Unbiased reporting or commentary

[Guest]

This is a an honest question for everyone.....

Does anyone know or recommend a reporter or commentator either on cable, print of the internet that they consider unbiased in what they say ?

I can find views from the left or right...radical and not but no matter what I do anymore I end up googling and reading about the author first to find out what kind of agenda he or she has. It has become very difficult to form your own opinion without getting spin from some direction. After the debate last night I was able BEFORE any spoke to predict with 100% accuracy what they would say and how they would lean.

Just looking for suggestions as I try real hard to read both sides on any issue but would love to find someone that is considered totally unbiased and can fill in some of the context that is missiing from most articles and reports.

[Guest]

The title of your post is an oxymoron. It does not exist. You used to be able to pick up a paper, turn on a news channel and get a somewhat true view of things. Not any more. And it is getting worse all the time. If you hear the same story on ABC, NBC, CNN or CBS and then go see it on FOX you would swear it was two completely different stories. Same thing if you read it in the Washington Post or the NY Times and then read it in the Washington Times. Completely different slant on the same story. The Wall Street Journal is not to bad, but even they slant things a little.

It has become so bad that I don't read a newspaper any more. Publishers buy papers to push their agenda. Any one who believes their personal choice of a paper is "oh so correct" is an idiot. Example, just how much do you believe your Daily Sun is telling all that goes on in the Villages? Or do you think just maybe they slant things in favor of their agenda?

Now several of you will say "my paper the XXXXX" is right on all the issues. And again if they really believe that, I feel very sorry for them. Because they are getting a slanted view of things and will never learn or grow in their opinions. You see it on here all the time with peoples political views. They only look at their side of an issue and never will even listen to the other side. These are the new MCJ's of the world. (Media Created Jerks)

This year will be the downfall of the media as the reporting has become so biased that a majority of Americans no longer believe them.

[Guest]

"Unbiased" would be perfection and relative, since it's unbiased in your opinion.

That said, everything and everyone seems to be dollar-oriented and extremes are more interesting and generate higher ratings than the middle-of-the-road (unbiased??). The media's interest is self-preservation and generating income, not in giving us unbiased coverage. Each competes against the rest and wants to top the other on a regular basis.

[Guest]

"Unbiased" would be perfection and relative, since it's unbiased in your opinion.

That said, everything and everyone seems to be dollar-oriented and extremes are more interesting and generate higher ratings than the middle-of-the-road (unbiased??). The media's interest is self-preservation and generating income, not in giving us unbiased coverage. Each competes against the rest and wants to top the other on a regular basis.

Point well taken John and Ride......so, where do you go to get the closest thing to unvarnished truth ???

I am now subscribing to things I KNOW are either left or right to compare and try to come up with a consensus. NOTE..as a result I get some of the most bias, out of context, garbage laden emails you can imagine :)

[Guest]

I'd vote for Jim Lehrer and Tom Brokaw. If he were still alive, Tim Russert would be at the top of the list. And believe it or not, while I think he is definitely biased towards the right, I think Bill O'Reilly tries awfully hard to conduct tough, revealing interviews without injecting too much of his personal political leanings.

On the print side I like another writer who is often categorized as conservative, David Brooks of the New York Times. I think he presents the conservative perspective well, but is consistently willing to present a balanced view of the political news. Another print columnist that I read all the time who always presents a critical but thoughtful view is Tom Friedman, also of the New York Times. I've always thought that Friedman presents thoughtful ideas which, if they appear critical of one politician or party or the other, it's only because Friedman's ideas make such common sense or are based on reality as opposed to political posturing. In Friedman's case, even though he has decades of personal experience in the Middle East and can get access to almost any political figure in that part of the world, he seems to have "given up" on pure political commentary in favor of concentration on issues of the world economy.

[Guest]

Thanks KAHUANA...I like Brooks...will look into the others...have read Friedman at times !

[Guest]

Krauthamer for sure. Also Brit Hume. I do have respect for Tom Brokow as he had the guts to force NBC to dump Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews from prime time election coverage.

[Guest]

I don't have any recommendations - I read them all. I have bookmarked the NYTimes, Slate and Solon, three big-time liberal sources, and read them every day. I also read National Review On-Line, Drudge Report and my local newspaper (very Republican). I find that if I carefully read anything, I can separate fact from fiction; reporting from commentary. And one comment - there is no such thing as unbiased commentary. When the author identifies his work as commentary, it is his opinion and he's telling you that. If you choose to ignore that, then you read it at your own peril. Everyone has the right to his/her own opinion, even reporters, but that opinion should not be expressed unless it is identified as commentary or news analysis.

[Guest]

As you can see from the posts. it's at best an opinion. I happen to think Brooks and Lehrer are biased to the left as is the NY slime. I agree a little bit on O'Reilly. He is leaning right but goes after both sides with an equal hard hitting approach. Friedman seems to lean both ways depending on the issues, but make no mistake he is still reporting his agenda. Brit Hume does seem to report the news. I know him somewhat personally as we belong to the same golf club and he does frequent discussion groups and business mixers there. However he does add his own views to most topics. Bottom line is they all do and you need a variety of inputs to make informed decisions. Just never read any as fact.

I remember many years ago 60 minutes did a show on Illinois Light and Power about their nuclear program. After that show you thought the state was about to be a nuclear waste zone and was not safe to drive across. A week later the company bought prime time and showed clip by clip what was reported and what was actually provided. Interview after interview, 60 minutes took statements out of context, they even pieced together sentences to make it appear someone said something that was not even close to their original meaning. It was blatant false reporting to support their personal view. They did the same exact thing to Caterpillar Tractor. This was 20 some years ago and since then I believe less than 10% of the so called news. Get as many different views as possible to be informed.

[Guest]

Thanks to all who responded in this thread ! I have added to my "favorites" those that were not there. It is difficult to get facts anymore as it seems the media is "deciding" what is important and what is not !

Thanks again to all !

[Guest]

In order for a person to have an informed opinion, he must seek out information from many sources. On political issues, probably opinions from both the liberal as well as the conservative side. Only then can a person truly believe that they've made their political choices based on an assessment of as much information as possible.

[Guest]

Lou Dobbs.

He's the only Independent out there. He's conservative in most of his opinions, but he has equal disdain for Republicans and Democrats.

[Guest]

This is a an honest question for everyone.....

Does anyone know or recommend a reporter or commentator either on cable, print of the internet that they consider unbiased in what they say ?

I can find views from the left or right...radical and not but no matter what I do anymore I end up googling and reading about the author first to find out what kind of agenda he or she has. It has become very difficult to form your own opinion without getting spin from some direction. After the debate last night I was able BEFORE any spoke to predict with 100% accuracy what they would say and how they would lean.

Just looking for suggestions as I try real hard to read both sides on any issue but would love to find someone that is considered totally unbiased and can fill in some of the context that is missiing from most articles and reports. Lou Dobbs 7pm CNN comes pretty close