I generally avoid watching/reading the news because it’s usually depressing and often the sensationalism annoys me. However, especially with an election coming up next year, I think it’s time I was better versed in current events. Right now I get most of my news from watching the Daily Show (which I don’t even watch every day) and from message board conversations here and other places about news events (which often have links to news stories which I will frequently click and then about a third of the time I’ll read the article, a third of the time I’ll skim the article, and a third of the time I’ll decide the article isn’t interesting enough and just go back to the thread and try to gather enough information about it based on what people are saying).
I have FIoS for TV and it gets most of the usual channels, and I have TiVo so timing isn’t an issue.
I know I don’t want to go with Fox News because of their ridiculous right-wing bias and dishonesty. I’ve heard good things about BBC America having a world news show that is fairly balanced, but would like confirmation before I just go with that one. Can you recommend some good news shows that are reasonably unbiased, present a good cross-section of news from around the world, etc.?
I don’t think I would be able to stick to a commitment to watch more than 30 minutes a day of news, so a 30 minute show is what I’m looking for. I know I could just pick any random 30 minutes of CNN HLN but I don’t know that that’s the best option.
I know you are not asking for this, but one of the easiest ways to stay informed in this country is to listen to NPR. If you just want news, I would suggest a podcast of The World or All Things Considered.
I’ve never seen anything on TV in the last decade that is even remotely as informative.
The BBC America program is excellent (and, from what I can tell, unbiased). Not very in-depth, but it hits most of the major stories so you at least get some idea of what’s going on.
Yes, I would go with BBC America. Failing that, try the News Hour on PBS. Very US-centric, but definitely the best news show out there (IMHO). I watch it everyday, and thanks the miracle of the DVR, I can watch it whenever I like.
I generally listen to audiobooks in the car, and don’t listen to the radio at home… but I suppose I should consider it as an option. Are the two shows you mentioned the NPR content I should look for? If I could get it in mp3 format or something I could listen to it in the car through my GPS… It would be kind of a hassle to load it up every day, but maybe I could just have the NPR stuff be a once or twice a week thing and find a good TV news show for the rest of the week…
It’s called BBC World News America and it should be available on most PBS channels, so you’ll need to check your local listings. They show it in the mornings on the actual BBC America channel, but I think they’re trying to move it completely to PBS.
Oh it’s on PBS not BBC America? I’ll look for it on TiVo and set it to record and check it out. I look forward to being better informed.
Anyone with more suggestions I’m still taking them. I’ll watch several different shows and pick which one(s) I like best. Maybe I’ll do different shows on different days if I find more than one that I like.
I know you’ve said you’re looking for TV programs, but I highly recommend BBC Newshour. You can listen at 9am on WBUR or stream it after the fact from the BBC World Service website: BBC World Service - Newshour
They cover world news much more widely than any US program, with an actual attempt at objectivity (rare amongst US journalists these days) and they cover US news from a non-US perspective, which we all need a little more exposure to here in the US.
I don’t have cable or Fios, just the broadcast channels.
Channel 35 out of Philly has 3 sub channels. Around dinner time we get Japan’s NHK news, BBC, German News, French, Al Jazeera, and that Russian thing RT, for a half hour each.
I thought everyone had something like this. Check your local listings.
Err, I’m not saying I don’t know how to find news shows. I’m asking for recommendations on which ones are worth while from people who actually watch them.
I fifth/sixth BBC World. Despite occasional whining and handwringing about supposed bias, they’re bound by a charter of balance. (An indication that the balance works is that the whining comes from the left and the right.) It’s weird though, I sometimes think of it as the African service because there’s so much news coming out of that continent that we normally never hear - but of course this is actually because our own news media ignores Africa so much.
Moreover the BBC World front page is a good site to hit to see what’s happening everywhere rather than just the geographical areas that other media deem important.
You might also check out the Euronews Bulletin which has a European slant, but also deals with other global stories.
Addendum - just remembered something. Euronews’s No Comment videos are particularly affecting: they just present two minutes of news video footage from around the world with absolutely no voiceover or subtitles. You are left to form your own conclusions.
Wow - just seen ‘underwater volcanic eruption’! And ‘surfer riding biggest wave of all time’. That’s my next half hour gone then…
PRI’s The World: 1hr-5x/week. This is a US-based show focused on international news. It’s my personal favorite. BBC Newshour: 1hr-5x/week. This is a BBC show focused on international news. Just plain excellent. All Things Considered: 2hr-5x/week. This is their afternoon news program. It also includes lighter stories and arts, and is admittedly US-centric, but it’s a solid program. Click “listen to the full show” to see a sample of stories.
More specialized, but I find them to be informative:
On the Media: 1hr-1x/week. It’s ostensibly about media coverage itself, but they don’t waste the opportunity to dissect popular news stories to get to the messier truth. It’s pretty specialized, but I feel that it is worth it.
Marketplace: 30mins-5x/week. This is about the day’s financial news. I didn’t used to think that I liked it, but then I realized how much international and US news they report in order to make sense of the national and global economies.
Here’s something that’s not quite news, but is incredibly valuable nonetheless: From Our Own Correspondent
This is a facet of the BBC which allows their foreign correspondents to talk about aspects of the countries where they’ve been posted, rather than just news. They’re little five-minute audio snippets on subjects chosen by the journalist. They’re often a personal perspective on life in that country, sometimes an unusual aspect of culture, sometimes parts of the news that don’t get international coverage.
This morning I’ve listened to a guy talking about visiting canteens, rather than restaurants, in Berlin, someone talking about the only female bus driver in Georgia, and a guy who interviewed Pierre Cardin.
They’re quirky and fascinating, and give you a broader idea of what it’s actually like to be in the countries we read about, or experience the news items we hear of.