All images are of the logos of the news organizations of which the top 10 is covering. All images are licensed under fair usage.
10. CNN
Political Leaning: Center
Complexity: Very Basic
Pros:
- Fantastic mobile app
- Covers every major issue
- High production value
Cons:
- Lacks complexity and deep analysis
- Shows bias for establishment
Created in 1980, CNN is one of the largest media networks in the world. In the last two years they have come under fire by Donald Trump for bias and for creating fake news. My main criticisms of CNN are that their news reporting and analysis tend to be pretty basic; they lack the deep analysis that many high placing news sources have. CNN’s placing on this list is largely based on their solid reporting on most issues, and the appearance and ease of use of the CNN mobile app. If you’re looking for an easy to use, good looking news app that provides you with the basic information for any breaking story, CNN is a good place to start.
9. USA TODAY
Political Leaning: Center
Complexity: Very Basic
Pros:
- Investigative journalism team is great
- Mobile app is easy to use
- Large amount of coverage
Cons:
- News analysis lacks depth
- Opinion section can get a bit dodgy
USA Today takes the ninth spot just above CNN primarily due to their infrequent investigative journalism pieces. USA Today is very similar to CNN in analytical depth, (ergo, they’re both lacking) but USA Today has an investigative journalism team that does great work and their pieces are fascinating. (I’m a sucker for great investigative journalism) USA Today also has a great mobile app for reading news on the go, and is one of my go to’s when I’m travelling.
8. THE ECONOMIST
Political Leaning: Center-Right
Complexity: High
Pros:
- High level of depth in analysis, great breakdown of topics
- One of the best for economic news / business news
Cons:
- Mandatory subscription / paywall
If you’ve got some money to spend and you are really only interested in news about business, finance, and how that affects global affairs, you can’t get much better than The Economist. I don’t read a ton of their articles (I only get 3 free articles per week) but their articles are of very high quality and if you’ve got some money burning a hole in your pocket then The Economist could be a great investment.
7. BBC
Political Leaning: Center Left
Complexity: Medium
Pros:
- Third party coverage of U.S issues
- Excellent world news coverage
- Different perspective from U.S media
- Free
Cons:
- Less coverage of U.S issues than other sources
- More fluff pieces than most
- Radio coverage is only on overnight in U.S (time zone differences)
The British Broadcasting Corporation or BBC is an excellent source of free news. I love their U.S news because they aren’t a U.S media company. This gives them a perspective that isn’t always completely on the U.S’s side and that is always interesting. The BBC is always worth a read as long as you avoid their quite extensive amount of “fluff” pieces. Their radio news programs are also excellent but you can only catch them late at night or very early in the morning. (Usually NPR plays the BBC broadcast during the overnight hours, if you ever want to catch it) I listen to these programs a lot, which is one of the reasons the BBC is rated so highly.
6. FIVETHIRTYEIGHT
Political Leaning: Center
Complexity: High
Pros:
- Statistical information is fantastic
- Polling is (usually) accurate (except for 2016 election)
- Great analysis of statistics, great breakdown
Cons:
- News coverage can be lacking
- Some writers are lacking
- A bit sensationalist with the titles
FiveThirtyEight is a great source for what it is great at: statistics. Nate Silver, the websites founder, tries to use statistical analysis to predict and analyze what is going on around the world. The problem is, statistics aren’t infallible, and not everything can be quantified. When it comes to issues that can be easily defined with numbers and statistics, FiveThirtyEight is a phenomenal website and news source, but sometimes their coverage can be a bit lacking in scope. During election season, FiveThirtyEight becomes one of my go-to news sources, and every other year is an election season, so I’m around a lot.
5. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Political Leaning: Center-Right
Complexity: High
Pros:
- The best in the business for economic news and business news
- Great news coverage in general, one of the most prestigious news papers
- Great for left-leaning people to get other perspectives
Cons:
- The Op-Ed section can get a little too partisan for me
- Pay wall
The Wall Street Journal is one of the most well-known news sources in the United States today. They’re a great source of news, and the only reason they aren’t ranked higher is because of the pay wall. I only have a certain budget I’m willing to spend on news, and there are other news sources I rank higher that I am willing to pay for. The Wall Street Journal is great for almost any news coverage, and the only knock against them is the editorial board sometimes lets some partisan op-eds through that aren’t based too deeply in fact, or are sensationalist.
4. THE WASHINGTON POST
Political Leaning: Center
Complexity: Medium
Pros:
- Free for desktop viewers
- The best in the business at covering Washington D.C, and what government is doing
Cons:
- Pay wall for mobile viewers
- Scope of news coverage is limited if it doesn’t have to do with Washington D.C
The Washington Post is a great news source for knowing what’s going on in Washington. Thankfully for the Post, that’s most everything. They have great coverage on the health care debate, and the issues of the day that Congress is debating. If something happens in Washington, the Post is on it, with a generally high quality of reporting. The level of complexity is higher than some others on the list, and just like FiveThirtyEight, the Post is the best at what it does, and not great at what it doesn’t, but what it does is bigger than FiveThirtyEight, making it land higher on this list.
3. THE NEW YORK TIMES
Political Leaning: Center-Left
Complexity: Medium
Pros:
- Largest and most prestigious newspaper in the world. Truly THE newspaper.
- Has most stories, great coverage domestically and world wide
Cons:
- Pay wall after 10 free monthly articles (has a student discount)
The New York Times is the only news source that I actually pay to subscribe to. It truly has it all and covers nearly anything you can imagine. Because it is such a prestigious news paper, it attracts some great writers and puts out consistently great content. My only criticisms for The Times is the pay wall. The New York Times is in a class of it’s own for news coverage and is truly the only news organization that I believe everyone should subscribe to. The two news sources that beat the Times win out only because I read them more often, and it all comes down to personal preference.
2. THE ATLANTIC
Political Leaning: Left
Complexity: Very High
Pros:
- Amazing complexity and analytical depth: really breaks down issues and brings them to the forefront
- Great topic selection
- One of the easiest to read
- Has my favorite writers
Cons:
- Less scope and size compared to the Times or the Post
- Has quite a few fluff pieces
The Atlantic is a great news source for someone who wants to read a smaller amount of articles but really understand whats going on after reading it. For someone who doesn’t closely follow the news, The Atlantic is one of the most readable news sources. They use a lot of quotes, stories, and write more “feature” style stories than news stories. They contain tons of information but are far more accessible. My only problem with The Atlantic is that there isn’t enough of it’s content.
1. NPR
Political Leaning: Center
Complexity: Medium
Pros:
- Radio content is fantastic
- Free app that allows access to radio broadcasts and written stories
- Tons of content, large amount of scope
- Local content, state content, and national content
Cons:
- Quality of content can vary depending on local NPR hosts
I’m showing a bit of my bias here, but in terms of news sources I consume the most, NPR definitely takes the cake. Their radio programs are fantastic, particularly “On Point”, “1A”, and “All Things Considered”. NPR can provide you with as much content as you can ever hope to recieve and consume, with a sufficient level of complexity and without going too far in one direction or the other.
Mind of McHone 