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Q: Unbiased news in or about China
I would like to find a news source about China that simply relates the news, good or bad, without censorship. Al Jazeera is usually quoted as being a fairly reliable source on world news but I wonder if anyone can recommend anything else. And before anyone says it I am aware that all news sources have some degree of bias. I would just like to read and get a broader picture of the country I now live in, in the same way as people back home do with their daily papers and news broadcasts.
I find that Chinese state media to be fairly unbiased, that and Fox news.
I would suggest the New York Times.
Some people seem to think they are a little biased in their coverage, but I think it's relatively fair and balanced. They usually have anywhere from 2-5 articles on China a day.
If you use a proxy or a VPN you can read it unlimited...without it they will track your IP address and only let you read 20 stories a month without a subscription.
981977405:
Yes, I thought so too -- I mean about the digital subscription things with the Times. It's strange, however, up there and every time I log on after a reboot or a start-up, the NYT counter is back to zero. If I want to read it through a simple browser based proxy, I just use vtunnel. But I beg to differ, just a little, because the NYT has its bias. News about Israel is always splashed all over the front page, at least 5 - 6 times a week (favorable coverage) and the Palestinian issue is given short-shrift. I can't stand reading the Wedding and Social Announcements page anymore because it's always Mr. X marries Mr. Y, etc., or Miss Y marries Miss Z. The NYT has almost elevated O*am* to the status of saint and when they do run a critical article, it is followed by at least 8 - 10 laudatory articles. They seem to have dug up every piece of dirt that the could find on the Republican candidates for any given office. They are other-worldy -- meaning that they barely acknowledge what happens in the rest of the United States, and if I want to find out what is happening elsewhere in the States, I need to go read a local newspaper. The Times has changed over the years, truly it has. When the Sulzbergers ran it directly, it was far less opinionated. Most of what it publishes these days has a slant to it, IMHO.
The BBC News website is a good source, as if Reuters if you want a more economy based outlook. Both work without hindrance and no need for a VPN.
The Guardian. Seeing Red in China. New York Times. Reuters. Associated Press. Prison Planet sometimes has fantastic China news but it's mostly American stuff.
981977405:
The Guardian for sure. IMHO the best English-language daily out there mainly because I share its view.
I'm a huge fan of NPR. Check it out at www.npr.org.
You can also get their 24 hour live radio stream from here. They will report on noteworthy stories from China, and not just policy stuff. Intellectual news, not "info-tainment".
I never use one source as my all knowing go to, because of bias.
My go tos... BBC, NPR, NYTimes, Rueters and Associated Press. You have to weed out the facts and take the rest to form your own impression/conclussion.
Another source I use is wikipedia. There is a current events link on the left of the page. They work very hard to keep it fact based, and has its own system of checks and balances.
Never count on one source to give you all of the stories or the complete story.
NPR/PRI is my favorite. I like them because they seem to favor facts over shock. Here's some stories to get you started. I found these by simply searching for "China" or "Chinese" in the search bar
How Did Communist China get so capitalist?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2012/01/13/145184551/the-friday-podcast-the-secret-document-that-transformed-china
Why are Chinese rich leaving China?
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/17/145314824/chinas-rich-consider-leaving-growing-nation
Insights into Chinese Debt
http://www.npr.org/2011/12/12/143305690/despite-growth-china-too-faces-debt-problems
Insights into T Square (I'm posting from outside China)
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/131/the-kids-are-alright
A Bridge in China with a high suicide rate
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/407/the-bridge
A Chinese Adventure
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/448/adventure
How Are iPhones Made (Hint: In China)
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/454/mr-daisey-and-the-apple-factory
I agree with the assessments of NPR; unforunately it is my understanding that the Republican Congress has made or is making a major assault on NPR in order to deprive it of all its funding.
deefoe:
thats a regular thing they do it seems. i've been a supporter/contributor/volunteer for over 10 years. sadly, its not getting any easier for them when it comes to funding.
I recommend South China Morning Post: scmp.com
It combines China-centric coverage with the standards of Western journalism. Accessible in the Mainland only with a VPN, and operating from Hong Kong (and from mid 2016 owned by a Mainland company - Tencent) it provides much information about China in English.
Shining_brow:
But you need to subscribe to get more than a few articles.
And I suspect that it's going to get more and more controlled over the next few years.
I find that Chinese state media to be fairly unbiased, that and Fox news.
