Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
MDC

10 journalism brands where you find real facts

Recommended Posts

10 Journalism Brands Where You Find Real Facts Rather Than Alternative Facts

1,774,142 views|Feb 1, 2017,

By Paul Glader

Shutterstock

Shutterstock

 

Where do we most often find real truth, real facts in a new era of Internet hoaxes, fake news stories and new political administrations that tout their own “alternative facts”?

Many citizens appear confused and worried. News stories from the BBC and the New York Times and Money magazine are reporting (with proof) that dystopian novels such as 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley are seeing a noticeable boost in sales. After Meryl Streep’s anti-Trump and pro-journalism speech at the Golden Globe awards in January, donations picked up to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Subscriptions to the New York Times and other newspapers have picked up dramatically since Donald Trump was elected president according to the Columbia Journalism Review and other sources.

Meanwhile, I’ve been hearing from several well-educated friends, who are wondering if their own reading habits are leading them toward facts or fiction. “Hey man. Got a question for you on this ‘fake news’ thing,” wrote one friend from my high school years. “What’s your advice and do you have an opinion on where to find some form of truth in our media today?”

 

Watch on Forbes:

 

One key question for any publication is this: If a reporter gets facts in a story wrong, will the news outlet investigate a complaint and publish a correction? Does the publication have its own code of ethics? Or does it subscribe to and endorse the Society of Professional Journalist’s code of ethics? And if a reporter or editor seriously violates ethical codes – such as being a blatant or serial plagiarizer, fabulist or exaggerator – will they be fired at a given news outlet? While some may criticize mainstream media outlets for a variety of sins, top outlets such as the Washington Post, theNew York Times, NBC News and the NewRepublic have fired journalists for such ethics violations. That is remarkable in a world where some celebrities, politicians and other realms of media (other than news… such as Hollywood films “based on a true story”) can spread falsehood with impunity.

Another friend writes, “Trump’s attacks on the free media has me spooked and I want to support the media somehow. At the same time, I am aware of my liberal bias and would welcome a different point of view as long as it isn’t ‘alternative facts.’ Any suggestions for good publications to subscribe to? I already have subscriptions to the [WashingtonPost, [New YorkTimes and [Wall StreetJournal.”

 

I am heartened by questions like these. A major shift in political and cultural life in our country means it is a good time for people to improve their own reading and learning habits. The Poynter Institute – an enlightened non-profit in St. Petersburg, Fla., that has an ownership role in the Tampa Bay Times and provides research, training and educational resources on journalism – provides many excellent online modules to help citizens improve their news media literacy.

In the post-post truth age (that is, an age where one has to work hard to be media literate and find the truthful sources of information), citizens should support local and regional publications that hew to ethical journalism standards and cover local government entities. In my corner of Long Island, that means I read (and sometimes write for) the Great Neck News and the chain of local newspapers to which it belongs. This year, I also plan to subscribe to Newsday, which is the largest paper that covers Long Island. I would urge citizens to subscribe to their local newspapers as well. This action helps these organizations employ journalists who attend city hall meetings, school board meetings and police precincts to report on how your tax-dollars are being spent, how your constitutional rights are being safeguarded, and to serve as watch dogs on how well your elected officials are serving you. 

Realizing that millions more people are scratching their heads, wondering what to read and where to spend their subscription dollars, here are my top 10 large journalistic brands where I believe you can most often find real, reported facts:

1. The New York Times

This is the most influential newspaper in the U.S. in my view. Its editorial page and some of its news coverage take a left-leaning, progressive view of the world. But the NYT also hews to ethical standards of reporting and the classic elements of journalism in America. That’s what helps the NYT remain, arguably, the agenda-setting news organization in America. It is a leader in business, politics and culture coverage. *

 

2. The Wall Street Journal 

The largest circulation newspaper in the U.S., the WSJ made its bones as a business newspaper and pioneered newtypes of feature writing in American journalism (for example, its quirky middle-column feature called the “Ahed” and longer form, in-depth reports called “leders”). As the company was purchased by Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch in 2007, the WSJ pivoted to cover more general news in addition to business news. The WSJ is still brand X among daily business publications in the world. Its editorial page is a bastion of American free-market conservatism, using the motto, “free markets, free people.” With former Republican speechwriters and strategists such as Karl Rove, Peggy Noonan and Bill McGurn writing columns, the WSJ editorial page is often a must-read for Republicans in Washington. And left-leaning readers should not dismiss the WSJ edit page just because they may disagree with its positions. It has won several Pulitzer Prizes for editorials and columns that feature a clear thesis, backed up by thorough fact-based reporting and bold arguments. *

