Mandatory news sources:

An argument with dad last week centered around his baffling devotion to Fox News. In my opinion, thus the blog, Rupert Murdoch has pretty much bailed on any sort of objective news reporting in favor of right-wing pundit analysis. The exchange got me thinking, if all news reporting has a slant (it does) how best should one stay informed about the world around us? Answer: Top Five Mandatory Media News Sources. Regular exposure to these five sources (all with web sites) will give the reader a broad idea of what is really happening in the world.

1) http://english.aljazeera.net is Al Jazeera's English-language web site, updated several times per day, is a good source for seeing essentially what people are thinking in the Middle East. As there exists a very real possibility that I will spend some quality time in the sand, I see the importance in keeping my ear to the ground. The satellite channel originates from Qatar and has been lauded for level reporting (except for political dissent within Qatar) and, moreover; is used my millions as their primary news source.

2) National Public Radio, http://www.npr.org, is a publicly (through government support, corporate endowments and listens like you) funded media source. With it's TV brother, PBS, is the closest thing the United States has to the BBC (see next on list). Often criticized for a left wing slant NPR is in fact (alright in my opinion) the most level even-handed news source around. Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air etc... Pound for pound the best programming around.

3) British Broadcasting Company, The BBC, government funded from England is the world leader in news reporting. http://news.bbc.co.uk Check this site often.

4) For those of us who, through tragedies of geography, live too far for daily home delivery The Times is available (at no cost) on the web. http://nytimes.com requires a free sign on and is profoundly worth the trouble. The Times rivals the BBC for accurate reporting of Africa, South America and points beyond. To that end their domestic news coverage is best used to line the birdcage. It is only so much liberal elitist banter; ignore the opinion page unless you feel like an argument.

5) http://www.foxnews.com You may be, at first, puzzled as to why I included Fox News on my list. Answer: for much the same reason as I included Al Jazeera. Unlike dad I prefer news analysis with which I do not necessarily agree. While some people watch Fox because they feel comfortable I do so for the opposite reason. To that end, some programs such as the O'Riley Factor can be pretty good sources for opinion and even straight talk. The importance of monitoring what other think keeps me looking at where they form their opinions.


Bonus News Source:
At first The Daily Show, Comedy Central - check local listings, passes itself off as fake news. However, look closer and you will find an intellectual sarcasm which is "Superior to None" in their analysis of news of the day. http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml is the link for clips from past shows. A personal favorite is Stephen Colbert's This Week In God segments.

Paul, you're up. Please regale us again with your famous "World's top gym socks list."