Newspapers- are they our last source of unbiased news?

To be honest, I get at least 99% of my news from the tv and radio. I don't look at it on the internet. I'm pretty sure you may have heard me say that I'm new to this whole computer thing and my best friend says she reads it online everyday and likes it. The one time I did try to I didn't like it for some reason. We don't subscribe to any newspapers. We do get the local one for our town once a week and another that's kind of for our town and some of the surrounding areas and once in awhile I skim through those. I do read it at work though if I can find one whileI'm on break. I do kind of agree with you though about it seeming like I get a more unbiased version of stories in the paper.

I think the newspaper is more down to earth. They arent as biased as what the news on tv is. I like reading the paper but I do it online instead of getting a delivery I find it easier and cheaper.

I have to admit that I very rarely sit and read a newspaper and do rely on the 'diluted' version of the news a lot more, but I really don't believe that newspapers report the news in a way that is unbiased. They all put their own political spin on stories, even when it seems as if they are being more factual.

Yes, but some newspapers can have political leanings.

Like they're unbiased - NOT. All the news has a slant. Left or right, they all have a slant!

Newspapers are just as biased as any other news source. Especially smaller, local newspapers get information wrong all the time. I get most of my news from various internet sites, but I try to read several different sources in order to get information reported from different viewpoints. I think it's impossible to find unbiased information anywhere. All writing has some sort of bias, but some writers are better at disguising their opinions.

I too no longer buy newspapers - but I still read them, but online. I think newspapers are as biased as broadcasters and bloggers (it's a myth that they were ever unbiased). What's changed is that we are all much more aware of bias. The best way to counter bias is to read from as many sources as possible (including sources that have different politics from the one you subscribe to). That way you can build up an all-round picture and get a better handle on the truth. The problem comes when you restrict your information to just one or two sources - because these sources are inevitably biased, you end up with a biased view of the world.

I read the local paper online for free. I have to agree with the other posters here that newspapers are biased also. I know our local paper is and it's really sad. I must be getting older because I remember when the news was just the facts and not whoevers writing the articles "spin" on the subject. I guess there is no true source for news anymore.

I heard its best to go to the ones that are more local. Like Los Angeles Times isnt run in Los Angeles well not by just some place here. Its run by the same publisher of the New York Times. So trust me, stick with the local stuff. I believe its the truly only way to get an unbiased news story. Everything else its kinda iffy

Are you KIDDING? Newspapers unbiased? No effing way. Newspapers are JUST as biased as news programs and internet sources. Don't let the media fool you. Don't believe everything you hear. The media likes to tell you what they WANT you to hear, and it is not always accurate...regardless of what form of media it is.

Although I love reading newspapers, I don't think they are unbiased. There are still editors choosing the stories, and if nothing else they have to choose stories that can sell - event that is a form of alteration, by giving the audience what they are interested in rather than what actually has a larger significance. So you'll hear about every last terrible thing that happened, from rapes to murders and all chocking things in between - but major UN reports might find a small note buried deep in the pages someplace.

uhm maybe yes for newspaper writers in broadsheets do have their own stand and not only write for what they have to say, they write facts about the topic, they do a research, they conduct a study on it. every news written is carefully written for it is their life, if they got something false and wrote it in the newspaper, it can cause them so many libel cases which is not good. a reporter knows how to handle this situation, if he really knows the truth and have some evidence, then he can freely write it on the paper so if he'll have some libel cases about the article he wrote, there'll be no problem for he has planned it and have already gathered strong evidences that can also defend his name and profession and of course, his dignity. honesty in one's job is really needed especially if you are on media business

What you are saying is partially true, i belive some newspapers are unbiased but not all, some though not directly but indirectly would preach the doctrines of a political party. and moreover i do belive in news produced in the internet and television.

I listened to a radio show on the weekend which talked about this very issue. Many politically savvy people seem to be turning more to newsprint since TV media seems to be more about celebrity entertainment and dwell on one or two stories to the exclusion of all others. That said, I don't think newspapers are necessarily less biased, for the most part it is pretty easy to identify biases in almost every news article. For instance, in my hometown of Toronto, we have a number of major daily newspapers each with a different approach to news. We have the Toronto Star, arguably the largest newspaper, and it tends to approach issues from a more liberal/progressive perspective. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the National Post, which is more conservative both socially and economically in terms of its reporting. In the end I think the best way to get a broad perspective about major issues is to read a variety of news sources and pick out the consistencies and inconsistencies. Through this its much easier to identify the truth within an issue beyond the apparent biases of the columnist/news media. For the most part though I find wire services such as Reuters and the Associated Press to be less biased then say a column by a local reporter. It seems these agencies tend to report the facts instead of twisting the news like reporters tend to do. But even these sources have some bias, I've heard some people say Reuters is left-wing (I certainly don't see that) but in the end I guess it depends on your overall perspective and how you approach most things, if you are looking for some bias you are bound to find it in any written media, regardless of whether it is news or not.

I completely agree with you! I definitely want unbiased news, and these days it is extremely hard to find a news station without an agenda or a soap box. Unfortuanately, our newspapers here are also biased and so I don't even bother reading it anymore. I usually end up watching the local news, which is also biased, but not as bad as say, CNN.

My job is a motor-route carrier for my county newspaper and I can tell you that ppl are indeed reading their news on the internet more than subscribing to the paper. I've noticed a decline thru the years of my customers and that's why, they have internet and go on there for all the news. Still, it doesn't beat reading the paper for local news. I used to subscribe to the sunday paper but since I started delivering 5 yrs ago, I now read it daily and get upset if I can't find the time to read it. Besides, if the ppl in my county want to read about the local news, they are limited on what they can read at the newspaper website unless they are a subscriber to the paper which don't make sense to me. I don't watch the news on tv, just on the net and my local paper. The newspaper states the facts without buttering it up. That's what I like about it so much. I don't like to sit and watch the news for 1/2 hr. just to see what happened with one particular news episode so-to-speak or wait thru numerous commericals to hear the weather. I go online for that or pick up my paper.

Newspapers are ALWAYS BIAS. There is no newspaper in the world that isn't bias. Dun believe, check out the same piece of news from 2 different countries. Even TV stations have news that are biased. Always remember that news are regulated to tell people what has to be heard. Its also the cause of so much havocs.

iam a regular reader of newspaper eventhough i watch tv news and go through online news.In India the circulation has not affected much because there are people who are regular readers and subscribe for papers in monthly and yearly basis.I get to see elderly people gathering near a library near my home and read the evening headlines of newspaper everyday.I dont think that papers report news in unbiased form.

Yes sometimes.But sometimes i donot believe their reports especially when you actually knew the real story behind the story they are reporting.For sometimes,some news are purely analyzed opinions of the reporter who reports the news.

I don't think so because some of the news in the newspaper are biased.I always read news on the internet.