What do you consider a "reputable" news source and why?

2015-06-06T21:39:47-04:00

Response by CPT Bruce Rodgers made Jun 6 at 2015 9:41 PM

2015-06-06T21:41:32-04:00

None alone, you have use many sources and read between the lines

Response by CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025 made Jun 6 at 2015 9:42 PM

2015-06-06T21:42:48-04:00

My two eyes!

Response by MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P made Jun 6 at 2015 10:03 PM

2015-06-06T22:03:26-04:00

At this point, I don't consider ANY of the news sources to be "reputable". IMHO, the worst thing to ever happen to journalism has been (and continues to be!) the 24-hour non-stop 'news' channels. They are all so concerned with getting the BIG SCOOP, they forget to seek out the facts, truth, and validity of a story. The rush to be the first to report on anything takes priority over everything else.

I've gotten to the point I don't trust any of them. Even "Snopes" has publicly stated they fully support President Obama and the DNC which makes even the fact checkers suspect.

Response by SGT Kevin Brown made Jun 6 at 2015 10:08 PM

2015-06-06T22:08:53-04:00

I don't consider any particular source more reputable then the other. I find that regardless who writes it, who hosts it or who shares it, one must use logic, critical thinking and reason to sift through the bullshit.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2015 10:46 PM

2015-06-06T22:46:25-04:00

In this day and age? That's a tough question. I tend to stick with local news sources. They have an hour to get the days events out. After that, if I find it interesting enough I'll research it myself. The national news networks don't seem to offer news or analysis so much as politically slanted commentary. The same thing with websites like the blaze, breightbart(?), mother Jones, huffpost, free talk live, etc.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good place to start and learn about an event, but you can't stop there. Brightbart, for example, published an article about the current attorney General when she was first nominated claiming she was the Clinton's defense counsel during the white water investigation. Turns out they were completely wrong. Instead of correcting/retracting the article, they left the original article as is and added a small font addition to the bottom of the page, under the advertisements, stating the entire article is true but about a completely different person. That's just an example I can think of right off the top of my head. Other sites have done the same.
Maybe it's because I came from the Intel side of things, but I always try to source things three or more ways. I've seen too many cases where one thing is reported and others report the same in their hurry to publish without doing independent verification.

Response by SFC Robert Wheeler made Jun 6 at 2015 11:12 PM

2015-06-06T23:12:50-04:00

I prefer a number of sources for my news. On the internet I like Huffington Post, Al Arabiya, BBC, and Daily Kos. For TV it is MSNBC and PBS. Yes, my news sources are left leaning but by using different sources, I can track the consistency of news stories from source to source. This helps me to determine what the story is while being bombarded with infotainment...err....news. I also frequently fact check stories.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 6 at 2015 11:15 PM

2015-06-06T23:15:27-04:00

Fox News

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Jun 6 at 2015 11:24 PM

2015-06-06T23:24:13-04:00

Walter Cronkite at CBS was the last reputable one. Most news outlets have an agenda and that means they sort, inflate, deflate, etc. to meet their agenda. Fox agenda is to provide a strong counter to the liberal outlets, hence you see more than 50/50 "fair and balanced".

That said, I was a LT on Adak when the Anchorage Times called to ask about the McDonalds being built out there. I was running the construction contracts office at the time and my staff got stuck with inspecting a MWR job.

Watch out for the last question "Is there anything you wanted to add?". My response was "There's a bunch of us who'd rather have a Burger King." Seems I wound up on most "Quotes of the Day" in the rags nationally.

Response by PO3 David Miller made Jun 6 at 2015 11:27 PM

2015-06-06T23:27:34-04:00

None. Every news source is going to have its own bias twist to it. For example CNN is more left agenda while FoxNews is more right agenda.

I would have to say however that FoxNews does try to look at both sides.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jun 6 at 2015 11:42 PM

2015-06-06T23:42:54-04:00

I only trust my S2. They have all the intel I will ever need.