3. The Washington Post 

The newspaper that brought down President Richard Nixon with its reporting on the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s maintains its intellectually robust tradition under the new ownership of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. The Post has, for decades, been part of the big three national papers – a peer of the NYT and WSJ – in terms of winning Pulitzer Prizes, hiring the best and brightest reporters and producing big scoops. Of the big three, the Post is arguably the most forward-thinking right now in trying new digital strategies that have boosted readership. And with Bezos’ backing, the Post is on a hiring binge for talented reporters while the NYT and WSJ have been pruning their reporting staffs in recent months. Most people think the Post editorial page leans left but is often regarded as more center left than the NYT. *

4. BBC

The BBC is the global standard bearer for excellence in broadcast radio and TV journalism. If only U.S. cable news outlets could follow BBC‘s recipe. And while PBS produces some great entertainment, documentary and news programs, its news programs have often seemed to lack the creative energy of the BBC. While NPR produces some fantastic journalism, a bulk of its news coverage seem to come from re-reporting news from the New York Timesand the Associated Press. And the American public perceives NPR to be more left-leaning than the BBC.

5. The Economist

Another British export, the Economistmagazine is staffed with excellent economists and journalists who produce a tightly-edited, factually rigorous account of what’s happening in the world each week. One oddity is that theEconomist doesn’t publish bylines of their writers so you never know who exactly wrote a given piece.

 

6. The New Yorker

This American treasure publishes sophisticated narrative non-fiction pieces from top writers and reporters each week in a print magazine and, increasingly, on other platforms. The New Yorker is smartly expanding its audience on the web, offering to the masses content that used to be open only to its print subscribers. The magazine itself runs a piece of fiction each week (identifies it as such). The long-form non-fiction reports on politics, culture, business and other topics often take months to report, write and fact check. The result is deep reporting and analysis each week that is hard to find elsewhere. And the narrative structures and techniques the writers use make for enjoyable reading. Similar to the Times, the New Yorker presents a progressive view of the world. Conservative readers should recognize that but not let it detract from them enjoying some of the best reporting and writing happening in the world. *

7. Wire Services: The Associated PressReutersBloomberg News 

You can’t exactly “subscribe” to these wire services. But you can trust reports from these organizations to be factual. They provide a backbone of news and information flows about politics and the economy. And their member organizations that surface their reports benefit from this reporting. You can follow these organizations on social media and can also follow certain reporters for these organizations who report on topics of interest to you. These wire services also do have web sites and mobile apps you can use to stay abreast the news. *

8. Foreign Affairs 

This bi-monthly magazine is published by the Council on Foreign Relations. It’s a serious magazine for people who want intelligence on global affairs. The magazine and its many digital platforms benefits from submissions, dialogue, differing views and analysis from the many top minds on international relations.

 

9. The Atlantic 

This is another national treasure, a monthly magazine that presents a view of the nation and world from Washington D.C. It is informed by many top journalists who write long-form features and also write some analysis. The Atlantic web site sometimes hews to clickable headlines. But the magazine and its parent company also subscribe to American journalism principles of fact-based reporting.

10. Politico

Founded by reporters who left theWashington Post in 2006Politico has built itself into a crucial player in politics reporting in the U.S. (and with expansions to Europe). It does publish some products in print, but Politico is easily accessible on the Internet and mobile devices. Keep an eye on Axios, a news startup launched this year by two founders of Politico.

* Disclosures: Earlier in my career, I interned at the Associated Press and theWashington Post. I worked as a staff writer at the Wall Street Journal between 2001-2011. I have also published free-lance articles in the Post, the New York Times and the New Yorker (website) as well as some of the publications listed in the runner up lists.

 

Runners Up: 

 

- National Public Radio

- TIME magazine

-The Christian Science Monitor

- The Los Angeles Times (and many other regional, metropolitan daily newspapers)

- USA Today 

CNN

NBC News

- CBS News

 

- ABC News

Business News Sources: 

FORBES magazine

Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine

- Fortune magazine

- The Financial Times newspaper

Sources of reporting and opinion from the right of the political spectrum: 

- National Review

 

- The Weekly Standard

Sources of reporting and opinion from the left of the political spectrum: 

The New Republic

- The Nation

https://www.forbes.com/sites/berlinschoolofcreativeleadership/2017/02/01/10-journalism-brands-where-you-will-find-real-facts-rather-than-alternative-facts/?fbclid=IwAR2xRppjTsaIHfleiZhpSyMc1DPuub6bjFilGstpli0C5eeOymAGin7etQ8#1264530ee9b5

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The premise is wrong. 

