Media Sources

News literacy is more important than ever in the era of “fake news” and deep fakes. Corporate media has fallen from great heights but there are still great journalists practicing their craft. This is a list of UNFTR vetted and approved sources that we often source in our episodes and for the newsletters. They cover a wide variety of topics and news genres but most have a decidedly progressive bias.

ICT News

Formerly “Indian Country Today”, ICT was founded as the Lakota Times newspaper by Tim Giago, Oglala Lakota, on July 9, 1981. The publication was based in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. It is an independent, nonprofit news enterprise that honors our ancestors and future generations through stories that make Indigenous peoples come alive. ICT covers Indigenous peoples.

ACLU

While not often thought of as a news organization, the ACLU provides in-depth coverage of specific issues with detailed explanations of lawsuits it has filed.

In These Times

In These Times was modeled on Appeal to Reason, a socialist newspaper from the turn of the century that once reached more than half a million subscribers. In These Times carved out a unique space on the Left, bridging coverage of social movements with progressive electoral politics while publishing groundbreaking investigations that challenge the growing influence of corporations over government and our daily lives.

Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch investigates and reports on abuses happening in all corners of the world. We are roughly 550 plus people of 70-plus nationalities who are country experts, lawyers, journalists, and others who work to protect the most at risk, from vulnerable minorities and civilians in wartime, to refugees and children in need. 

Al Jazeera

Just as major news organizations should always be viewed with suspicion, just because Al Jazeera has progressive takes on certain stories doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be contextualized. Much like our critique of the New York Times, Al Jazeera is important because it has solid financial backing and therefore it has the ability to commit financial resources to reporting and widespread coverage. Oftentimes we will source information on international stories from Al Jazeera then try to backstop it with analyses from other progressive sources to ensure they align. 

New York Times

The Times is both an obvious and tricky source when promoting progressive ideas. The most established outlet in all of journalism is decidedly moderate especially where foreign policy matters are concerned. We largely ignore the opinion pages but find that it is an honest broker of domestic information on issues of climate change, social justice and socioeconomics. The resources of the Times means that it maintains independence to a degree, but it should be viewed as source material to draw upon rather than the “paper of record” it proclaims itself to be. There are good journalists working there apart from the pro-Democratic regime agenda of the op-eds. Handle with care. 

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists

ICIJ retains a network of trusted journalists, which has grown by invitation to more than 290 of the best investigative reporters from 105 countries and territories. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists tells stories that punch through the noise, showing how the world really works, triggering positive change. We are driven by the belief that citizens have the right to be better informed, that access to independently-sourced facts is not only essential for democracy but is also a fundamental human right.

Foreign Affairs

Founded in 1922, Foreign Affairs is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs. While we don’t consider this a leftist magazine necessarily, it is a respected outlet that provides analyses of foreign policy to help contextualize current events and U.S. government policies. 

Reporters without Borders

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) defends the right of every human being to have access to free and reliable information. This right is essential to know, understand, form an opinion and take action on vital issues in full awareness, both individually and collectively.

Our mission? Act for the freedom, pluralism and independence of journalism and defend those who embody these ideals.

World Socialist Web Site

The WSWS is the online publication of the world Trotskyist movement, the International Committee of the Fourth International, and its affiliated sections in the Socialist Equality Parties around the world. It launched publication in February 1998, and has been publishing continuously for the past 25 years. The WSWS aims to meet the need, felt widely today, for an intelligent appraisal of the problems of contemporary society. It addresses itself to the masses of people who are dissatisfied with the present state of social life, as well as its cynical and reactionary treatment by the establishment media.

Black Agenda Report

Provides news, commentary and analysis from the Black left. Black Agenda Report was founded by Glen Ford—a socialist, military veteran and member of the Black Panther Party—along with Bruce Dixon and Margaret Kimberley. 

Jacobin

Jacobin is a leading voice of the American left, offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture. 

Dissent Magazine

Dissent is a magazine of politics and ideas published in print three times a year. Founded by Irving Howe and Lewis Coser in 1954, it quickly established itself as one of America’s leading intellectual journals and a mainstay of the democratic left. Dissent has published articles by Hannah Arendt, Richard Wright, Norman Mailer, A. Philip Randolph, Michael Harrington, Dorothy Day, Bayard Rustin, Czesław Miłosz, Barbara Ehrenreich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Chinua Achebe, Ellen Willis, Octavio Paz, Martha Nussbaum, Roxane Gay, and many others.

