These days, Americans trust in news sources is lower than its ever been.  (Assuming I can believe the American press institute and the Pew Research Center ;)). Ratings thru fear mongering and appealing to the lowest of intellect, watering down real news, reporting fluff instead of hard hitting news stories, obvious political bias’.  Why is it so hard to find an outlet you can rely on to provide fair, balanced, accurate and complete news?

With a thousand (thousands? 10s of thousands?) different “news” sources on the internet all slanting it to support their pet political beliefs or moral imperatives, social media spreading anything like a fact (just check snopes before reposting, would you, please?), the most well known media outlets viewed with skepticism – how can anyone really be informed and be certain the thoughts and feelings and beliefs they develop from their news sources are really substantiated and are worth defending?  And then it’s just fact that most people will believe the “news” that supports the opinions they already hold.

I have avoided news for a while.  I don’t trust much of anything I read or hear from any of the major 3 letter networks. Even CNN, who I once felt was an unimpeachable news source has lost my confidence.      It depresses me, both to see the lack of journalistic integrity, and the content that is reported. Another killing, more deaths, disasters, countries approaching war, more evidence that refutes the idea that people are all basically good.

But I don’t like being uninformed.  I don’t like reading this blog or that blog and wondering if that person is as conspiracy nutcase-y as they seem, or do they have a better source of accurate intel.  I’m tentatively news seeking at the Economist, BBC and NPR.  Those are the sources I most trust when researching something specific.

So where do you get your news? Do you trust it?