Who are the reputable mainstream news websites and blogs?

[TexasTowelie]

In the LBN forum, it states that the latest news {comes} from reputable mainstream news websites and blogs. Important news of national interest only.

I noted that Websites such as rawstory, talkingpointsmemo and wired are being used as sources within the LBN forum and I doubt that many outside of DU would consider those sources as either reputable or mainstream. I know that certain stories on rawstory are for events that occurred two or three days previously and were reported elsewhere such as the blog pages of publications such as the Dallas Morning News, the Houston Chronicle or the Austin American-Statesman. Thus, by the time the story appeared on rawstory the news article should be considered as "stale news" rather than "Latest Breaking News".

I've avoided posting articles in LBN because they do not indicate that they were picked up by mainstream sources such as AP, Reuters, UPI, Bloomberg or national TV networks (ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC) and the articles are written by a single blogger subject to misinterpretation and/or not completely vetted.

So my question to fellow DUers is what do you consider to be a reputable mainstream news source?

[geek tragedy]

1. TPM is a perfectly legit news source, under any rational definition nt

[OKNancy]

2. it's reputable, but they do re-package

older news stories.

[geek tragedy]

4. just like every paper that runs the AP wire does.

They also have independent reporters and journalists who create original content.

[OKNancy]

5. yes, they do have original content

but they do repackage stories from original reporting.
LBN hosts usually don't lock TPM stories, but sometimes it's a day or two old because it's a re-package and is a duplicate.

We have no argument here.

[geek tragedy]

6. agreed. nt

[TexasTowelie]

8. I don't consider TPM to be a mainstream news source though.

Talking Points Memo (or TPM) is a politically liberal web-based political journalism organization created and run by Josh Marshall, a journalist, liberal blogger and historian. (from Wikipedia)

I hadn't heard of TPM until a few years ago and I doubt that it is a Website that many conservatives would consider mainstream. If I were to take a poll on the street, I would bet that 80%-90% of the people have never heard of it either.

I'm not knocking the reliability of the Website, but a conservative would probably bash TPM like liberals bash breitbart, theblaze, CNS news and dailycaller due to perceived bias.

I am okay with posting news from the major local newspapers as long as the article is displayed as news on the Website rather than hidden in a separate opinion/blogs section. However, I wouldn't dream of posting an article in LBN from some of the alternative news sites that are in Texas that manage to publish the articlest days earlier than TPM or rawstory.

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. We don't care what conservatives think

This is not because this is a liberal site, but because conservatives are frequently dumb and liars. The past 50 years have shown that facts have a liberal bias, ie liberals have a far better respect for the truth.

TPM is a major blog that carries out original journalism, and is thus exactly the kind of site the LBN rules are written to include. It won a Polk Award.

[TexasTowelie]

13. The fact that they did win a Polk Award and has original journalism

does help make a case for them as a mainstream source. If there is an original article from TPM in LBN, then I don't have an issue. It's the stories that are repackaged as "news" several days later and whether they are considered as LBN as to why I began this thread.

I saw other posts that were removed from LBN since they are not considered mainstream. Is the decision upon whether a news source is considered mainstream subjective based upon the forum host(s) that are currently online? For instance, would Wonkette or FireDogLake be considered as mainstream new sources?

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. Wonkette or FireDogLake would be likely to cause discussion

I can't remember them coming up in the nearly 180 days I've done LBN hosting, but they may have. On the whole, people are fairly good at going back to a 'mainstream' source that those sites normally use. We have had problems before with sites like RawStory running something a few days old, and hosts often have different opinions. Sometimes it seems to come down to whether it's something there's a general feeling should have been picked up when first published, or if it looks like re-reporting to fill up space.

[TexasTowelie]

22. Thanks for your reply.

I'm glad to get a forum host to weigh in.

[Capt. Obvious]

25. AUTOMATED MESSAGE: Results of your Jury Service

On Tue May 26, 2015, 05:51 PM an alert was sent on the following post:

Building a wiki about the new world order and other issues
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Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[alp227]

3. What i use for DU LBN:

Various local news sites

http://bigstory.ap.org/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/

http://www.nytimes.com/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

http://www.theguardan.com/

http://www.politico.com/

http://www.npr.org/

Sometimes http://www.thinkprogress.org/

[TexasTowelie]

19. I'm in agreement that nearly all of those are mainstream.

Their biases may shift at times (notably NPR), but the names are recognized on the street by the general public.

[DonViejo]

7. Not every article from RS is a rehash of other news.

I realize you have your nose out of joint because I posted an article in LBN which RS is running today, duplicating an article you posted over the weekend. I deleted that post when it was brought to my attention that it was old news and after you made a stink about it in the thread. You easily could have PM'd me with something like, "Hey Don, I posted this story over the weekend...." but you apparently prefer drama, thus your comment under my OP and now this OP.