The Baffler

The Baffler is America’s leading voice of interesting and unexpected left-wing political criticism, cultural analysis, short stories, poems, and art. We publish six print issues annually, as well as online content every day of the cursed workweek. Founded in 1988 by Thomas Frank as “the journal that blunts the cutting edge,” the magazine is currently edited by Matthew Shen Goodman and headquartered in New York. We publish both new and established voices, and our regular contributors include Barbara Ehrenreich, Susan Faludi, Evgeny Morozov, Rick Perlstein, and Astra Taylor.

The Atlantic

The core principles of the founders are core principles for us: reason should always guide opinion; ideas have consequences, sometimes world-historical consequences; the knowledge we have about the world is partial and provisional, and subject to analysis, scrutiny, and revision. When the founders of The Atlantic gathered in Boston in the spring of 1857, they wanted to create a magazine that would be indispensable for the kind of reader who was deeply engaged with the most consequential issues of the day. The men and women who created this magazine had an overarching, prophetic vision—they were fierce opponents of slavery—but they were also moved to overcome what they saw as the limits of partisanship, believing that the free exchange of ideas across ideological lines was crucial to the great American experiment. Their goal was to publish the most urgent essays, the most vital literature; they wanted to pursue truth and disrupt consensus without regard for party or clique.  

News Beat

We elevate journalistic storytelling through interviews with experts, thought leaders, academics and activists, coupled with original verses from musicians and independent hip-hop artists to foster a deeper connection with listeners and deliver an alternative narrative on some of the most pressing issues, events and people shaping our world.

The Intercept

The Intercept is an award-winning news organization dedicated to holding the powerful accountable through fearless, adversarial journalism. Its in-depth investigations and unflinching analysis focus on politics, war, surveillance, corruption, the environment, technology, criminal justice, the media, and more. The Intercept gives its journalists the editorial freedom and legal support they need to expose corruption and injustice wherever they find it.

Mother Jones

Mother Jones is a reader-supported investigative news organization honored as Magazine of the Year by our peers in the industry. Our nonprofit newsroom goes deep on the biggest stories of the moment, from politics and criminal and racial justice to education, climate change, and food/agriculture.

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! produces a daily, global, independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Our reporting includes breaking daily news headlines and in-depth interviews with people on the front lines of the world’s most pressing issues. On Democracy Now!, you’ll hear a diversity of voices speaking for themselves, providing a unique and sometimes provocative perspective on global events.

Current Affairs Magazine

Current Affairs was launched by roommates Oren Nimni and Nathan J. Robinson, which promised “a new print magazine of political analysis, satire, and entertainment” that would “bring wit, color, and verve back to print media!” 

Daily Kos

Founded in 2002, Daily Kos is a digital media platform for news you can do something about. Our staff writers share the latest stories and analysis to inform readers about hard-hitting issues that matter to progressives, and our activism team provides tools like petitions, letter writing campaigns, and information about organized protests to empower our readers to take action.

 

Canadian Media

The Rabble

We are an award-winning, independent, community-driven media. Among the first digital journalism organizations in Canada, and the first to incorporate as non-profit, rabble.ca has been at the forefront of reporting on national politics with a progressive lens that centres issues of social movements, of labour, and of grassroots activism.

The Maple    

The Maple is an entirely reader funded publication that puts the working class first. We’re fiercely critical and dedicated to investigating stories and exploring ideas no one else will. We publish both news and opinion. Our reporting unpacks the key issues of the day and examines them from original angles that challenge the status quo. Meanwhile, our opinion team brings you thoughtfully argued ideas and perspectives that confront mainstream thinking.

Canadian Dimension    

Canadian Dimension is the longest-standing voice of the left in Canada. For more than half-a-century, CD has provided a forum for lively and radical debate where red meets green, socialists take on social democrats, Indigenous voices are heard, activists report from every corner of the country, and the latest books and films are critically reviewed. Our dedicated and longstanding readership is comprised of activists, organizers, academics, economists, workers, trade unionists, feminists, environmentalists, Indigenous peoples, and members of the LGBTQ2 community.

Ricochet    

Founded in 2014, Ricochet Media is a national, non-profit media outlet with a mandate to serve the public interest. We publish rigorous, well-edited investigative journalism and incisive opinion with a focus on climate, Indigenous rights and corporate and government accountability. All of our content is freely available, without ads, and is made possible by small monthly recurring donations from our readers, alongside support from charitable foundations and government programs.