Healthy News
I'm tired of turning on the TV and seeing bullshit on the news. I'm tired of political rhetoric and commentary being branded as investigative journalism. I'm also tired of seeing family members, coworkers, classmates, and a rare few friends getting fooled into thinking that what they're watching is news. To me, it seems that NPR, BBC, and a few other independent sources are the last bastions of reason. I spend half of my time at work listening to podcasts. I'm no expert, but I have found a few which are excellent sources of news.
I'm not going to make a strong statement that everyone must abandon their current sources of infotainment and take in only the media that I recommend. I just want some people to be more open with including healthy choices into their diet of news. So, in some Jamie Oliver "Pass it On" spirit, I'm going to make some recommendations.
All of these are free and available in the iTunes Store as podcasts. Most are also available on the web, on TV or on the radio.
NPR 7AM News Summary
(audio, daily, 5 minutes)
This is the best place to start. It's fast, full of facts and gets you up to date on the big headlines of the day.
NPR: Story of the Day & NPR: World Story of the Day
(audio, daily, 5-10 minutes)
These two often go into detail on many of the topics covered in the 7AM Summary. They also occasionally do human interest pieces on a regular basis.
Fareed Zakaria GPS
(video, weekly, 30-45 minutes)
This guy knows world news. He won an Emmy for his interview with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. He frequently interviews the big names in global politics, such as Tony Blair, Hillary Clinton, Hamid Karzai, Pervez Musharraf, and many more. He brings big minds in to discuss big issues in a non-partisan atmosphere.
Global News from the BBC
(audio, twice a day on weekdays, 30 minutes)
This is the most informative podcast I've ever listened to. If you really want interviews and on the spot reporting from around the world, this is the show.
NPR: Intelligence Squared
(audio, about once a month, an hour)
Oxford style debates on a variety of topics. You get to hear both sides to an argument from some of the leaders in the subject. There is a moderator, but you get to make up your own mind based on the facts and presentations given by the debaters.
The Phileas Club
(independent, monthly, an hour)
Hosted by Patrick Beja, this show has a panel of guests from around the world to talk about what has happened in the past month. This doesn't have journalists, but rather well educated and well spoken people. Frequently, the other panelists are from Saudi Arabia, the US, Canada, the UK, and Argentina.
A few other favorites of mine:
Amanpour
Anderson Cooper 360
East Meets West
NPR: It's All Politics
NPR: Planet Money
NPR: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me
Vanguard
I'm not going to make a strong statement that everyone must abandon their current sources of infotainment and take in only the media that I recommend. I just want some people to be more open with including healthy choices into their diet of news. So, in some Jamie Oliver "Pass it On" spirit, I'm going to make some recommendations.
All of these are free and available in the iTunes Store as podcasts. Most are also available on the web, on TV or on the radio.
NPR 7AM News Summary
(audio, daily, 5 minutes)
This is the best place to start. It's fast, full of facts and gets you up to date on the big headlines of the day.
NPR: Story of the Day & NPR: World Story of the Day
(audio, daily, 5-10 minutes)
These two often go into detail on many of the topics covered in the 7AM Summary. They also occasionally do human interest pieces on a regular basis.
Fareed Zakaria GPS
(video, weekly, 30-45 minutes)
This guy knows world news. He won an Emmy for his interview with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. He frequently interviews the big names in global politics, such as Tony Blair, Hillary Clinton, Hamid Karzai, Pervez Musharraf, and many more. He brings big minds in to discuss big issues in a non-partisan atmosphere.
Global News from the BBC
(audio, twice a day on weekdays, 30 minutes)
This is the most informative podcast I've ever listened to. If you really want interviews and on the spot reporting from around the world, this is the show.
NPR: Intelligence Squared
(audio, about once a month, an hour)
Oxford style debates on a variety of topics. You get to hear both sides to an argument from some of the leaders in the subject. There is a moderator, but you get to make up your own mind based on the facts and presentations given by the debaters.
The Phileas Club
(independent, monthly, an hour)
Hosted by Patrick Beja, this show has a panel of guests from around the world to talk about what has happened in the past month. This doesn't have journalists, but rather well educated and well spoken people. Frequently, the other panelists are from Saudi Arabia, the US, Canada, the UK, and Argentina.
A few other favorites of mine:
Amanpour
Anderson Cooper 360
East Meets West
NPR: It's All Politics
NPR: Planet Money
NPR: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me
Vanguard