Meanwhile, When Nobody's Looking

[ecosophia]

I've made some harsh comments from time to time about the mainstream corporate media here in the United States, and for good reason -- in terms of bias, tendentiousness, and outright make-believe, it's comparable to the official press of the Soviet Union in that nation's inglorious heyday. I had another reminder of that over the last few days. Did you know, dear reader, that a major war is on the brink of breaking out in North Africa?  Libya is the fourth largest nation in Africa, and has the tenth largest oil reserves on the planet; since the bungled NATO intervention in 2011, it's been divided between two rival governments, the Government of National Accord in the west and the Libyan parliament in the east. Turkey backs the western government, Egypt and Syria back the eastern government, and both sides -- including significant Turkish and Egyptian military forces -- are moving toward open conflict over the towns of Sirte and al-Jafra, which are more or less in the middle. The stakes are huge -- ultimately, the balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean and control over a large share of the world's future petroleum supply, and most Americans are being left completely in the dark about this. 

For that matter, dear reader, did you know that India and China -- nuclear powers, both of them, with huge and well-equipped conventional armies as well -- came uncomfortably close to going to war over the last month? The two nations have a disputed border in Ladakh, in the Himalayas; Indian and Chinese military units got into a bloody clash on June 16, with 20 dead on the Indian side and an undisclosed number of Chinese casualties; in response, both nations rushed tanks and aircraft to the vicinity.  At the moment, cooler heads seem to have prevailed and negotiations are ongoing, but it's anyone's guess whether that will remain the case.  I know of some US news media that deigned to mention the clash, but the wider context, the events before and afterward, the reshaping of strategic balances as the world's two most populous nations move into an increasingly hostile relationship?  Very little if any of this got to the American public. 

These are just the most obvious examples. Someday, maybe, the US mainstream media will finally get tired of shrieking "Orange Man Bad!" all day, every day, and decide to get around to reporting some news again. In the meantime, though, it occurs to me that some of my readers might want to know some of the places online I like to go to learn a little of what's happening in the world. 

BBC News
Biases: The house organ of the Anglo-American establishment. 
Comments: A very mixed bag. Some of its reportage is fairly good, some of it reads like highbrow tabloid fodder. Its biases are right out there in the open -- for example, the only stories it ever carries about Trump are heavily negative -- but if you can adjust for that, it has value. 

Deutsche Welle English edition
Biases: The house organ of the global managerial class. 
Comments: This is the place to find out what our would-be lords and masters are thinking. The air of smug self-satisfaction is breathtaking. 

RT
Biases: pro-Russian and anti-NATO. 
Comments: Lively and snarky at its best, jingoistic at its worst, but always readable. It was the best place online to keep tabs on the war in Syria, and it's op-ed columns are not to be missed. 

Al-Masdar News
Biases: pro-Iran and pro-Syria
Comments: Up-to-date and clearly written military news from the Muslim world.  The place to go to find out who's shooting at who in the Middle East and North Africa. 

Australian Broadcasting Corporation world news
Biases: The house organ of the Australian establishment
Comments: The BBC could stand to learn a thing or two from its Australian equivalent; the biases are a good deal less heavy-handed and the range of stories is frankly more interesting. Good for finding out what the other side of the planet is doing. 

The Hindu international news
Biases: None relevant to Americans. (Indian politics is its own universe, and its partisan passions, fierce though they are, don't correspond to ours in any straightforward way.) 
Comments: A solid old-fashioned newspaper with up-to-date news and in-depth articles. If the staff of the New York Times ever decide to get back into the business of reporting news, they ought to go to Madras and intern with The Hindu for a while to find out how it's done. 

The South China Morning Post
Biases: pro-Peoples Republic of China
Comments: The Chinese equivalent of the BBC; its biases are just as visible but the writing's generally better. 

Those are the news resources that I tend to check first. Any other suggestions? I'm all ears. 

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I realize "highbrown" is probably inadvertent but it's perfect here! Thanks!