Further, just because other news outlets, the ones you refer to as "mainstream", have not picked up an article does NOT mean articles at TPM or RS are NOT the latest breaking news. TPM, in particular, frequently is out ahead of your "mainstream" outlets with breaking news. TPM (and RS) carry links in their synopsis articles referring readers to the original article. I make sure I provide the same links when I create the OP. In a brief synopsis, a reader can get the basic facts, e.g. in four paragraphs; if they want more, the link will take them to the full story.

The news in this OP: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014738664 originated with AFP but was published in RS. The article in this OP: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014736989 originated elsewhere but was published at RS.

[TexasTowelie]

12. Don,

My apologies for not handling the situation differently with you. I had thought about posting about this topic previously and I can understand why you believe that you are a target because of the timing of this thread. It was unintended and I'll request your forgiveness.

My question arose since I've noted that people are considering sources such as TPM and RS as mainstream media outlets--and occasionally they do break stories on current events (within the past 24-48 hours) prior to mainstream sources. However, I doubt that many people other than those active on political sites have heard of either of those sources? I know that I wasn't aware of them until a few years ago.

I'm also aware that the mainstream news sources that I listed above may lurk behind what I would aptly consider "alternative" or "politically-leaning". I frequently post threads from non-mainstream sources in other forums or General Discussion since they are not from outlets that the general public would recognize (major press services and newspapers, national TV networks).

I'm just a bit surprised by what is being considered as mainstream news source and whether an event that happened more than a couple of days ago is actually LBN?

If TPM or RS is breaking a story using their own reporters, then I would certainly be more inclined not to question the thread. However, if those outlets use a link to another source, wouldn't it be more appropriate to list that link as the source? I believe that most people would be more inclined to believe the coverage that comes from a local source (even if they have their own biases) than a Websites that most people are not aware of or that are considered bias.

Once again, I apologize for what occurred earlier today. I'm merely interested by what criteria they use when posting in the LBN forum.

Peace.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

9. Want variety? Try this.

http://www.watchingamerica.com/News/

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. It has been abundantly clear to me

that if it is NOT on CNN it is not news.

Oh and I will add, I do not post on LBN. At this point I rarely look at LBN either.

Hell, I avoid a lot of posting here as well.

[TexasTowelie]

17. LOL!

As I review this thread, it is quite interesting that people are either pulling my leg or that they don't understand the definition of "mainstream".

I guess that the diversity of views is what puts the "underground" in DU.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Well it is what it is

anything NOT major media, this is from the owners, is not mainstream.

I know people complaint about MSM bias, which is real, but since they also do not consider that real, my take is... careful what you wish for. So when I read threads complaining about MSM and propaganda, these days I break into hysterical laughter. After all I work for local media, but it is NOT, I repeat IT IS NOT CNN, therefore, cannot understand local politics, which we cover, better than CNN.

So that is what my own blog is for. And DU is becoming a news mainstream aggregator.

I actually apologized for posting an active shooter situation (Yes 10-13 shots fired fit the definition) on the GD earlier. It never made it to the real news.

[TexasTowelie]

21. Congrats on hitting your 130,000 post!

I am certainly willing to consider local media to be more mainstream than national outlets as reliable sources for LBN. They have the reporters on the ground, they know the people to contact to get definitive answers and provide a narrative that sources like CNN could never accomplish. I am actually more inclined to believe those sources than a national outlet because of that familiarity.

I admit that I post from both mainstream and alternative Websites; however, I try to exercise some discretion when posting in the LBN forum. Even when the reporting is published by a mainstream source such as for political news in Texas, I will ask if the story is of "national interest".

I missed the thread that you posted about the active shooter situation. Unfortunately, I've been numbed by the violence occurring in our society and what used to be considered "news" is now the "routine" instead. It doesn't mean that I don't care, it's a self-defense mechanism.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. Trust me, I was not surprised either.

Just looked at the Google map and went... now long arm, nice straight street... Yup. did the math, and it was not pretty. potentially.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

14. #1 would have to be The Intercept

Followed by Russia Today, Washington Post, The Guardian, Salon.com, New York Times and firstlook.org

[TexasTowelie]

15. Russia Today is a mainstream news source?

I do listen/read quite a bit of the material on RT and am intrigued with the commentary. However, unless they are reporting about something occurring in Russia (the meteor, a plane crash, etc.) that is non-political, then I use discretion when reading their version of the news.

The Intercept is an online publication launched in February 2014 by First Look Media which is funded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, and Jeremy Scahill are the editors. Do you believe The Intercept has already gained mainstream acceptance within a few weeks?

[loli phabay]

16. i like the bbc website.