Decent online newspaper

[Boomerwang]

Hi, I'd like some help in finding a decent source of news for the UK and the wider world.

I haven't much of an idea of what is out there, other than online versions of actual newspapers.

I'm trying to avoid news about the rich and famous and I'm totally uninterested in what Becky is or isn't wearing.

I'm not politically minded and I fall asleep trying to read about such things.

What I really want is news about things that concern everyday people and our environment, and neutral reporting.

Any suggestions please? If it's good I don't mind paying a sub.

Despite the apparent free-for-all engendered by social media it is still the case that journalists who have studied to undergraduate or postgraduate level and then trained for their profession gravitate to recognised national newspapers. Where there is at least a convention of responsible reporting.

So you are far better off, surely, to begin with these recognised sources and employ your own critical faculties to decide which you trust. Obviously you can expand to wider sources - but I would personally be extremely reluctant to rely entirely on less formal resources for news.

And how on earth can you want to read about ‘everyday people’ and environmental issues while ignoring the politics that shapes every national, local and individual decision and action? Your comment suggests a fundamental lack of understanding of how civil society works.

I used to have a Times subscription, but couldn't afford it anymore. I then tried the Independent, but found it a bit woke.

I'm not politically minded and I fall asleep trying to read about such things.

What I really want is news about things that concern everyday people and our environment, and neutral reporting.

This is a bit confusing. Politics is about solutions for problems that concern everyday people, eg the environment.

Anyway, the Guardian is free, good journalism from a left-of-centre perspective, very UK-centric.

Free non-UK paper: look at the Irish Times.

I'm a big fan of the FT - expensive, but excellent reporting around the world aimed at people who just wait to know what's happening so they can make decisions. There is "Companies and Markets" section that I never read. The ordinary news bit is excellent. But it has very little on social issues.

I mean … I don’t know if you’re male or female (though I may have an opinion) - but have you ever considered the centuries and layers of political decisions that have led to your being able to post a thread on a public forum (title Mumsnet but available to anyone) this morning?

Are you posting with a roof over your head?

Have you had breakfast?

Are you warm, or not? Access to light, hot water, file for heat and cooking?

Did you post from home or work or a place of study?

How did you come by the device you’re posting on? Whose money paid for it and how did they/you earn or receive it?

Do you expect to have access to money? Where do you keep it?

Do you have a reasonable expectation of waking up in a safe domestic environment tomorrow?

All these things have been entirely enabled by political decisions taken throughout history.

You cannot honestly think you, or the things you claim to be interested in, exist outside political reality?

Jeez everyone has their judgey pants on today don't they.

I know what you mean OP, ignore the posters on their political soapboxes. Not everyone wants to spend their life entrenched in the deeper politics of everything or the showbiz shite of the mail. You're asking for a simple middle ground

@yorkshireteaspoonie

Jeez everyone has their judgey pants on today don't they.

I know what you mean OP, ignore the posters on their political soapboxes. Not everyone wants to spend their life entrenched in the deeper politics of everything or the showbiz shite of the mail. You're asking for a simple middle ground

Well I think we're just trying to work out what she wants!

Things of interest to everyday people is a bit vague. We all think we're "just everyday people".

Eg the Ukraine war. Does she want to read about human-interest stories and first-hand accounts? In which case probably the Mail and the other tabloids are better, but she'll have to dodge the celebrity gossip. Or does she want to understand why it's happening, where it might lead and what's being done to try to sort it out? Which is politics and points towards the broadsheets.

And the OP’s words were:

I haven't much of an idea of what is out there, other than online versions of actual newspapers.

• which implies that they’re aware of but don’t want to read the national newspapers …

@TottersBlankly

And the OP’s words were:

I haven't much of an idea of what is out there, other than online versions of actual newspapers.

• which implies that they’re aware of but don’t want to read the national newspapers …

BBC website then? I don't think that there is such a thing as a reliable source of online news that doesn't come from the main broadcast or print sources. The rest are somewhere between trivial and dangerous! I'm happy to be proved wrong

Sorry if there's confusion over my post. Off the top of my head I know of these newspapers: the sun (celebs, tits, what Katie did) daily Express (same) the daily mail (stuck up snotty name dropping columnists and content geared to the middle classes) the guardian (broadsheet so probably too cerebral for the likes of me) the telegraph (same) and that's about it. BBC news is the best I've found so far and sky news on the telly seems ok but they're not so much UK focused I find. I could stick with it if that's all there is though

I should probably point out that I haven't lived in the uk for nearly 11 years but I have zero interest in the guff going on in sweden. My parents are still in the UK and I wonder about their lives there. I also might want to return one day.

I don't know what left or right wing means. I don't know what nimbyism is only that it means 'not in my back yard'. I don't know the names of politicians or if I do I have no idea what they stand for. I didn't know who to vote for previously so I just copied my dad. Most issues seemed to be about pensioners or young families or homeowners and I was none of those.

So yes I'm entirely ignorant about how things have come about but I'd still like to read news about new laws coming in or justice being served or technological advances etc.

@Boomerwang

I should probably point out that I haven't lived in the uk for nearly 11 years but I have zero interest in the guff going on in sweden. My parents are still in the UK and I wonder about their lives there. I also might want to return one day.

I don't know what left or right wing means. I don't know what nimbyism is only that it means 'not in my back yard'. I don't know the names of politicians or if I do I have no idea what they stand for. I didn't know who to vote for previously so I just copied my dad. Most issues seemed to be about pensioners or young families or homeowners and I was none of those.

So yes I'm entirely ignorant about how things have come about but I'd still like to read news about new laws coming in or justice being served or technological advances etc.