RPC

[ecosophia]

Too funny -- but also a bit more scatological than I'm comfortable with, so I corrected it.

[methylethyl]

Thank you!

[ecosophia]

You're most welcome.

[(Anonymous)]

What about The guardian and The spectator, especially the Australian editions?

[ecosophia]

Do you have URLs for those? The UK edition of The Guardian is distinctly third-rate -- it's the only UK newspaper I've followed that's as shrill and tendentious as the US corporate media.

[(Anonymous)]

But JMG, war is so boring! All that machinery! And you have to study all those maps! It’s much more fun to write about who’s tweeting what.

Today’s AWFLs embody the worst stereotypes of femininity and they and their ostensibly male counterparts produce the worst “news.” The only trustworthy elements of American “news” are to let you know when a public figure has died and when and where a natural disaster has occurred, and they’re getting worse on the public figures. They pretty much ignored WW II singer Vera Lynn, who was over 100 when she died recently (newsworthy in itself). So thanks for the suggestions! We need them.

[ecosophia]

I've watched the US media shine by natural disasters often enough that I check overseas media there too. Did you know, for example, that the Three Gorges Dam in China -- the world's largest hydroelectric project -- is being hit right now with unprecedented floods, and satellite images show that it's warped and shifted badly since it was built?

If the dam goes, 40 cubic kilometers of water will go crashing straight down the Yangtse valley, and China will be dealing with the kind of disaster that otherwise takes a couple of nukes on top of densely populated areas. If that happens, I wonder if the US media will even bother to cover it.

Left/Right too polarized?

[(Anonymous)]

I’ve been wondering about the political opinions that come through in general comments on Magic Monday and your other blog from Americans. As someone who’s lived in three different countries in the southern hemisphere, I find most American left/right rhetoric baffling these days.

The latest is the mask saga. Why is this a left/right political issue? There is evidence for and against masks, and it’s very nuanced and situational. If everyone wears it, it seems to help, it definitely does not help if only some people wear it, possibly detrimental then. But listening to Americans one would think it’s either a death mask or a complete panacea.

The far left and right seem equally crazy. I do tend to see more pro-Trump around here, which I’m hoping is mostly a knee-jerk reaction to the craziness of the far left because Trump is definitely not a positive influence. My parents recently started watching Fox news on their satellite package, and suddenly they think Trump is a saint. I’m always shocked how strong the influence of Fox news is, and how polarised American media has made everyone.

Probably better to stay away from these mainstream sources. Thanks for these links.

Re: Left/Right too polarized?

[ecosophia]

No question, things are hyperpolarized here, and an important part of that is that very few people seem to be able to even conceive of a middle ground. Try suggesting one and people will simply ignore that and act as though you did nothing of the kind. It's really weird.

[thuley]

Thanks JMG, one of the problems of the offense-only politics of the U.S. is that everyone complains about the news, but no one offers an alternative—or defends their own news sources for that matter.

What do you think of Al Jazeera (if you think of them at all)?

[ecosophia]

I watched them for a while, found them interesting but not as good as some of the alternatives. I'll check them out again one of these days.

[barefootwisdom]

My first thought on seeing the photo was, "Oh, so that's how we're supposed to be wearing our face masks!"

Now I understand!

[mo_drui_mac_de]

At least it makes deeper sleep more likely; certainly better than a glorified chin strap!

Crop News

[(Anonymous)]

I went looking for crop news the other day and found zilch. Not even zucchinis made the grade for internet ‘news’ sites. Any info that has been touched by the government is shredded like slaw, confounded with commercial chemistry, or wrapped up in idle academic cloud-potting. I live in an agricultural state, and a place where all sporting events from golf to junior high football are shut down for an indefinite period—yet the TV ‘olds’ programs spare not so much as 10 seconds per broadcast to say how the crops are doing. They keep on ‘reporting’ non-news about non-existent sports for 15 full minutes. The TV does nothing but report ‘olds’ and “feeeeeeeelingss” in between commercial spewls.

