I am a frequent critic of the mainstream media and their distorted coverage and analysis of world events. However, I am often criticized by my family and friends for not providing solutions to the problems I complain about. So, I thought I’d mix it up and publish a guide to countering Main Stream Media (MSM) bias. This is going to be a work in progress so I welcome any suggestions/contributions. Without further ado, here I go…

Clear Your Mind and Set Goals

This may be the most important step I can give you. Before you start reading articles and forming new opinions, clear your mind of any outstanding biases. I realize this is impossible to accomplish completely, but self-reflection, however futile, can only make you a more intelligent and rational person. In fact, questioning yourself (i.e. being a skeptic) should always be your frame of reference. What I mean by this is that you must question your every opinion until you realize that you will never be right. Does this seem counter-intuitive? Yes, but it is absolutely necessary. We will forever be limited by our capacity as human beings. So although you may read twenty articles that come to the same conclusion about some far off conflict, it is entirely possible that you may never know the whole story.

Is this depressing? It may be at first, but eventually it should be liberating. Because it means that no “expert” is ever 100% correct, and by questioning even our most sound conclusions, we can only learn more. Knowledge is infinite and true knowledge is the knowledge that we know nothing.

Now that you have the right frame of mind, it’s time to start reading…

Read/Browse the Mainstream Daily

This may seem oxymoronic, but you have to understand the bias before you can combat it. Plus, it’s not like there is not knowledge and perspective to be gained by by checking out MSM news portals. There are plenty of articles that are spot-on, particularly those that don’t cover anything too controversial

Here is a list of sites that I recommend you bookmark and check periodically:

1. CNN 2. Fox News 3. MSNBC 4. Google News 5. Real Clear Politics

Get a Healthy Dose of Skepticism

You are already ahead of the pack! Most people don’t even bother to keep up with current events, so even a general knowledge of what’s going on will help you on your journey to the truth. That being said, if you rely strictly on mainstream sources, you are severely limiting not only the range of opinions, but also the general scope of topics you will encounter. For some evidence of this point, check out Project Censored for the top 25 issues ignored by the mainstream press.

So what’s the solution? In my opinion, you have to expose yourself to a wide variety of alternative sources, otherwise you will fall prey to manipulation and fact distortion. Just as you do not want to rely solely on the MSM, you also can not rely on any one or two alternative news sites. This may seem daunting, and at first at will be. But once you know where to look and how to look, it will get much easier. Also, later in this post I will explain in detail how to use the advances in web technology to speed up and organize the process.

OK, first things first. Let’s get a dose of lefty stuff:

1. Alternet 2. Democracy Now! 3. GNN TV 4. Znet

Note that I avoided listing sites like Media Matters and Daily Kos. I avoid these sites generally because they are so blatantly partisan and most every significant issue they cover I can find elsewhere. But, if these sites bring something new to your perspective, then I would recommend adding them to the list as well.

Now it’s time for the righty stuff:

1. The Drudge Report 2. World Net Daily 3. Town Hall 4. Cato Institute

Likewise, I avoided some popular blogs for personal reasons but if inclined, do check out sites like Hot Air and Right Wing News. Also, keep in mind that my list is by no means comprehensive and a simple google search can expose you to even more options to browse.

Some users might also recommend checking out social bookmarking sites like Digg, del.icio.us and reddit. I am a frequent visitor of these websites, because they are often the pulse of the Internet, insofar as they are continuously updated aggregates of the most popular articles and content of the day. Check them out if you like, but I do not think it is absolutely necessary.

Expose Yourself to Conspiracy Theories

This may be the most controversial piece of advice I will give, and I gladly welcome debate over its efficacy. However, I am a firm believer that no matter how unbelievable something may appear, everything should be considered fairly. Just because something is brushed off as quackery by 90% of people, doesn’t mean it is wrong, only that is unpopular. Be your own judge of the legitimacy of content; don’t let other people do the thinking for you.

That being said, it is quite easy to fall into a trap with conspiracy theories. I want to stress this, because often times conspiratorial conclusions can be the most appealing. But, just like the MSM, conspiracies have a tendency to omit disagreeable evidence. That doesn’t mean you should dismiss every conspiracy, but you must hold the same standards of skepticism towards conspiratorial conclusions, as you do for mainstream stuff, if the truth is your goal. Don’t get caught up, always remember to question yourself and your conclusions.

Here are my recommendations:

1. Prison Planet 2. Conspiracy Archive 3. RNN 4. Another Day in the Empire

Use Technology to Make Your Life Easier

If you’re still with me, you are probably wondering how the heck you can possibly make time to read and digest all of this. Unless you are in a profession which requires you to stay on top of the news, spending your time reading all these sites could be a detriment to your productivity…

But it doesn’t have to be! The internet today provides us with the tools to browse through hundreds of websites in the time it would normally take to view a handful. Many of you are already aware of a feature called RSS feeds, which are basically constantly updated headlines/excerpts of all the new articles on any particular website. However, with the advent of such web applications like Google Reader and Bloglines, it is easier and faster than ever to use RSS feeds productively. Here is a very intuitive video tutorial on how to use my favorite RSS client: Google Reader (note: you will need a free google account to use this web app)

Talk Politics and Welcome Healthy Debate

As a piece of final advice to you, I would recommend engaging other globally conscious individuals in political conversations as much as possible. Remain humble and listen thoughtfully so as to not come off as pretentious or disagreeable, because Lord knows you are probably wrong about something. Testing out your knowledge on other people is a great way to expand your understandings and hone your skills as an intellectual, provided that is a goal of yours. If it is not, don’t shy away from debate, because it is the only sure way (other than writing public articles) to put your opinions to the test.

That’s it for the first draft of my guide. I hope to turn this into a more comprehensive list/database of web portals sometime in the future, and I welcome all suggestions on sites I should add/remove. Thanks for reading and best of luck!