What Is The Best Unbiased Website / Paper For News?

[Iggle Piggle]

I know different newspapers are politically biased, as are news websites. Are there any that are truly neutral with news reports?
I don't have time to read several and then 'read between the lines' to get to the true story ...

[FredPuli43]

The Times comes closest. If it isn't neutral, taken overall, then it must be skilfully written because I've never detected any political bias. Of course, it has one or two individual commentators whose writings tend to one side or the other, but they are balanced out and their leanings are clear. And it invites contributions from outside writers from all sides. The letters are good too.

[WyeDyed]

I used to like the Independent, I wouldn't call it unbiased but it showed a good cross section of views. Then it decided to take on the Guardian.
If I buy a paper now, it's usually the "I".
If I'm looking for news on the web, then I tend to start with the BBC website.

[SirOracle]

I agree with Fred that the Times gives the most detailed and accurate reporting of news and current affairs.
In my opinion it is way ahead of the rest, followed by the Guardian.
Their crossword is great too !

[birdie1971]

Best to get your news from a number of sources. In my opinion:

1) BBC – Mostly left-wing occasionally adopting the centre ground.
2) Daily Mail - Hilariously right-wing.
3) Guardian - Hilariously left-wing.
4) Russia Today - Surprisingly centre ground.
5) Al Jazeera - Surprisingly centre ground.
6) Fox News – Jaw-droppingly right-wing. Would be hilarious if it wasn't quite so scary.

And the winner is -

7) Reuters – About as impartial as it can get. Bone-dry reporting. Boring as hell.


I await to be corrected ;-)

[SirOracle]

Birdie. It depends on where you stand as to which is left (hilarious or not)
:)

[Gromit]

Probably the BBC. It is written in their chater to be politically unbiased. However, they are British biased, in that they generally follow the foreign office's line on world events.

All newspapers ate heavily biased.

You are probably better reading from a variety of sources and making your own mind up what you believe.

[Gromit]

This may be helpful. Here is a list of British national newspapers and who they have supported since 1945.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/may/04/general-election-newspaper-support#zoomed-picture

[Kromovaracun]

Personally, I use C4 News after getting a bit fed up with the BBC. It probably has a slight left wing bias, but I remember reading a report recently demonstrating that it is the only major news broadcasting organisation in the UK to write its reports with a target age older than 16.

Plus, I've been to talks by some of their journalists (e.g.Lindsey Hilsum) and think they are excellent.

Other than that, I reccommend buying The Week. It summarises the week's events, and tells you what all the major newspapers had to say about them, leaving the conclusions up to you.

[mikey4444]

The BBC News Website is my home page. I know its fashionable to knock the BBC these days but they have my full support. Personally I would pay the licence fee for John Humphries and the Archers alone !

As a Guardian reader of over 40 years standing, it is unlikely that I would nominate any other newspaper, although the Independent is OK, if a little dull. The Times is just not as good as it used to be, since it went tabloid. At 60, I don't think I am old enough for the Telegraph yet ! Being reasonably educated, I can't see the point of papers like The Sun, The Star, Express, etc but I suppose they are bought for reasons other than their news value.

[mikey4444]

Interesting link from the Guardian Gromit. I had no idea that they supported the Tories in the 50's...must have missed that when I was 5 years old !

I'm not sure that true neutrality is really possible, even in an ideal world. The Guardian is always being slated as lefty, but this is because the Guardian castigates the present government when it feels it needs to do so. But people conveniently forget that the paper was very much against the more loony of Blair's doings, and thought Brown, as Prime Minister at least, was a bit of a tw*t.

I used to read the Sunday Times but don't much now because it seems to be obsessed with popular culture, which normally means pop music and constant veneration of so-called celebrities. But, to be honest, even the Guardian is going that way these days. The Telegraph, however, will soon feature an exciting article on that new pop sensation from Liverpool, called The Beatles !

[jim360]

I think the Times is demonstrably right-of-centre in its writing but I still think it's about as neutral as you can get, and the range of comment writers is commendable, so it's usually good for balance. If an issue is particularly prominent it will have opinion articles written by people from both (or all) sides across the spectrum through the week.

[modeller]

birdie //4) Russia Today - Surprisingly centre ground. //

How you can say that is beyond me it is almost 100% anti American . I watch it as a matter of course every day and almost without exception its about Guantanimo Bay , US -Wars, Poverty, Financial scams, GM crops, Politics, etc. They use anti-west American commentators and if on the odd occasion a commentator starts to say something that might lead to criticism of Russia they are cut off and there is an apology for loss of connection and the usual " We will try to get him/her back later " They never do !
It is particularly noticeable when dealing with Russia and China's veto in the Security Council on Syria .
Just as a test I have just put RT on and surprise surprise they are showing,
Stockholm riots, protests against Monsanto , Obama's " War on Terror " , US Media anti freedom jounalists being persecuted, . American teenage shooting, US Drone attacks, . To be followed by a documentary on the effects of GM.
And you call that Centre Ground. !

I agree with you on Al Jazeera it's my favourite news channel
I don't like our BBC its far too parochial and single subject biased. It is not international . Sport and the Royals are their main offerings plus a sprinkling of home events, which I suggest have little international appeal.

[Gromit]

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[jno]

ah, the accuracy of The Times...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/mar/18/times-duped-hoax-qatar-dream-football-story

[birdie1971]

Modeller - “... birdie //4) Russia Today - Surprisingly centre ground. // How you can say that is beyond me it is almost 100% anti American...”

I concede that my interpretation of the various biases of the media I mentioned above may be wrong. The tricky thing when attempting to assess bias is that you cannot help but filter it through your own biases. Generally speaking, if your views are concordant with the news media you're consuming you tend to believe that it is largely free of bias.

For instance, I do not agree with the existence of the prison camps at Guantanimo Bay, massive international financial scams (most of which started in the USA), American teenage shootings and US Drone attacks in Pakistan. Therefore, when RT highlights these rather unpleasant things, I find that their criticism of such matters chimes with my own feelings on these issues. This further leads me to believe that RT is largely centre-ground since my beliefs and ideals are too.

I'm not saying that RT is free from bias – far from it. I'm saying that compared with the likes of Fox News, The Daily Mail, the BBC, etc., they are one of the more balanced news outlets.

[birdie1971]

Kromovaracun

Damn. I forget to mention Channel 4.
Very, very high reporting standards in my opinion. As you say, slightly left-leaning but with its feet firmly planted in the centre.

[FredPuli43]

The surprise is al Jazeera. It always seems neutral but that may be to make it acceptable in English. What it's Arabic service is like is anybody's guess

[birdie1971]

↑ That's an interesting point. Hadn't thought of that.