Category: Resources

Preface: While I 100% support the investigative journalists and writers/authors/vloggers/bloggers etc., who dig up and reveal noteworthy events and behind-the-scenes information essential to an informed public, I’ll explain below why I do not wholeheartedly support main stream media (MSM) sources (in this case, MSM refers to such mega-conglomerates such a ABC News, Fox News, NBC News, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times).

An interesting and unexpected side effect of Donald Trump’s “fake news” craze is the fact that more people are doubting the integrity and truthfulness of MSM, and the motives behind government officials, like never before.  At face value this may seem like a catastrophe of epic proportions, but, I beg to disagree.  It is, of course, dangerous when the first amendment rights protecting free speech and journalists come under fire; and, unfortunately, it seems that under Trump’s America, this is is becoming more normalized; however, I believe it is both positive and productive when citizens question the information that the corporate media produces and widely disseminates. I make this assertion because MSM is, at its core biased, although, not in the way that Donald Trump asserts. The bias, and accompanying hazard to society, lies, rather, in the nature  of its ownership and size of the companies. As the below graphic highlights, a majority of the local and smaller print and television companies have been acquired through mergers and buy-outs by larger mega-corporations such as Disney and Fox, as well as the Rockefeller and Rothschild families (for more on these oil tycoons, see these two posts).

*A similar infographic regarding the CEOs/owners and their subsidiaries can be found here.*

As a result, the U.S. has lost a great deal of independent news organizations that have gotten swallowed up, and pushed out of the industry due to the prohibitively high costs involved with competing against these media giants and staying afloat in the digital era. As this occurs, the messages become more watered down, more homogeneous, and more  controlled by an ever-shrinking number of individuals. This trend,  not necessarily the accusations of”fake news” is, in my opinion, one of the greatest threats to a free society. Let us not be naive in thinking that the CNN and Fox News executives only started to flex their power in the past few years, this, unfortunately, been a trend that has been occurring for many decades as seen in the below infographic:

If this doesn’t give you shivers, it should. The pivotal role that the independent media in holding the government, elected officials, and companies accountable to the public and our health and safety cannot be overstated. Without them, it becomes nearly impossible to uncover the truth and be informed about the inner workings, and behind-the-scenes actions that affect our community, family, jobs, environment, and health. Sadly enough, we cannot trust the government or companies to keep us healthy and safe anymore, so we have to take it into our own hands, and independent journalists are a major part of helping us do this.

Actions you can take today:

1. Can’t believe I would hear myself saying this, but do like DT says and avoid MSM.
2. In its place, support your local newspaper. Yes, it’s going to cost you, but the few dollars each week that you’ll pay is tiny compared to the price of entirely losing independent and investigative journalism. As an added bonus, you’ll be able to learn about local issues happening in your community, and find ways to get more connected and involved.
3. Research the owners of news sources that you consume. Be a responsible consumer of news just as much as you are a responsible consumer of other goods and services. These two websites will save you time and energy since they’ve already done the research for you.
4. Be an active consumer of news. Don’t just let information passively flow in without thinking critically about it and discussing what you hear/read/watch with others.
5. Write letters to the editor. Don’t be tricked into thinking that your thoughts and opinion don’t matter or don’t deserve to be heard. They do. And I guarantee that if you’re thinking it, then others are too. Who knows, may you’ll start a movement too. Here’s a useful guide to get you started.

I’ve provided some news sources that I find to be (relatively) more independent than MSM sources below.  But PLEASE remember that just like people, no news sources is going to be completely unbiased. With that being said, a quick and dirty way to determine the level of influence that is being flexed over their journalistic integrity is to a) look them up on one or both of the websites above in #3; and b) take note of whether they’re asking for donations and state that they’re reader/audience-supported. If they are, then you can feel relatively safe in knowing that they lean towards being more independent and outside the realm (and control) of the MSM.

• Counter Punch 
• Democracy Now
• Truth Out
• Rewire News 
• World Socialist Web Site
• Corbett Report
• The Guardian

If you have any sources that you find to me informative and (less) biased than MSM, PLEASE share them here and help your fellow Counter Corporation-ists!