NPR’s best political reporters explain the big news out of Washington and the campaign trail. They’re not afraid to call it like they see it.
Pulitzer transformed newspapers from institutional, dry accounts of government activities into stories involving drama and conflicting interests. This trend continues today. Weaver argues that the press corrupts itself and public policy through its quest for dueling cover stories replete with drama and quotable advocates.
The Guardian
News articles are bound to have some bias, since every author has a frame of reference within which they describe the story. This frame of reference can be influenced by political ideology, but it is not inherently a sign that an article is biased. In fact, reading several highly rated articles from different sources can help balance your perspective on a topic.
The Guardian is a British newspaper founded in 1821. The newspaper has a liberal to left-wing leaning and is known for its non-conformist opinions. It was originally named The Manchester Guardian and was founded in response to the Peterloo Massacre, a peaceful protest for suffrage rights that tragically escalated into violence. The newspaper is owned by Scott Trust Limited, which is chaired by Alex Graham.
In a recent poll, the majority of The Guardian’s readers identified as being on the left or left-of-center. The paper is also a member of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), which represents more than 35,000 journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In terms of political bias, the newspaper has been assigned a moderate to left-wing bias by third party assessment organizations. AllSides assigns the newspaper a “Lean-Left” bias, while Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC) gives it a “Mixed” rating for factual reporting. The Guardian is a progressive, no-holds-barred news outlet that publishes around 14 million views per month.
The Economist
In The Economist, readers get authoritative insight and opinion on international news and politics, business, finance, science and technology. The magazine also covers culture and books, and is renowned for its unbiased reporting and rigorous fact-checking. The Economist is subscribed to by more than 6 million people around the world. Its editorial stance centres on classical, social and most notably economic liberalism. Zevin’s book shows how The Economist’s reinterpretation of liberalism has been tested by events and political shifts, such as globalisation, financial crises, the rise of populism and the UK’s Brexit vote.
The Economist has been published weekly since 1843, when its founder James Wilson circulated it to muster support for abolishing the British corn laws (a system of import tariffs). From the beginning, The Economist aimed to establish itself as a serious publication on political economy and the history of ideas. Its articles cover the political and economic issues of the day and are accompanied by editorial cartoons, letters to the editor, political polls and a range of special reports. The magazine is distinctive for its fire engine red logo and illustrated, topical covers.
Listen to The Economist’s podcast, Checks and Balance, where John Prideaux, Charlotte Howard, Idrees Kahloon and Jon Fasman unlock American politics week by week. The show takes a big theme and digs deep, interviewing politicians, researchers, academics and other people across America.
The New York Times
The New York Times is one of the world’s most respected newspapers. It is known for its investigative journalism, editorial columns, and the use of color in the print edition. It also has an online presence, and its archival content is available for free. The Times has won 112 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization. It has also been the subject of controversies over its coverage of politics, including the case of journalist Judith Miller, who was jailed for refusing to testify in a grand jury investigation of her source’s leaks to Congress.
The newspaper was founded on September 18, 1851, by Henry Jarvis Raymond and George Jones as the New-York Daily Times. In a statement, the editors proclaimed their intention to “report promptly and fully everything that may concern the public interest, approving whatever tends to the promotion of the common welfare, and denouncing everything that tends to detriment.”
Under the ownership of Adolph Simon Ochs, the paper expanded its coverage of world news and reduced its price to a penny. Ochs renamed the paper the New York Times, adopted the slogan “All the news that’s fit to print,” and established its reputation as a leader in the field of investigative journalism.
If you are a subscriber to The New York Times, you can access the newspaper’s full online content through PressReader. The service allows you to read the current issue of the paper on any device and also download past issues. You can also set up automatic downloads and save articles for future reference.
NPR
NPR, or National Public Radio, is an American media organization that produces and distributes news and commentary through radio and online. It is funded by member stations and listeners, as well as by private donations and corporate underwriting. Its daily news programs include All Things Considered and Morning Edition. NPR is a leader in political journalism and has nurtured many top minority journalists, including Juan Williams, Richard Gonzalez, and Farai Chideya.
In addition to its daily news programs, NPR offers a number of podcasts on politics and other topics. Its podcasts are listened to by a wide variety of listeners, from all walks of life. However, NPR’s political coverage has been subject to criticism from conservatives and centrists alike.
The NPR Politics podcast covers the latest developments in Washington and on the campaign trail. Listeners hear about everything from the latest in the Hunter Biden laptop scandal to Anthony Weiner’s sexting saga, as well as the Supreme Court’s rulings on two same-sex marriage cases and a case involving gerrymandering of voting districts.
NPR has a reputation for being one of the most nonpartisan news outlets, but it does lean left in its opinion content. A 2014 AllSides Editorial Review found that NPR maintained a center bias in its news coverage, but it did have a tendency to omit good-faith conservative viewpoints and commentary.