Alternative Media

There’s nothing we need more in American public life than a new media. The corporate media—the major networks, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, etc. have given up on even attempting to be reliable conveyors of facts, free of propaganda. Local news stations are a part of the problem—they get their takes on national and international issues from the themes set by the above corporate outlets.

The hard reality is this—if you want reliable information on which to shape your opinions, there is no other option but to completely shut off all of the above. But one should never criticize without an alternative, and fortunately, there’s an abundance of alternative media outlets that have arisen, and below are listings of those Corned Beef Catholicism considers the best.

If you’re someone who is tired of the corporate media—and polls indicate that’s pretty much everybody—you might not necessarily be into the shows I’m about to recommend, which are at least somewhat rooted in my own worldview. But I would say this—it’s long past time for everybody, regardless of their point of view to step completely outside the corporate apparatus and the local outlets that soak up the propaganda as it flows downstream.

The content creators that put together shows like those below do so at personal cost. All of them could make more money by either selling out to the corporate outlets or by simply devoting more of their time to other pursuits. If you’re tired of “regular” media, and wish people would step out on their own, then you have to support those that do it. It’s not easy.

All of them work through the difficulties that come with production and any other issues that arise from not having the endless resources that major corporate outlets have. All of them, doing the kind of work that they’re doing, are vital to our national conversation. And all of them have been proven right on significant stories in their fields, well in advance of the more well-heeled outlets.

Anyway, here’s the listing of my personal favorites:

The Duran: A YouTube channel run by a former foreign affairs correspondent from Greece, this has become one of my first stops each day—certainly as long as the crisis that is the Russia-Ukraine War keeps going. It’s essential for an understanding of international affairs.

The War Room & The Human Events Podcast: These are separate shows, but I’m linking them together, because they hit on the same themes but for different audiences.

War Room is run by former Trump campaign manager Steve Bannon and runs four hours (10-12 & 5-7) each day, plus two more hours on Saturday. It’s intense and is most likely to be appreciated by activists, others who can really take time to delve into serious issues.

Human Events is run by former naval intelligence officer and well-connected journalist Jack Posobiec. The show, as described by Posobiec, is “the War Room’s Cliff’s Notes. You can get informed through a daily show that runs anywhere from 30-45 minutes.

Inside The Numbers: My personal favorite show, hosted by pollster Rich Baris. The most consistently accurate pollster in the country, Baris gives his audience a real education into what goes into polling, what questions to ask when you see polling data, and a deeper understanding of how those numbers are developed. The show, which typically runs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, goes into analysis of current polling, along with general discussion of ongoing issues. Very audience-friendly, the show’s chats are monitored, and the host will answer questions, particularly in the “Freewheeling Friday” afternoon show.

System Update: Glenn Greenwald might have a generally different worldview that what we have here at Corned Beef Catholicism, but there’s no denying his integrity as an investigative reporter and his willingness to speak truth to power across partisan and ideological lines. His show, which runs most weeknights and goes for a little over an hour, is always informative and interesting.

We’ll update this page as appropriate. There are certainly other shows out there I like, and many more that are worth checking out. But these are shows that I’ve watched or listened to quite a bit, and they can give you the reliable information and fair-minded opinion that you won’t get in corporate media.