What are your news interpretation filters?

[bananarepublican]

With all that is going on today... from the increased number of foiled 'terrorist' plots, to down-right Jon-Benet-like distractions... how do you decide what is deserving of your critical thought, and what 'goes straight to the keeper'?

For me, anything distributed over the MSM is suspect. I now look at who benefits from 'the story'. How does 'the story' fit into the bigger picture. Furthermore, simply talking to people within your personal circle can help clarify what is really going on.

Today, there really are no trusted sources of news. Always challenge your assumptions and prejudices - easier, I know, said than done.

[FlavaKreemSnak]

1. I found out a sort of trick about news

If you go to one of those places that have the headlines right when they come in, actually a lot of that gets posted on here, but also there is a lot that doesn't, I have thought about starting to post some in the news forum, because I got a sponsor so I feel like I really have a responsibility to post more articles, but anyway, the trick is that if you read all of those really new stories from like Reuters, and then go ahead and watch CNN etc, and you will start to see that most of those stories don't get on the big news, and then you look at what they are, like if it is something that might make us look bad, depending on your point of view, then that one probably won't get there, but then also you can tell sometimes when they have a lot on about one thing like JonBenet, but then you are reading those new stories and especially if you are also like reading newspapers from Lebanon etc it will make you go hmm. It is almost like they don't really want you thinking so much about certain things, but you have to be careful because if you just go around saying that people will say you are a conspiracy theorist and some of them will suspect you of having anti-American sentiments even if you are an American!

[longship]

2. Simple, I get my news from other sources.

I eschew TV like it was the plague. I'll grab Olbermann, but dump the pop culture stories.

I'll watch NOVA, and an occasional story on the Hitler Channel or Natl Geo. And there's C-SPAN. My only TV sins are the old Law N Order series and the World Poker Tour. The rest of it is all rubbish. I absolutely despise TV commercials.

On election night I channel flip, but if C-SPAN has complete coverage I pretty much stay there.

My news sources...

Internet. Google News. British news sources (Guardian, Auntie Beeb, Independant). Various linked sources, as I find them.

Radio: My favorite source. I listen to Auntie Beeb on XM satellite, NPR, and on shortwave: Radio Netherlands, Radio Moscow, ABC (Australia), China Radio Intl, Deutsche Welle, Radio Canada Intl, New Zealand, and various other sources as I snag them.