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Being Informed is Half the Battle

You're ready to make a difference. But what issues are most important to you? What's happening in the world? To be effective at effecting change in the world around you, it is vital to become educated about the issues and what you can do to make a difference.

There are many ways to learn about the world around you, but it's amazing how easy it is to learn a lot without leaving your computer. It's very easy to keep abreast of current events when they're delivered to your email inbox every day. One service we especially like is "Today's Papers," a service of Slate magazine that gives a daily overview of the headlines of all the major newspapers in the United States. (Here's a link to a glossary of terms used in the articles.)

You might find your local paper through the American Journalism Review's newspaper listings by state. To lessen the effects of the biases of the interest controlling a single media source, we strongly recommend subscribing to at least two news sources.

Two news portals that we recommend are Google News and Yahoo! News. Google News is especially good because it's continuously updated using a technology similar to the Google search engine itself, so it shows the most popular news stories on the Internet.

One site that everyone should know about is Project Censored. The primary objective of Project Censored is to explore and publicize the extent of censorship in our society by locating stories about significant issues of which the public should be aware, but is not,for one reason or another.

Following is a list of Internet radio news sources, news publications, magazines, books and documentaries that will help you become more educated and more effective in your activist endeavors.

Radio News Sources

The first thing you should do is check the Alternative Radio directory to find your local progressive radio stations. If you don't have a local station, or for more listening options, then check out a few of the Internet radio news sources available. These Internet radio stations will a require a streaming media player such as Windows Media Player. For a more complete list of Internet radio stations, check out PublicRadioFan.com.

  • National Public Radio - Check out "NPR Audio Online." In its 30 years on the air, National Public Radio (NPR) has won virtually every major journalism award for its news and cultural programming.
  • Pacifica Radio - Pacifica Radio has been bringing listners alternative, community, free speech, listener-sponsored radio for over 50 years.
  • WebActive - WebActive is a Progressive streaming media source containing the following features: Radio Nation, Pacifica Network News, Democracy NOW!, Hightower Radio and CounterSpin.

News Publications

The following is basic list of some of the news sources that are available through the Internet. For a more comprehensive list of news sources, be sure to check the NewsLink website for mainstream news sources and the FAIR Online News Sources page for an impressive list of alternative news sources.

Denotes sources with email service available. Some email services charge, some are free.

Mainstream:
  • BBC News - "Updated every minute of every day." The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) exists to enrich people’s lives with great programs and services that inform, educate and entertain.
  • Christian Science Monitor - The Christian Science Monitor is an international daily newspaper published Monday through Friday.
  • CNN.com - Cable News Network (CNN) owned by AOL Time Warner.
  • International Herald Tribune -The International Herald Tribune is an international newspaper.
  • Los Angeles Times - The Los Angeles Times ranks as the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the United States.
  • New York Times - Another major metropolitan daily newspaper in the United States.
  • NPR News - National Public Radio. In its 30 years on the air, NPR has won virtually every major journalism award for its news and cultural programming.
  • Newshour - The website of Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) show, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
  • Slate - Online journal owned by Microsoft.
  • Washington Post - Since it first began publication over a century ago, The Washington Post has grown into one of the most recognized news organizations in the world.

Progressive:
  • Alternet.org - Alternet.org is a project of the Independent Media Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening and supporting independent and alternative journalism.
  • BuzzFlash.com - BuzzFlash provides headlines, news, and commentary for a geographically-diverse, politically-savvy, pro-democracy, anti-hypocrisy web audience, reaching 2.5 million visitors a month and growing.
  • Counterpunch - CounterPunch is the bi-weekly muckraking newsletter edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair.
  • Democracy Now! - The web presence for Democracy Now!, a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program airing on over 140 stations in North America.
  • Guardian Unlimited - A daily newspaper based in the United Kingdom.
  • Guerrilla News Network - Guerrilla News Network is an underground news organization whose mission is to expose people to important global issues through guerrilla programming on the web and on television.
  • Indymedia.org - The Independent Media Center is a network of collectively run media outlets for the creation of radical, accurate and passionate tellings of the truth.
  • MotherJones.com - Mother Jones is an independent nonprofit whose roots lie in a commitment to social justice implemented through first-rate investigative reporting.
  • The Nation - Unconventional Wisdom Since 1865.
  • OneWorld Online - OneWorld brings you alternative news and views from a network of over 1,500 organizations working together for human rights and sustainable development.
  • TomPaine.com - TomPaine.com is a public interest journal inspired by the great patriot Thomas Paine that seeks to enrich the national debate on controversial public issues by featuring the ideas, opinions and analyses too often overlooked by the mainstream media.
  • truthout - truthout supplies progressive news, editorials and letters on a variety of topics.

Suggested Magazines*

The magazines listed below are a few publications that we recommend. Several of them are listed above for their online presence.


Suggested Books*

Actions You Can Take: American Culture: Corporations: Economics/Globalization: Environment: Media/Journalism: Politics/Government:

Documentaries*

  • Bowling for Columbine
    Learn more or purchase through Amazon.com
  • Cover-Up In Oklahoma
    Learn more or purchase through Amazon.com
  • Coverup - Behind the Iran-Contra Affair
    Learn more or purchase through Amazon.com
  • Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the Media
    Learn more or purchase through Amazon.com
  • Panama Deception
    Learn more or purchase through Amazon.com
  • Roger & Me
    Learn more or purchase through Amazon.com
  • Secrets of the CIA
    Learn more or purchase through Amazon.com
  • Unprecedented - 2000 Presidential Election
    Learn more or purchase through Amazon.com
  • Waco: The Rules of Engagement
    Learn more or purchase through Amazon.com

*We provide links to Powell's, Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com for your convenience. If you make a purchase within 24 hours of clicking the link, we will get a tiny percentage referral fee.