Response by TSgt Erica Andrade made Jun 7 at 2015 12:00 AM

2015-06-07T00:00:30-04:00

I absolutely do not trust any mainstream media news sources, especially Fox. Other sources, like truth out or mother jones - I wouldn't say I trust them either but they don't seem as bad... They all neglect to fully understand the concept of research and vetting sources. Most are just "mills" regurgitating word for word from other news sources (so they haven't even vetted the info, just took the other guy's word for it that he did).

I'm going to school right now for library and info science, but am a former Intel analyst. I strongly believe that the library, and not the news/media, is the more appropriate public equivalent to an intelligence center. But no matter where you get your info, you have to be your own analyst - you have to do your own research, think and question, and decide what is right for you. Never take the media's word for anything, unless you can back it up with solid research.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jun 7 at 2015 2:03 AM

2015-06-07T02:03:47-04:00

Believe it or not, Yahoo news in my opinion really is neutral. It is neither left nor right, and it reports the stories with just the facts. You have to go to the comments to see the opinions!

With that said though, a lot of Yahoo writers should lose their job or at least take a remedial English class. Spelling and grammar are sometimes atrocious. They also sometimes show a serious lack of basic research skills. An article I read once said that the Navy was the second smallest of the 4 branches of the military when it is actually the second largest of the 5 branches of the military.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 7 at 2015 3:12 AM

2015-06-07T03:12:59-04:00

All of them and none of them. The best news source is one that is developed when you put together all the information you can find on a story that interests you and get as wide a picture as you can. Don't depend on just one source.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jun 7 at 2015 4:35 AM

2015-06-07T04:35:53-04:00

As a right leaning, conservative Libertarian I can't stand Fox "News." It seems like all they ever try to do is shout each other down when airing a "debate."

I get so mad I sometimes have to flip over to Communist News Network (CNN). Yes it's more Liberal but they seem to show a bit more respect to differing opinions also.

Response by Capt Jeff S. made Jun 7 at 2015 9:38 AM

2015-06-07T09:38:47-04:00

One that isn't pushing a Progressive agenda... Because that pretty much is what's wrong with the news we receive. The mainstream media has traded in their journalistic chops for propagandist ones. And with partial exception of FOX News (which the Left haaaates because they dominate the ratings), the mainstream lamestream news agencies get their talking points from the Obama Admin. They are for all practical purposes acting like the Propaganda Wing of the White House and blatantly push their narratives. MSNBC is so bad, they don't even attempt to hide their loathing of FOX News OR Conservatives... Not just their ideas but the people themselves and this has gotten them in hot water on a number of occasions.

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Jun 7 at 2015 10:13 AM

2015-06-07T10:13:28-04:00

I follow Vice, NPR, BBC, CNN, and Huffington Post. I do sometimes use Fox News to see things from an alternate point of view, but I'm not too font of their presentation.

Response by PO3 David Fries made Jun 7 at 2015 10:20 AM

2015-06-07T10:20:20-04:00

None. Do your own research. News agencies are after ratings.

Response by CAPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 7 at 2015 1:31 PM

2015-06-07T13:31:27-04:00

None. I compare and contrast looking for the truth in reporting

Response by SSG James Arlington made Jun 7 at 2015 1:52 PM

2015-06-07T13:52:00-04:00

Those who only get their news from one source are getting a limited and one-sided perspective. I entertain POV's from multiple ones, that way the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 7 at 2015 5:04 PM

2015-06-07T17:04:10-04:00

I go to a variety of sources, almost all of which are on-line. Some are mainstream news outlets like NBC news or Washington Post, and some are blog aggregates like Slate.com or Salon. There are several others.

As soon as I find a story that I think is actually interesting & relevant, I read everyone's different versions of the same story and then formulate what seems to be the most likely chain of events. I'll also see if my friends and contacts at places like Facebook are tracking the same events, and what their takes on it are based on personal experience or news outlets they use.

I also gauge a lot of Middle East, Israel, and military stories against what I know from my personal experiences, and measure what feels to me to be the amount of "drift" that has been introduced, and apply that to the story overall.

These days, with media and entertainment and advertising (paid-for "news" pitching a product of point of view) being all intertwined, people have to go through extra effort to filter out signal-to-noise ratio.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 8 at 2015 12:51 PM

2015-06-08T12:51:37-04:00

the onion. the most reputable source there is.