bias...

CNN USA
Fox News Twitter feed hacked
Ticker: Trouble for GOP campaign
Atheists explain flying ad campaign
Jon Stewart vs. Jay Leno EW
Opinion: Why U.S. is not a Christian nation
4th of July: Will your kids be Republican? Time
Soldier's legacy more than 'he was gay'
Gotta Watch: Judging Casey Anthony case
Writers: Save journalism, democracy

CNN World
The Americas
15 killed in Mexican shootout
Judge releases Strauss-Kahn

That's it.

But then it goes on to list more important world news.

Drug lord captured; may be linked to U.S. agent's death
Thailand elects first female premier: What's next?
Activists: Security forces in Syria raid homes
Rebel leader: Gadhafi can stay in Libya
Grenade attack at Afghan school injures 25
Tourist boat capsizes off Mexico coast
State TV: Chavez returns to Venezuela
South Korean marine kills 4 in shooting spree
Mladic refuses to enter plea

Where's the Screw the GOP stories? Doesn't CNN care to share their constant rhetoric and lies with the rest of the world?
Where's all of the important issues in the US like they report from the rest of the world?
Surely there's more pressing matters in America than goddamn Fox news and who would win a super hero fight, John Stewart or Jay Lenno?

It's embarrassing to be Democrat, you guys should be ashamed of the party as a whole. The Liberal media has a whole industry at it's disposal like an oppressive propaganda ministry, and you Libs constantly bitch about 1 fucking network dedicated to the GOP, so much so, that honest journalism in this country is non existing. Fox might not be giving the straight dope, but they are just one network. What is the excuse of the journalism industry that is so lopsidedly dedicated and in the service of just one party.

Even CNN can't tell the news like portray in America to the rest of the world, less they seem to be total morons and dolts. So they don't.

They reserve that for the Liberals that watch and read their lies, bless their little simpleton hearts.

Tenouncetrout says

Where’s the Screw the GOP stories? Doesn’t CNN care to share their constant rhetoric and lies with the rest of the world?

Since when is reporting that the Cain campaign lost four "top staffers" "screwing" the GOP, or "rhetoric and lies" for that matter.

The bias is your own, obviously. Welcome back to ignore, conservative clown-like person.

Tenouncetrout says

No I’m protesting against the Phoney rhetoric and the sanctimonious Hypocrisy of not just CNN but the American Liberal Media in general.
The CNN broadcast for the rest of the world mirrors more like the BBC and other note worthy news outlets. Yet in the state they are 24 hour Obama administration damage control.
come on CNN show the shit to the rest of the world you show us here in the States.

Just curious - what is the difference between CNN International and BBC International? And isn't the website available 'round the world?

Tenouncetrout says

Fox might not be giving the straight dope, but they are just one network.

There are multiple conservative networks & websites, and multiple liberal networks & websites.

The problem is that you (and many others) are so quick to blame everything on the libs, or the conservatives... People sometimes have the ability to think for themselves and there's no need to get one's panties in a knot over the news transmissions available.

Why can't everyone get past the left/right bullshit? If you don't like the news, turn it off. One of these days you're going to pop a vessel when you're composing one of your angry biased rants.

We miss the old tot - tpb. He was funny and sometimes we were able to understand what you were saying. The new tot blames the ills of the world on libs, writes angry unintelligible rants and isn't funny.

I miss the funny. Come back, little sheba!

Troy says

Tenouncetrout says

Where’s the Screw the GOP stories? Doesn’t CNN care to share their constant rhetoric and lies with the rest of the world?

Since when is reporting that the Cain campaign lost four “top staffers” “screwing” the GOP, or “rhetoric and lies” for that matter.
The bias is your own, obviously. Welcome back to ignore, conservative clown-like person.
“Nessuna soluzione . . . nessun problema!„

Glad to be there Drama Obama. Didn't you all ready declare me Persona Non Grata?

Elliemae: What Us?

http://mediamatters.org/research/201003250019

Tenouncetrout says

Elliemae: What Us?
http://mediamatters.org/research/201003250019

Tot:
I haven't smoked anything today and therefore lack the capacity to understand your meaning. Please resubmit.