I'd say the BBC website is your best bet then.

I don't know what left or right wing means. I don't know what nimbyism is only that it means 'not in my back yard'. I don't know the names of politicians or if I do I have no idea what they stand for. I didn't know who to vote for previously so I just copied my dad. Most issues seemed to be about pensioners or young families or homeowners and I was none of those.

But you sound bright and curious and I'd encourage you to find out about these things. I'm trying to think of an analogy, but just knowing what's happening without knowing why is like watching 22 men kick a ball around a field without knowing the rules

The FT

You need a patchwork of sources.

Others will have different habits but I, for instance, over the course of a week, probably read online at least :

The Times (subscription).
The Financial Times - especially at weekends.
The Guardian
New York Times (subscription)
Le Monde
And follow their lead towards various random journals of news and cultural affairs on an ad hoc basis.

After waking up to the Sky headlines on my phone, I rely heavily on BBC Radio 4, from morning till night, for confirmation of news, and for relatively serious and searching discussion of politics, art, food, agriculture, literature, religion, gardening, law, domestic life, theatre and film, history, economics, architecture, the environment, drama and The Archers. I sometimes turn to Radio 5 if they have live coverage of some political event. Plus Radio 3 for particular music, drama or discussion programmes. I’m well aware of Internet radio, and sometimes dip in, but like the familiarity of stations I’ve listened to since childhood.

I’m also plugged into a few academic research networks so often see breakthrough scientific or other news from those sources before they hit the main news outlets.

None of that prevents me from seeing stuff from less reliable sources on social media, and I’m not averse to turning to the less salubrious papers if a headline catches my interest, but I retain an active scepticism over what I read from these outlets.

I love the week. The premise is read it from cover to cover in an hour - I find that doable. Daily I just can’t do.

Bbc news is the best indie although I’d like to think I’m right wing I prefer the guardian to the times. I hate the daily Mail. It just whips everyone up into a frenzy at feeding time and I hate the images of women. X shows off her new curves on a beach. Y looks daring in this dress. Please focus on what they do not wear.

the guardian (broadsheet so probably too cerebral for the likes of me)

I would say give the Guardian a go. I don't think it is particularly cerebral and they do really good explainer articles so you can get up to speed on the basics about a news story. My 15 year old has been reading it for a couple of years and has not found it too complicated.

The Week is good too and I would second Tortoise Media. The FT is super expensive but some fantastic articles. Steer clear of the Mail if you don't want celeb gossip (with a side order of xenophobia).

I understand what you mean OP. I have Google news on my tablet and click on the articles that interest me by various newspapers/magazines. Tbh I have had more worldly info from tech and gamer magazines. For example about the computer chip shortage (read in a computer/gaming mag) that expanded into no new cars being made which went into 2nd hand cars going up in price etc etc etc. No mention that it was any politicians fault or a country or war (or brexit or wage suppression or whatever)...just simple to follow explanations on why my daughter might not be able to afford a car when she passed her test.

Its the same as wanting to know about extreme weather such as earthquakes and volcano eruptions. Yes i know its getting worse due to climate change and the G6 (or 8?) summit should have done more blah, blah but I want to understand how it's affecting those who live there, what practical support they had/will continue to have. Elon Musk and his peado accusation thing took over from the cave rescue that time. I want to read about how they did it and about the boys, and possibly about the geology of the caves, not about a rich man getting upset.

Thanks for your responses guys (don't be offended, I don't know what other word to describe people who help me out)

I'll take a look at that tortoise news

Pixiedust you totally get me... I don't want to know so much about the fancy clothed poshies who get to make decisions that shape Britain as I don't get it, but I definitely like to read about the issues that stand so that I can learn a bit more about what is relevant.

The Elon Musk thing you mentioned is exactly what I'm about. I'm not so bothered about the twitter fights I want to know about the people most affected, how they are holding up, what it's going to take to extricate them and what the plan is, then how they moved on afterwards.

For example you hear a lot about elderly people freezing to death in their own homes... I don't want a story about the people in charge of increasing the fuel allowances or whatever I want to know about the people who are affected and what exactly that effect is.

I honestly wish articles would have a nice little link to 'vote for this guy if you want to stop xxxx from happening' lol because I haven't a clue, ever, which politician does or wants what for who.

Last time I voted was in England, at a local school. I was presented with a list of names, I hadn't heard what any of them were all about, I'd never seen these names before. I had no idea which one to vote for so I just chose the nicest sounding name

You can access newspapers from around the world, including most of the UK ones (I'm not sure about The Times), via Pressreader. If you belong to a UK library you can access it free through that, and that may be the case in other countries. Alternatively, they offer a 7 day free trial.

It would be a good way to get a feel for a range of papers.

I read loads of news every day, and I think the best journalism comes from:

The Guardian
BBC
New York Times
Washington Post
CNN

Yah … Definitely some lacunae in your understanding of informed democracy, OP!

I appreciate you’re not here now - but you should be ashamed to have turned up at a polling station without having done the absolutely basic work of finding out who the candidates were and what they represented. As citizens we expect that of even the greenest 18 year old.

One worth trying is Tortoise news. It’s more of an editorial piece than newspaper and covers a few key subjects each day
The tortoise name is based on ‘slow news’ in that it’s not meant to be the immediate breaking news, but with a bit more research
In addition to written articles they also have a spoken / podcast article each day

I have a free subscription as a mature student, but I believe you can read a set number of articles per day

www.tortoisemedia.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxtSSBhDYARIsAEn0thRik790IDjtAVzUjq2zNhFwUvRKdWpGewkcPJ01-W2rgxgfT2sb01saAggVEALw_wcB