Suggested Primary Sources
Stay informed with primary sources, including trustworthy and factual information from independent news media
What's an "independent media source"?
One that's not owned by a corporate conglomerate, often referred to as “corporate media”. Examples of corporate media include Washington Post, New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News.
—AND—Funded by individual donations and subscribers, not by for-profit corporations.
—AND—Dedicated to telling the truth by reporting facts, regardless of a political agenda.
Independent media sources are a mix of primary and secondary sources, because they typically quote the source in print or video, along with their derivative work. Trustworthy and factual information from typically or relatively unbiased independent media available:
Online sources via web browser (listed below and others that aren’t listed):
C-Span, C-Span2, C-Span3—C-SPAN programs three public affairs television networks covering Capitol Hill, the White House and national politics. C-SPAN is a private, non-profit public service. It is a primary source of live, recorded information.
The Guardian—covers American and international news for an online, global audience. Guardian US is renowned for the Paradise Papers[KT2] investigation and other award-winning work including, the NSA revelations, Panama Papers and The Counted investigations.
The Atlantic—since 1857, The Atlantic has been challenging assumptions and pursuing truth. While they believe great storytelling is part of great journalism, they focus on honest reporting and analysis, and the integrity they represent, even if their pursuit requires giving up on an alluring narrative.
ProPublica—exposes abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust by government, business, and other institutions, using the moral force of investigative journalism to spur reform through the sustained spotlighting of wrongdoing.
Democracy Now!—Democracy Now! is an independent, global weekday news hour anchored by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. The show is broadcast on nearly 1,400 TV, radio and Internet stations.
Sky News—We aim to be the best and most trusted place for news. Made by people who dare to challenge. Made for people who want clarity in an uncertain world. We take you to the heart of the stories that shape our world. More…
1440—The best, facts-driven information, expertly curated and explained for the intellectually curious. We scour 100+ sources so you don't have to. Culture, science, sports, politics, business, and more.
All Sides—AllSides Technologies Inc. strengthens our democratic society with balanced news, media bias ratings, diverse perspectives, and real conversation.
We expose people to information and ideas from all sides of the political spectrum so they can better understand the world — and each other.
TYT—The largest online news show in the world with 5.8M subscribers and 33.8M views per month. Hosted by Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian. Cenk Uygur is the founder of TYT, Wolf-PAC and co-founder of the Justice Democrats. Although TYT newscasters have strong opinions on mainstream news stories, they also display and read aloud primary or secondary sources for context.
The Real News Network—The Real News Network (TRNN) produces independent, verifiable, fact-based journalism that engages ordinary people in solving the critical problems of our times.
The Intercept—an investigative nonprofit news organization dedicated to producing fearless, adversarial journalism. They believe journalism should bring transparency and accountability to powerful governmental and corporate institutions.
Vox— a news organization that tries to provide more context for the daily news and events on the US and world stages.
Truthout—a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing independent news and commentary daily. Truthout works to spark action by revealing systemic injustice and providing a platform for transformative ideas, through in-depth investigative reporting and critical analysis.
Alternet—AlterNet is an award-winning news magazine and online community that creates original journalism and amplifies the best of hundreds of other independent media sources. AlterNet’s aim is to inspire action and advocacy on behalf of the environment, human rights and civil liberties, social justice, media, health care issues, and more. .
Secular Talk—presents news and political commentary from the libertarian-left, populist, social democratic, agnostic-atheist perspective.
The Humanist Report—progressive political commentary about sociopolitical and religious news stories.
Less-recent information is usually available through on-line video or print archives provided by most credible news organizations.
Streaming Video News Sources (on YouTube):
acTVism Munich—A non-profit and independent online medium in German and English. acTVism Munich offers a platform to investigative journalists, academics, analysts, scientists, activists, artists or affected and committed people. acTVism Munich produces video reports, organizes panel discussions and debates, translates English articles into German and publishes guest articles to inform the public and provide news on topics of social importance.