 

The key flaw of the human condition is corruption and the cure is checks and balances and separation of powers.  When a large group of news outlets begin to self-organize into a larger unit and move and think as one entity, you DESTROY checks and balances and separation of powers.  That invites corruption into the system where it wasn't before.  And THAT causes loss of trust and credibility.

So by asking the question "which news outlets to trust?" and then listing a bunch of news outlets that all work together in lock step to self-affirm each others credibility, you actually destroy the credibility of all of them.  People innately understand that, which is why the credibility of all of these outlets is sinking.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This will be interesting. According to some (and a huge portion of this site's membership), any media that is not far right, is a liberal rag.  The replies will prove my point. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, The Observer said:

This will be interesting. According to some (and a huge portion of this site's membership), any media that is not far right, is a liberal rag.  The replies will prove my point. 

I don't know about all those sites mentioned above, but I think most here agree that you are a liberal rag.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The Nation was a runner up? Alrighty then. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 minutes ago, Mr. Hand said:

This article is from over two years ago. 🤣

2 years and how many blatently false stories ago?

That list is hot smoking garbage.

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is interesting, no reasonable person with at least have a brain cell would buy into that nonsense article.  

The replies will prove my point. 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
7 minutes ago, Hardcore troubadour said:

The Nation was a runner up? Alrighty then. 

Where did the National finish?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

An award-winning journalist, Glader spent 10 years as a staff writer at The Wall Street Journal, covering a variety of beats including technology, health & science, travel, metals & mining and finance. He’s written for countless publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, TheNewYorker.com, The Associated Press, Der Spiegel, The Indianapolis Star, FastCompany.com, ESPN.com, USA Today, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The American Legion, Christianity Today andForbes.com. He’s appeared on international TV and radio programs including CNBC, Fox Business, Infobae, All India Radio and WSJ Radio. Glader speaks regularly at high school and college journalism conferences nationwide.

 

While I don't agree with his list necessarily, dude seems somewhat legit

:dunno: 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Filthy Fernadez said:

2 years and how many blatently false stories ago?

That list is hot smoking garbage.

Everything he posts is hot smoking garbage. 

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
9 minutes ago, SUXBNME said:

An award-winning journalist, Glader spent 10 years as a staff writer at The Wall Street Journal, covering a variety of beats including technology, health & science, travel, metals & mining and finance. He’s written for countless publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, TheNewYorker.com, The Associated Press, Der Spiegel, The Indianapolis Star, FastCompany.com, ESPN.com, USA Today, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, The American Legion, Christianity Today andForbes.com. He’s appeared on international TV and radio programs including CNBC, Fox Business, Infobae, All India Radio and WSJ Radio. Glader speaks regularly at high school and college journalism conferences nationwide.

 

While I don't agree with his list necessarily, dude seems somewhat legit

:dunno: 

Not sure how you got to the "somewhat legit" conclusion?

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 minutes ago, shorepatrol said:

Not sure how you got to the "somewhat legit" conclusion?

 

Dudes been around, I suppose. 


Could be a straight ass hippy lib or pos far ass righty . I don't know.  I'm jsut going by his credentials. 
I'm not just going to throw him away because I didn't like his list. :dunno:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
41 minutes ago, SUXBNME said:

Dudes been around, I suppose. 


Could be a straight ass hippy lib or pos far ass righty . I don't know.  I'm jsut going by his credentials. 
I'm not just going to throw him away because I didn't like his list. :dunno:

I am, I got 3 sources down and LOL'd. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My boss is an ultra-conservative nut job.  "The only place to get real news is from Fox News. Everything else is liberal trash!" 

Anything he believes in... I'm against. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 minutes ago, GobbleDog said:

My boss is an ultra-conservative nut job.  "The only place to get real news is from Fox News. Everything else is liberal trash!" 

Anything he believes in... I'm against. 

:banana:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Not a single one of those listed in the top 10 are credible. They have all been caught lying, spreading propaganda, and only showing remorse after public outrage. A true news outlet/credible journalist/editor would have done the investigating before publishing.

This is another example of the Pravda telling the useful idiots that you can only trust them.

And the irony of Brave New World and 1984 rising in sales is lost on them and the idiots buying them.

Orange Man Bad. Communism masquerading as socialism good.

It would be interesting to compile a list of all of their embarrassments but probably not worth the time as anyone who currently thinks they are credible will not change their opinion no matter how much evidence is presented.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, GobbleDog said:

My boss is an ultra-conservative nut job.  "The only place to get real news is from Fox News. Everything else is liberal trash!" 

Anything he believes in... I'm against. 

That exactly explains the typical person who doesn't think, only hates and votes against what they hate without even knowing what it is they hate. This is how dumb-asses like Cortez get votes.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×