Does anyone know where I can find out weekly news about the state of United States crops?

I crave facts, straightforward facts that are not money-masked and mix-mastered with a lot of misty econ foggedygook about commodities and futures. I want real-time effects of weather-and-climate impacts on actual plants in real dirt fields in existing geographical locations.

The information highway cannot have paved over every dirt road in the world, can it?
Somebody tell me it ain’t so.

Re: Crop News

[ecosophia]

I honestly don't know. Anyone?

[(Anonymous)]

By the way, if you have AWFL friends or relatives, don’t think I’m blaming AWFLs for every problem in America. If the baseball game gets rained out, for instance, that is more likely to be Trump’s fault. But there is no doubt that AWFLs have disproportionate influence among the ruling class, and any group with disproportionate influence is a bad thing, particularly when that group counts stupidity among the virtues.

Thank You!

[(Anonymous)]

Much appreciated. And, iirc, one of your eclipse predictions was in fact a major Middle East war. 😔

Re: Thank You!

[ecosophia]

It was indeed.

zerohedge

[(Anonymous)]

Zerohedge summarizes a lot of events around the world.

I will also add moonofalabama and saker blog to it for international events.

Re: zerohedge

[ecosophia]

I've followed all three now and again, but I find their biases heavyhanded even by BBC or South China Post standards.

unreported hostilities

[(Anonymous)]

I recently saw a report on "Armenia and Azerbaijan forces fought Tuesday with heavy artillery and drones, leaving at least 16 people killed on both sides, including an Azerbaijani general, in the worst outbreak of hostilities in years. Skirmishes on the volatile border between the two South Caucasus nations began Sunday. Azerbaijan said it has lost 11 servicemen and one civilian in three days of fighting, and Armenia said four of its troops were killed Tuesday." This was posted on Ranger Up page read by military and veterans. I wondered at the time if this was part of the trouble you predicted on report on lunar eclipse.

Rita

Re: unreported hostilities

[ecosophia]

Yes, that's another example. Turkey is threatening to intervene on Azerbaijan's side, and if it does that pretty much guarantees Russian intervention on the Armenian side. This is a major issue. Do the US corporate media mention it? Nope.

Canadian sources

[(Anonymous)]

The National Post

https://nationalpost.com/

Decidedly conservative publication owned by the now British Lord and traditional Tycoon Conrad Black. One of the only big Canadian publications that will challenge the dominant narrative.

Re: Canadian sources

[ecosophia]

Thanks for this.

[(Anonymous)]

This is a perfect opportunity to make the off topic remark that it's the same Ladakh associated with Nicolas Notovitch and "The Life of Saint Issa".

US media has also underreported extent of riots and destruction durong BLM protests. I learned this from following independent reporter Michael Tracey on YouTube and Twitter! Says it all...

Tidlösa

[(Anonymous)]

antiwar.com

[ecosophia]

Hmm! I rolled my eyes at the URL but they seem to have a lot of solid news. Thanks for this.

[(Anonymous)]

The really sad part is that those do a better job of covering American politics than the US media!

[ecosophia]

That's a very low bar just now!

Breitbart

[(Anonymous)]

I read brietbart most days. From reading there I am aware of both the Libyan and Chinese/Indian situations. Not well informed mind you but aware. They have a huge bias and a very large axe to grind but they seem to actually care about journalism. They also usually have good articles on happenings in Mexico something I like to keep my eye one.

Will O

Re: Breitbart

[ecosophia]

Interesting. Thanks for this.

more sources, etc.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you for this! I would like to see news sources (in English) from regions in Latin America and Africa, as well.

Two sources (in English) of Middle Eastern origin that I find interesting from time to time:
https://www.aljazeera.com/
https://gulfnews.com/world

One news consolidator: https://www.theautomaticearth.com/
.......
Dag nab it! You made me run to the dictionary again! "tendentiousness" this time. Before that it was "rugose"! Before that ...