I have said it before-- get a variety of sources (and not all from Ruppurt Murdock's block). Some people who label everthing that disagrees with their one source simply "all too conservative" or "all too liberal" remind me of the people that they take off to the assylum in a straight jacket screaming, "I'm not crazy!..Everyone else is crazy! (slam)!"

I don't care about Liberal leaning news agencies or Conservative news sources it's Agenda based propaganda that makes me blow chunks. In any form. Especially the Black Kettle News that is all about being agenda based, and that agenda is sole purpose is to bitch about other agenda based agencies. Then there's John Stewart saying...

"Oh No he dit'in"

UGH!!!

Are you aware that Jon Stewart is on Comedy Central, and his show is a comedy show? He lampoons people right & left.

His agenda is to be funny.

But mostly the right.

He's a comedian about like Dennis Miller is.
Once a comedian starts being a schill it's hard to take them with a comedic ear. Much like you despise my anti Liberal rhetoric. You thought I was funny when I was kicking Bush in the Ass.

He only invokes an Obama smear to lessen the sting of an ensuing all out 3/4 of a show dedicated to ripping some Republican figure a new one.

The more I watch American News Outside the US, that does not broadcast the same trite mind rotting "The Liberals are GOD and the Right is shit? garbage, the more I realize just how much the American people are the BITCH of the Liberal press.

They are too Ashamed to even broadcast one tenth of the shit they constantly bombard Americans with. In light of the DSK arrest and the verge of the collapse the case, and now the acquittal of Casey Anthony. The world is pitching a first Rate Bitch about our corrupt media Cesspool . But you guys don't hear or see that, because you're having your brain Scrambled by the Liberal press to OBEY and hate FOX news, because they aren't Obama ass kissers.

Of course you'll flame me anyway because you just can't help your selves. You know there is a whole world out there past California, and they say you're Shit.

Our media is absolute Rubbish, of course FOX news is too, but TOO being the key word. You guys all act like FOX is unique in being the scourge of the USA.

The Pulitzer Journalism prize today is only good for placing in the Toilet tank to displace water for conservation.

Tenouncetrout says

but TOO being the key word.

From my perspective MSNBC is skewed like Fox. That is MSNBC is as liberal as fox is right wing (note I don't say conservative, because I am a conservative).

You think that CNN or ABC or NBC is as liberal as Fox is right wing, which only proves how out of touch, and biased you are. That's a big problem with our country. Far to many cretins think that objectivity is a left wing bias.

Guys I've traveled the World over the last few years, and I can tell you CNN in the States is not the CNN they show world wide.
CNN shows different anchors depending on CNN Latin America or CNN Asia, but it is honest news. They actually do a better job than the BBC IMO.

CNN in the States is an endless barage of talking heads bitching about Republicans or hamming up the latest Court cases.

CNN during the last month has been 24/7 Cassey Anthony. Both in the Court Room then the Legal Dykes giving legal commentary about how guilty she was and how they could tell every thing about the case from her body language. It's why the jury acquitted her. They didn't feel she was getting a fair trail and they didn't want to be the Death Squad for the Liberal media handing out Guilty convictions for CNN bidding.

In fact you can't even link to the American CNN talking heads, out side of the states. The CNN international page is very protective of the Journal malpractice they commit in the States, and hide it from the rest of the world.

They are more embarrassed apparently than I am.

You Clowns smile nice for Big Brother, he's playing you like a cheap kazoo.

>Guys I've traveled the World over the last few years, and I can tell you CNN in the States is not the CNN they show world wide.

I agree with you one this.

>and hide it from the rest of the world.

Do you think this is intentional by CNN?

I really do, either that or they are bunch of phony posers on the world's political stage.

Just saw MTV my BIL was Channel surfing, their MTV is a time capsule from MTV's first days.

None of this "Jersey Shore" and "Teen Whores" shit on a network that is supposed to be for prepubescent teens, in this country, somebodies head would roll.

Our networks feed us constant stream of Mind Junkfood, and State is worried about the Human Kibble 80% of the American population is forced to eat or go hungry via the 99 cent menu.