Alternative news

Having been a newspaper reporter and editor years ago, I never fully left the profession. As the saying goes, once in it deeply, one always has “printer’s ink in the blood.” I read news constantly, all day long, on the Interent. I over-indulge. I can’t seem to stay away from it. I imagine what it would be like today to be in the news business, especially with the Web and Internet which have revolutionized the dissemination of news, and the way it is gathered and reported by countless sources.

I cannot stand to just read the mainstream press, as much as I think outlets such as CNN and MSNBC are trying to cover the whole story in the Middle East and on the home front.. I am not sure that they can. There are too many constraints. To many institutional barriers. At the higher reaches of the mainstream presss, money, ideology and politics conspire to thwart the news from being told in it fullest and truest context. Often censorship is very subtle. Sometimes it is blatant.

Thus I find myself returning again and again to the independent press, the alternative media that are now widely available, thanks to the Internet.

Independent Media Center

Cursor.org

Alternet

Yellow Times

Common Dreams

BuzzFlash

For links to the mainstream press and media:

HeadlineSpot

RefDesk

And here’s a very interesting site:

Newsblaster

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May 1, 2002

Thank you very very much Oswego for all the links. I am so glad for this “present” here and I’ll add them all into my favs-box. I am only afraid that I will now have additional reasons to play “night owl” more often!;o) What you say about sensorship is terribly true! I even notice the differences in the news when I read American online newspapers, and newspapers here in Belgium.

May 1, 2002

Astonishing, how events are sometimes turned upside down depending from where the news reaches us. It seems to be so easy to make people believe something for true…that is very frightening! Therefore I think it’s so important that people are guided towards other news-sources also which can help to understand that one must be very careful with opinions. Thanks again dear friend, Take care

You’ve mentioned Common Dreams before. Now I’ll have to check out the others.

May 2, 2002

Wow… I’ll be checking these out today. Many thanks.

Shi
May 2, 2002

Despite spending a couple of years writing a column for our local newspaper, I can’t say that there is printer’s ink in my blood. I often go out of my way to avoid some news.

I feel like I’ve been living in a box my whole life. I had no idea there were so *many* sources of news away from the big boys of TV.

Gosh! Who knew? Where have I been? Thanks for the links! Maybe I will be able to become more aware of the issues now. I admit, I rely on CNN and Fox and they are often wrong. Love,

I didn’t know there were so many alternative news organizations. I’ve always relied on CNN to give me the scoop.

I have just spent half and hour looking up all these interesting sites. Thanks for them…

What a great thing to do, Oswego! Thank you so much for these links. I’ll spend some time checking them out throughout the week. You’re the greatest.