Re: more sources, etc.

[ecosophia]

Thanks for these. One tolerably good source for African news is The East African, though I'd be delighted to find something that covers the whole continent in more detail. As for Latin America, if anyone has suggestions I'd be delighted to hear them.

[(Anonymous)]

(Tolkienguy)

Where would The Economist fit into your taxonomy? I used to read it in college and remember it as a well written voice of British Liberalism (in the 19th century sense of the word). They went behind a paywall though and I haven't read them in the last few years?

Also, do you have any links about the Three Gorges Dam situation? If I remember right a good portion of China's population and some of its most economically productive cities are in the Yangtze valley-a giant tsumani going down the valley and scouring everything in its path to bedrock would be an unprecidented disaster-millions, perhaps tens of millions, killed immediately, possibly well over a hundred million displaced. The closest equivalent I can think of is the Vajont Dam disaster in Italy, but on a tremendously larger scale.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajont_Dam

[ecosophia]

Since it's behind a paywall, I don't have anything to say about it; the print edition used to be pretty good back in the day. As for the Three Gorges Dam, what I've been able to find out about it has been mostly in scraps, but here's an article with a few details.

[(Anonymous)]

From perusing the BBC world news and the NYT world news, I knew about the clash between India and China but not the fallout, and it seemed like the conflict in Libya was between Turkey-backed forces and Russia-backed forces, and that's all resolved now.

So clearly, I'd do well to expand my horizons.

This past January, the Washington Post published the Afghanistan Papers, showing that government officials have known for decades that the war in Afghanistan was a futile bulls**t circus of despair and corruption.

The NYT also published a feature about how ridiculously easy it is for corporations to track every movement a person makes through their smart phones. They were able to get precise data on the movements of Trump and DoD officials, from two years ago. Meaning the American people have willingly sold themselves into an Orwellian surveillance state for the price of CostCo coupons.

And from what I could tell, neither of these revelations sparked the merest whisper in the rest of the media. You know, just the underpinnings of our society revealed to be false if not outright pathological, no reason to let that get in the way of the Democrat's hunt of the Great Orange Whale.

(I'm a little bitter.)

-Cliff

[ecosophia]

And not inappropriately. There's a reason I don't own a smartphone.

Thanks to our host for this lineup

[(Anonymous)]

I was just wishing I could find some good news sources. I've been settling for clever randos on twitter: fun, but not reliable.

It's odd that the increase polarization of the US press hasn't led to any really good writing on the left or right.

Re: Thanks to our host for this lineup

[ecosophia]

Polarization leads to bad news writing. Good news writing is nuanced, calm, balanced, and fair -- all of which go out the window as polarization increases.

[esingletary]

Thank you for this. I’ve often wondered how you parsed the news, and this list is incredibly helpful. I was wondering if you’ve ever checked out Al-Ahram, Egypt’s national newspaper. I recall a while back you mentioned that you got a lot of your news from international sources and I looked at various news sources around the world and out of all of them that’s the one I’ve found myself returning to the most, based on the quality of the writing and the scope of the coverage. The biases are obviously the biases you’d expect from a government run paper but it gives a useful window on regional news that slips past Western radar as well as a refreshing outsider’s perspective on events affecting Western countries: http://english.ahram.org.eg/

[ecosophia]

No, I hadn't -- I'll check it out.

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for this.

[nomad0]

I read foreignaffairs.com a few times. I find it a good source for insight into international relations.

As a side, if you're interested in geopolitics I'd recommend the book Prisoners of Geography. It speaks about how regional geography affects world events and relations. I love geopolitics for it's sheer complexity and numerous ways in which it affects us.

[ecosophia]

So noted -- the library system in Rhode Island is lending books again, and I'll see if they have a copy. Thank you.

[(Anonymous)]

watchers.news - natural disasters & space.

[ecosophia]

Thanks for this.