Journalism is Not Dead: 5 News Outlets Breaking New Ground
Different media outlets often have different specialties in reporting. In the age of instant information, knowing exactly where to go online for reliable info is essential. Here's a list of five media outlets that are breaking new ground. Add these to your list of websites to check for news every morning:
(1) Real Clear Politics
Real Clear Politics is a non-partisan political news website. Since its founding in 2000, RCP provides readers with up to date coverage on political stories from all perspectives possible. The site’s main strong suit is its polling data. RCP provides averages from polls conducted by Rasmussen, Quinnipiac, and Gallup, thus helping any aspiring journalist when it comes to noticing and predicting possible trends in the political world. RCP also has links to the most read articles from the past 24 hours and 7 days as well as video content with footage from major television media. The sections on financial markets and sports are not too bad either.
(2) Al-Jazeera
Al-Jazeera is a broadcast network with 65 bureaus worldwide that reach 220 million households in 100 countries. Headquarted in Doha, Qatar, Al-Jazeera provides some of the closest coverage of the Middle East during this most tumultuous of times, essential for anyone wishing to write on political and social affairs in that region. The network’s coverage of Europe, Asia, and Latin America is outstanding as well. Frost Over the World (featuring Sir David Frost), Inside Story, and People & Power are among Al-Jazeera’s top programs. Most of all, Al-Jazeera English streams live online and on mobile smart phones for free.
(3) Newsy
Newsy is a multi-source video news website featuring short news story clips where the site’s anchors cover what several other media sources are saying on a given story. The quotes, “making you smarter, faster,” and “multiple sources, the real story” are Newsy’s slogans. Newsy covers world and U.S. stories as well as topics in politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and health. Every video the site has features a written transcript at the bottom of the page along with links to the works cited. In 2011, Newsy won the “Best News App” in the Appy Awards.
(4) ProPublica
ProPublica is an independent, not-for-profit investigative news site centered on the mission of providing readers “investigative journalism in the public interest.” Instead of stories, ProPublica publishes investigations giving deeper insights on public policy matters than most sound-bite driven media outlets. Its site features a “tools and data” section where one can find an abundance of useful info graphics and news applications. Headquarted in New York City, ProPublica only has 34 journalists on staff. ProPublica won two Pulitzer Prizes: one in 2010 for Investigative Reporting and one in 2011 for National Reporting.
(5) Global Voices
Global Voices is a citizen media blog with a global perspective. With over 500 bloggers and translators around the world, Global Voices “seeks to aggregate, curate, and amplify the global conversation online.” This is a site where readers can find stories and perspectives from distant, far-away places they would not have seen in everyday, mainstream media. Incorporated in the Netherlands as a non-profit organization, Global Voices has no home office and depends on the internet and annual summits for coordination when needed. Funding for the site is provided by grants, sponsorships, and donations.
Global Voices is unique in that it facilitates one of the world’s only global anti-censorship network of bloggers and activists in its project called Advocacy. This project is focused on bringing awareness to online free speech issues globally as well as online organization of activists. Another project by Global Voices, Lingua, seeks to provide translation of user content in dozens of languages so that the site’s global conversation can reach as many people around the world as possible.
Photo Credit: victoriapeckham
