The Top Places to Find News You Can Use

Don’t you love stumbling upon something that surprises you or otherwise catches your attention because it rises above the rest of the noise? Want some new sources of information? Looking for some new material? Whether you’re a blogger looking for a different angle or a regular voter looking to gain some facts for friendly disputes with neighbors, look no further.

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Gateway Pundit

Gateway Pundit is the best blog I’ve ever read. Sure, there are many that write more or, as even Jim might argue, better. But arguing that misses my point: Jim does what he does better than anyone else. He finds news that I’d otherwise never see. I spend most of the day parked in front of a computer, and much of that time is spent reading news and opinion pieces of various sorts. Nine and a half times out of 10, when I read a post on Gateway Pundit, I’m hearing that particular news for the first time. He’s especially great with this in terms of foreign news, much of it in regard to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hey writers: Want your own blog to become such a destination? Follow Jim’s model and read up on international news; you can even borrow a reading list from his compilation of the best international blogs (scroll through the sidebar to locate that section of the blogroll).

Non-profit websites

Most conservatives will be the first to complain about the biased media. So if you’re unsatisfied with the media and its filter, bypass it and head to the sources they themselves use. Visit non-profit websites and take a look at their new research, projects and, if applicable, blog posts. Not too long ago, an organization like The Heritage Foundation may have seemed very intimidating for the average reader. No longer. The think tank still produces incredibly smart research, but they’ve made outstanding efforts to make that research as accessible and as digestible as possible. Read their blog, The Foundry. Sign up for their daily email, The Morning Bell, and I promise you’ll be smarter for having done so. You’ll also have news and facts to share with your neighbors that they probably don’t know. Arming ourselves with such information and daring to talk about it is one of the only ways we’ll change hearts and minds, and that’s got to be the first step to regaining the majority. Already reading Heritage.org on a regular basis? Check out the newly redesigned Americans for Tax Reform site or American Issues Project group blog. (In the interest of full disclosure, I’m helping with AIP’s blog.)

Know thy enemy

It may make some stomachs turn, but take a look at the research the other side is putting out, too. I like to keep one eye on the projects and progress of the Left, so I receive regular email updates from the following groups: MoveOn.org, NOW, Talking Points Memo, Brookings Institution and CodePink. Don’t be scared; sign up and add a new dimension to your research and knowledge base. You’ll form better arguments, whether you’re a blogger yourself or just arguing with your neighbor, by identifying common ground and understanding what motivates other opinions.

Twitter/#tcot

It almost goes without saying at this point that many people are looking to Twitter for their news. Twitter is a micro-blogging and social networking site that allows people to “follow” the posts of people, news outlets, organizations and more that interest them. Many conservative groups and individuals have made the most of the momentum of this tool by now including the code #tcot in posts that are of interest to conservatives. (TCOT stands for Top Conservatives on Twitter, which really originated with Duane’s post but has since taken on a life of its own.) So, that’s all well and good, but a fair amount of my readers and, in fact, my family and closest friends, do not use Twitter. If you’re like them, you can still use this tool for accessing news, videos, and more two different ways: a) you can glance at a real-time list of Twitter posts that include the code via Twitter Search–no account required–or b) visit the TCOT Report and sign up to receive conservative news via email.

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Conservatives love to cry media bias, but I suspect to those who disagree, we sound a bit like the boy who cried wolf. I think we’re right to do it, of course, but all too often our criticism focuses on what’s said outright. What about what’s not said? What about the bias present before anyone opens their mouth, evident in the discretion used in choosing what to present and what to ignore? If you’ve ever spent time wondering what the news didn’t fit into their coverage–be it 30 minutes or 24 hours a day–some of the suggestions above should feed that curiosity.

It’s worth noting that, in thinking about this post, I posted the following on Twitter: “Where do you find news that the mainstream media would never cover, re: politics, the war, foreign affairs, etc.? #tcot.” I wanted to call out two of the responses I received:

EdDriscoll: I think you just answered your question– at #tcot!

PerlStalker: I see it at http://hotair.com, http://michellemalkin.com, http://ace.mu.nu. I’ve probably missed a few.

First, thanks for that suggestion, Ed. I hadn’t thought to include #tcot in this list until you pointed that out. As for PerlStalker’s sites, those are definitely three great sites to hit if you’re tired of hearing the same ol’, same ol’. In fact, Hot Air is my own homepage.

Did I leave out your favorite way to access the news too few bother to cover? Post a comment or shoot me a message on Twitter. If I get some good ideas, I would love to do a follow-up post sharing even more suggestions.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 at 8:02 am and is filed under Faith and Family, Missouri, New and Old Media, Politics and Capitol Hill. The entry is tagged under media bias, TCOT, twitter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.