Al Jazera English—Our impartial, fact-based reporting wins worldwide praise and respect. We focus on people and events that affect people's lives. We bring topics to light that often go under-reported, listening to all sides of the story and giving a 'voice to the voiceless.' Reaching more than 282 million households in over 140 countries across the globe, our viewers trust #AlJazeeraEnglish to keep them informed, inspired, and entertained.
BBC—The BBC is the world’s leading public service broadcaster. We’re impartial and independent, and every day we create distinctive, world-class programmes and content which inform, educate and entertain millions of people in the UK and around the world.
Robert Reich — Robert Bernard Reich is an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He worked in the administrations of presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and served as Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997 in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton. He was also a member of President Barack Obama's economic transition advisory board. Reich has been the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley since January 2006. He was formerly a lecturer at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and a professor of social and economic policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management of Brandeis University. In 2008, Time magazine named him one of the Ten Best Cabinet Members of the century, and in the same year The Wall Street Journal placed him sixth on its list of Most Influential Business Thinkers.
Heather Cox Richardson — Heather Cox Richardson is an American historian. She is a professor of history at Boston College, where she teaches courses on the American Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, the American West, and the Plains Indians. She previously taught history at MIT and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Richardson has authored seven books on history and politics. In 2019, Richardson started publishing Letters from an American, a nightly newsletter that chronicles current events in the larger context of American history. Richardson focuses on the health of American democracy. The newsletter has over one million subscribers.
Brian Tyler Cohen—The goal of this channel is to give a clear, concise, honest, and entertaining look at what's happening in politics right now, because politics should be accessible to everyone.
PoliticsGirl—Simple, digestible explanations of all things American Politics because it's easier to reengage when you know what's going on.
Leeja Miller—My guiding principle has been that I want to make the law more accessible to people who don’t have the time or resources to study law, or who are curious about the law but don’t know where to start. Legal concepts have been made needlessly inaccessible and I’m here to break down stereotypes and shake up expectations of what the law and lawyers are “supposed” to be.
The Meidas Touch Network (all lawyers)—We cover breaking news, politics, law and more. We are unapologetically pro-democracy. Because TRUTH is golden.
The Economist—Authoritative insight and opinion on international news, politics, business, finance, science, technology and the connections between them.
Just Have A Think—This channel is not a debating forum about whether Human Induced Climate Change is a real phenomenon or not. This channel seeks to understand the issues that face our civilization in the 21st Century and focusses on the potential solutions that will save as many lives as possible and hopefully bring about a greater level of equality in the world.
On-line Resource Sites
U.S. PIRG, federation of state Public Interest Research Groups
National Constitution Center, brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution.
Politifact, Pulitzer Prize winning fact-check research group
Snopes, When misinformation obscures the truth and readers don’t know what to trust, Snopes’ fact-checking and original investigative reporting lights the way to evidence-based and contextualized analysis.
Fact Check, which is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center
The White House—YouTube channel (especially, Biden's Remarks and Events)
The White House—Briefing Room
United States Senate, Legislation and Records—Read bills; see voting records.
Library of Congress, Thomas Library, provides access to legislative information from the U.S. Congress, including bills, resolutions, treaties, committee reports, and the Congressional Record.
Statista, expensive for full access, but their “Daily Data” for current topics is useful and free.
Fact First, zero opinion site for presidential performance
Stock Charts, Historical Chart Gallery of Presidential Cycles
Gallup, Approval Charts from as early as 1948 (1990 typical) to Present
U.S. Census, 2022 Voting and Registration Data
Ilona Nickels, Congressional Scholar
Stanford Constitutional Law Center, Publications
Google Scholar, search Articles or Legal Opinions and Journals
Important Issues
Learn about:
The difference between debt and deficit.
Why the US needs taxes and a fair system of taxation for all Americans and corporations.
The Glass-Steagall Act of 1933 and why it was originally legislated.
The debt and the deficit and how Tax Reform Bill of 2017 drove up US debt and further enriched the wealthiest Americans.
Dark money and its impact on our elections, US policy, and the US Federal Judiciary, including the Supreme Court.