This is a collection on non-partisan and/or independent news sources and resources. It also includes some fact-checking sites to help determine credibility of news articles.
Ranking the Media
OpenSecrets
- OpenSecretsNonpartisan, independent and nonprofit, the Center for Responsive Politics is the nation's premier research group tracking money in U.S. politics and its effect on elections and public policy.
Investigative Reporting
- ProPublica ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Work focuses exclusively on truly important stories, stories with “moral force.”
- The Center for Public Integrity The Center for Public Integrity was founded in 1989 by Charles Lewis. They are one of the country's oldest and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit investigative news.
- The Center for Investigative Reporting (at Reveal) Founded in 1977, CIR is nationally respected for setting the highest journalistic standards, and for their signature approach to investigative reporting and collaboration. We partner with numerous other media organizations, prioritize impact over exclusivity, engage with the public and track results. To reach a broad and diverse audience worldwide, they publish their stories online, as well as for print, television, radio/audio, video and live events.
- Mother Jones Mother Jones is a reader-supported nonprofit news organization. They do independent and investigative reporting on everything from politics and climate change to education and food. They are headquartered in San Francisco and have bureaus in Washington, DC, and New York City.
- The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists is a global network of more than 190 investigative journalists in more than 65 countries who collaborate on in-depth investigative stories. Founded in 1997 by the respected American journalist Chuck Lewis, ICIJ was launched as a project of the Center for Public Integrity to extend the Center’s style of watchdog journalism, focusing on issues that do not stop at national frontiers: cross-border crime, corruption, and the accountability of power.
Online News Sources
- Reuters International news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. Their mission statement says "Reuters provides society with the news it needs to be free, prosperous and informed. We strive to preserve independence, integrity and freedom from bias in the gathering and dissemination of information and news".
- C-SPAN Provides audience access to the live gavel-to-gavel proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and to other forums where public policy is discussed, debated and decided––all without editing, commentary or analysis and with a balanced presentation of points of view;
- Associated Press (AP) The Associated Press (AP) is an American multinational nonprofit news agency headquartered in New York City that operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. The AP is owned by its contributing newspapers and radio and television stations in the United States, all of which contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists. Most of the AP staff are union members and are represented by the Newspaper Guild, which operates under the Communications Workers of America, which operates under the AFL–CIO.
- POLITICO POLITICO, started in 2007 is a global news and information company which delivers journalism about politics and policy making that is authoritative with a nonpartisan perspective.
- FreePress A nonpartisan organization building a nationwide movement for media that serve the public interest. Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund do not support or oppose any candidate for public office.
- AllSides AllSides exposes bias and provides multiple angles on the same story so you can quickly get the full picture, not just one slant.
Truth or Fiction
Before posting on social media, sending via email to friends or using in research or publications, check the facts. Here are excellent sites which cover everything from urban legends to current events.
- SNOPES Founded by David David Mikkelson, the snopes.com website is (and always has been) a completely independent, self-sufficient entity wholly owned by its operators and funded through advertising revenues. Neither the site nor its operators has ever received monies from (or been engaged in any business or editorial relationship with), any sponsor, investor, partner, political party, religious group, business organization, government agency, or any other outside group or organization.
- FactCheck.org: A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center This is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. They monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Their goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.
- Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints. As an anti-censorship organization, we expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information.