News Media

➡️ NEWS MEDIA - Press Freedom, Alternative Media & Top Journalists

The internet has revolutionised news consumption, and there have never been more ways to consume news. Ongoing significant global events such as the War on Gaza and the Russian invasion of Ukraine mean there is more news to report than ever. 

How we consume our news has changed; newspapers are in long-term decline, whilst online news is increasingly popular but fragmented and overwhelming. Artificial intelligence is spreading suspicion, trust in the media has plummeted, and journalism is struggling in general. 

As interest in the news declines and people choose to switch off, so does people's interest in politics and global affairs. Around 4 in 10 say that they now often avoid the news. News outlets play a crucial role in shaping public discourse and informing citizens. We highlight news sources with the highest journalistic integrity, providing in-depth coverage to help separate fact from fiction and reality from the sensational.

Jump straight to our resources on ➡️ News Media

Explore our comprehensive guides on - 

• Real News - News with journalistic integrity and verifiable content.

• Press Freedom & Threats to Journalists

• Organisations Supporting Journalism

• Censored & Under-reported Stories

• Media Literacy

• Corporate Media Giants

• News by Topic - Human Rights, Peace, Social Justice, Climate etc

• News by Country

• Alternative Media

• Social Media as a Platform for News

• Our Excellent Twitter/X Lists

• Top Journalists, Investigative Reporters & Whistleblowers

• Fake News & Filter Bubbles

For German speakers, be sure to check out our sister site Bessere Welt Info and the essential Medien guide with over 3,000 links.

The News Industry & Press Freedom

The internet enables large-scale dissemination of information, which can be used to educate and inform whole populations of current events. Likewise, it can also be used to sway opinion, manipulate, control the narrative, spread propaganda, and even alter voters' choices.

It is essential for democracy, justice, the environment, and our fundamental rights that critical journalism does not die out and that information lobbying and censorship do not gain the upper hand.

Reporting the news comes at a price, as attacks on press freedom and independent media are intensifying. In an unprecedented year, at least 124 journalists and media workers were killed in 2024. The most dangerous region for media workers was Gaza.

Learn about the multitude of journalism organisations that work hard to protect press freedom, uphold the industry's integrity, and protect journalists who are faced with threats and violence simply for exposing the truth.

Press freedom is a human right which must be upheld. The state of journalism in more than three-quarters of the world is classified as problematic or worse. In 2024, the biggest election year in history, political authorities put journalists under enormous pressure. The year was marked by forced closures of media agencies, violence against journalists, absence of regulation, detainment, deepfakes, social media and online information control, surveillance, restrictions, propaganda campaigns, and state-owned media takeovers.

Learn more about how censored and under-reported stories, media conglomerates, corporate media and perception management twist the truth to enable corruption, abuse, war, and repression. Mass media, television, and social media are used as superficial appeasements to distract citizens from critical issues.

The growing popularity of alternative news subscriptions keeps the quality of journalism high, allows readers to avoid propaganda pieces, and enjoy unlimited access to critical analysis. Discover how NGO journalism and the collaboration between the media and NGOs helps to enhance reporting standards. Promoting knowledge sharing, removing barriers on the ground, and allowing crucial foreign news stories to reach Western audiences are essential.

How to Find Real News

• NEWS BY TOPIC

Explore our central information hub featuring the most important global issues related to our future. Find extensive categories on peace, nuclear disarmament, environment, sustainability, climate, human rights, politics, social justice, gender equality, health, economy, democracy, and religion.

In each category, find our top picks of newspapers, magazines, blogs, NGOs, podcasts, videos, and social media, delivering only the most reliable and trustworthy news to you.

When you need a pick-me-up, check our top selection of good news for uplifting stories which spread positivity. Just because there is darkness in the world, it does not mean there is no light. Positive news stories reignite our hope, increase our faith in humanity, and inspire us to spread kindness in the world.

• NEWS BY COUNTRY

Explore our comprehensive collection of 2,500 media sources from around the world. Sorted by region, browse our dedicated resources on Europe, the Americas, a special section on the U.S., the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Russia. We are sure you will find the stories you are looking for.

• ALTERNATIVE MEDIA

Are you bored of mainstream media bias, censored news, clickbait, filter bubbles, tabloidisation and sensationalism? Tired of media conglomerates and lack of real choice?

Better World Info brings you the best alternatives to mass media. Here, you won’t find cherry-picked stories, false agendas, or narrative fallacy, but rather fact-based independent investigative journalism based on truth. Search through our categories - International, UK, U.S, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Russia for journalism with integrity.

Social Media as a Platform for News

More people are now turning to social media for a quick fix of their daily news digest. With such a minefield of information, we have sorted the wheat from the chaff for you. Follow our carefully selected Twitter lists on important topics such as climate, refugees, human rights, peace, social justice, anti-nuclear weapons, women's rights, the LGBTQI+ community, and more.

With almost 50% of U.S. adults now getting their news from social media, the importance of information and media literacy has never been greater. Social media is now a major source of disinformation, fake news, and bias. Other issues include censorship and surveillance, algorithms which amplify bias, lack of data privacy, addiction, and mental health implications.

Our social media guide provides a wealth of information on these issues, as well as critical comments on major platforms, including Facebook, Twitter (X), Mastodon, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube. You will also find excellent resources on social media for NGOs and non-profits, how to use it for campaigning and advocacy, blogging, monitoring and metrics, and free online courses.

Top Journalists & Investigative Reporters

Journalists and investigative reporters are essential in ensuring citizens remain well-informed. They act as watchdogs, exposing wrongdoings, corruption, rights violations, and abuses, and they hold the mass media, powerful governments, politicians, and corporations accountable.

By bringing light to these kinds of issues, journalists create transparency and uphold democracy. To celebrate the brave correspondents, broadcasters, frontline investigators, and columnists who are not afraid to reveal the truth, Better World Info brings you our top selection of investigative journalists and whistle-blowers.

Learn about Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and his 12-year legal battle, the murdered Palestinian-American reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, and co-founder and host of independent news outlet Democracy Now! Amy Goodman. Find further reading on anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist, and outspoken mass media critic Noam Chomsky, and social media transparency and accountability advocate Frances Haugen and many others.

'He who controls the media controls the minds of the public.' It is therefore of highest importance that the public has unadulterated access to the truth, and the whole truth." - Noam Chomsky 

Better World Info advocates for press and internet freedom, freedom of speech, and the safety of all those who seek to expose facts and reality. It is our duty to support journalists by subscribing, donating to local and non-profit news sources, sharing quality reporting amongst friends, advocating for the real news industry, and paying for the news that we consume.

Better World Info is an open platform – We invite experts, NGOs, campaigners, and activists to contribute their knowledge and top resources! We are a constantly expanding, work-in-progress, committed to spreading reliable, critical, and investigative resources to help create an informed, knowledgeable, and curious world.

Author: Rachael Mellor 09.03.23 (Updated 25.04.25) licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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