Let’s start by acknowledging that being completely impartial is hard, if not impossible. All news sources have some sort of bias because all news sources are written by people, and people happen to have preferences that often manifest themselves in our writing. Having said that, I will also acknowledge that there are levels of impartiality. On the lower end of the impartiality spectrum stand news sources such as BuzzFeed, Fox News, and Occupy Democrats.
With this in mind, I’ve compiled a list of the top news outlets I would recommend checking out at least once a week. It’s important to stay up to date with global affairs for two reasons. First, you will be able to join everyday conversations, as a coming of age adult should be able to, and second and most importantly, you will be able to form informed opinions in a world saturated with uninformed ones.
1. The Economist (Slightly conservative, easy to understand, mostly analysis)
I will start with my personal favourite. The Economist has its critics, but according to a study by the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri, it’s the most trusted source in America.
To silence their critics, in a column called “The Economist explains itself,” they stated: “We like free enterprise and tend to favour deregulation and privatisation. But we also like gay marriage, want to legalise drugs and disapprove of monarchy.”
2. Reuters (Minimal bias, moderately complicated, mostly factual)
According to a Quora user:
“Reuters is an enormous news organization that began with pigeons flying into London with news of ships coming into port so speculators had time to make money. Bias would only hurt their bottom line since most of their readers—who are in business and finance—don’t want anything but the facts. If they have a bias, it might be in favor of Britain and money.”
3. BBC (Slightly liberal, easy to understand, mostly factual)
BBC stands for British Broadcasting Corporation, and has been around since 1922. In 2017, in an effort to acknowledge diversity, the BBC promised to show a more diverse range of programmes, both for TV and radio. Moreover, they are now being regulated by Ofcom, who claims to “make sure that people in the UK get the best from their communications services and are protected from scams and sharp practices, while ensuring that competition can thrive.”
4. El País (For my Spanish-speaking readers)
El País is the most-read Spanish-language news outlet. Based in Madrid, El País offers a world edition available in Brazil and Hispanic America. My favourite feature is the “El Resumen del Día,” which offers a summary of the five most important highlights of the day.
5. The Washington Post (Slightly liberal, easy to understand, mostly factual)
This is what Donna Halper, a professor of political communication, former journalist, and current freelancer had to say about the Post:
“Most of the Post’s reporters are well-known and respected in their field. Some have won awards, including Pulitzer Prizes. The newspaper also has an excellent team of fact-checkers. However, even the best newspapers will make mistakes, and as a media critic and professor, what I look for is how they handle those errors—do they correct them, deny them, ignore them, or what. Generally, the Post does remain fair to the facts, and when they are wrong, they tend to try to correct the record. Thus, I am comfortable recommending the Washington Post.”
6. The Wall Street Journal (Slightly conservative, easy to understand, mostly factual)
I will end with The Wall Street Journal. This news outlet is a highly trusted source, according to a survey conducted in 2014 by the PEW Research Center. The WSJ covers mainly business news (supposedly 29% of WSJ readers are CEOs!)
BONUS: Follow The New Yorker Cartoons on Instagram for a humorous and accessible source of news (link here).
As you can see, I have included news outlets that vary across the conservative-liberal political spectrum, in order to assist you in forming the most informed opinion possible. Go ahead, explore these options, and subscribe to any of these news sources!