I decided 3 minutes ago that I'm going to do a non-intensive but structured search for news that I can depend on. Assumptions:
1) Mainstream US news sources are out.
2) The best way of getting close to the real dirt is through multiple sources that at least come close, with a fine-tuned B.S. filter always in place and well-maintained.
3) Finding the "center" (whatever that is), opposed to left-wing or right-wing, is the goal.
4) The bigger problem is not that this or that politician is having his/her way on this or that issue, but that an uninformed, lazy, and apathetic public is not educating itself properly and taking action to cut through deceptions and fight injustice, thus leaving itself vulnerable to the selfish agendas of unfair and irresponsible people. Er sumpfin like that.
5) Those with more (the rich or privileged) have a responsibility to help those with less (the poor and/or oppressed), regardless of how they have gotten their power.
6) The Constitution is a decent guide, though not infallible; Love is good.
My biases:
1) I'm left of center, but not by that much--and I think it's possible that on a global scale I'm downright centrist.
2) My jury's out on abortion, but I lean towards thinking that life is life and do we have the right to end it? I think this is the biggest issue on which I'm not on the typically liberal side. There are a few others, but only a few.
3) I grew up religious and reject the idea that religion is the root of all evil--that's an oversimplification by people who are "religious" in their own way.
4) I tend to shy away from any way of thinking that says "here is the answer in no uncertain terms." I think that life is uncertainty and living the uncertainty is where the magic begins.
5) I think that war is inherently bad and only to be used as a last resort, though it is seldom used as such.
6) . . . I have a ton of biases, really. Those are the biggest ones.
I don't have any great way of evaluating these sources except by logic and by feel (Does it feel slanted unreasonably? Is the logic weak? Do ALL the stories somehow manage to prove the other side to be kitten-eating Hitler-loving Megatrons?), which of course means that I have to trust my own judgement, and that of people who are trustworthy.
So I've linked some news sources on this page that are either pretty good or under evaluation. A few have really obvious biases and are linked because they can at least bring something new and valid to the table that might not otherwise be mentioned. If you think any of them are crap, let me know. Or tell me which ones I'm leaving out that shouldn't be left out. I'll be updating.
Non-maintstream sources that are out:
Salon.com: I used to like them but now I rarely see anything on there that even tries to be nice to the right-wingers. Good A & E stuff though.
Alternet.com: They were like that from the moment I became familiar with them.
Nationalcenter.org: Like that, only from the other side.
Rawstory.com: Sensationalist, though interesting.
Intellectualconservative.com: The first story I read was about how Fox is too liberal.
