Where do you go on Lemmy for reliable news and politics?

Ohthereyouare@lemmy.world to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 293 points –

I'm enjoying Lemmy so far, for the most part.

Everything here is pretty good save for the fact that all the news and politics I can find is dominated by the same few accounts.

Half or more of the accounts have a very clear agenda. They modify headlines. Lie. Spread disinformation. And generally are just extremely toxic groups.

It doesn't seem to be a secret here either. And moderators appear to have no interest in putting a stop to it.

So, where are you subbed to for reliable news and US/Global politics?

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As others have said, you have to think critically about every piece of news you read. Ask yourself what the opposite side on a story might think, or look for an alternative opinion. If you're reading an article in The Economist, read an article in Le Monde Diplomatique on the same subject. If you're reading something about Russia in the Washington Post, read an article in RT on the same topic. Think critically, and the truth is likely somewhere between the two opposing points.

International mass media is a form of soft power for countries to exert influence. It's not a conspiracy it's a tool available to governments which is why you have the BBC, CGTN, RT, PressTV, CBC, etc. That the mass media in the USA is mostly private doesn't change that fact and make it more independent, because the USA is essentially an ogliopoly.

Did you apply your critical thinking to this answer?

If you did, I'm gonna have to advise you to take your own advice, since this answer in no way answers the question.

So, if I think critically, the truth is somewhere in the middle?

Apologies if I said something to invite your passive aggressive response. You do seem quite passively calling out a few accounts but won't mention them, I'm curious as to your politics now. Do you think it works like your neighborhood association where if you don't say the word that people will get it and it will protect you from revealing your bias?

You came here and explained a bunch of nonsense. That's why you got a passive aggressive response.

Your comment is not only jaded and wrong, but it's also not what I asked. You just came here to pontificate about your conspiracy theories about the media.

Which, for the record, is exactly sort of stuff this post was inspired by. Hyperbole and dribble. You didn't say anything of substance. You just talked down to me and rambled on about how nobody can trust the news. And that, is nonsense.

Replace the word "news" with "historical document" and OP is discussing how to conduct academic research.

Man, this whole thread has tried my patience. It's as if not a single Lemmy user thinks that current events are worth following.

I'm not sure where everyone is getting their information, but this response is sorta terrifying.

Current events are certainly worth following and Lemmy could be a great place to add comments, ask questions and find additional context. A bot to scrape a relevant subreddit if content is needed.

Complaining about bias is what I was addressing. You can get unbiased media. Al-jazeera is surprisingly good for world news.

Isn't Al-Jazeera a state-owned Saudi network? I'd trust them about as much as RT, Fox, CNN, or TikTok.

Qatar state owned. Yes. Expect bias for ME matters, but RoW it's mainly fact based.

Eh no thanks, I try to avoid getting my news from religious nuts lol. Good try, though.

I wasn't complaining about bias though. That's the thing. I was asking for reliable news aggregation on Lemmy. Big difference

Nobody here seems to understand that though. Or, very few.

I know news is bias. That isn't the point. It's the posting of blogs, YouTube videos, altering headlines, using alts to brigade voting and push an agenda... Here, on Lemmy, not in the media.

The media is a known commodity. If I read an MSN article, I know their bias. If I read a fox news article, I definitely know their bias.

A bunch of edgy "communists" and qanon accounts manipulating the large news and politics community ON LEMMY is the point. Not the news

You didn’t say anything of substance.

He actually did but your mind is rejecting it.

Nobody can trust the news. That's not nonsense, it's a fact. There are no reliable news sources.

You can either deal with it or pretend that the source you find most comforting is the absolute truth and totally unbiased. But then you'd be lying to yourself, which is usually what makes people get defensive 🤔

Your definition of the word fact is seriously questionable.

What is the news? How can you arrive at a definition of what constitutes the news without introducing bias?

Okay. Fine. So, what is the solution then?

Nobody should pay attention to anything? Where should I get my information? Should I visit all the people and ask them?

How am I going to find out what happened today at the NATO Summit? Should I have gone to Lithuania and attended the summit in person?

Is it alright if I read the article on NPR that explains what legislation past the Senate in the US? Or do I need to go visit the Senate myself so I can eliminate NPR's bias?

I'm very interested in science. Climate change and physics specifically. Where should I find out about the latest discoveries in science? Do I need to read all of the journals myself? Cuz, if so, I'm fucked. I don't have that sort of time.

And, admittedly, even though I consider myself well informed, I'm just not up to speed on all of the equations in astrophysics. So, now, I'm really fucked. Do I need to know a physicist personally so I can ask them?

I think we are just saying that whatever generic, non offensive form of media that you consume is also biased in ways that you can't quite perceive. You've encountered some alternative narratives on Lemmy and you regard them as biased without necessarily making the connection that your own news outlets and views are equally biased. It's easy to see bias in others but hard to see in yourself