Which type of news source is more reliable independent or mainstream?

Answer 1

It is difficult to answer this question, because it sets up a false choice: it is an oversimplification to say that one is more reliable than the other. Each source has some excellent and reliable reporters, and each has some commentators who given unsupported and unproved opinions. Further complicating matters, "mainstream" can mean a number of things. Some people regard it as a synonym for moderate and mass-appeal (aimed at a mass audience, rather than one narrow niche). "Mainstream" is generally associated it with major national TV networks (like ABC, NBC or CBS, and on radio, NPR), or with major national cable companies like CNN, Fox, and MSNBC. There are some myths that the "mainstream media" are all liberal (except for Fox), but in reality, the mainstream media are corporate, and can be influenced by sponsors or by whoever has political power. Some mainstream networks can lean liberal, as MSNBC does, or they can lean conservative, as Fox does; many, especially the broadcast networks like ABC/NBC/CBS, try to be centrist, and so does CNN on cable. But no network or channel or publication is entirely free of bias, whether that bias comes from its corporate owner or from sponsors or from influential politicians.

Independent voices also have their share of factors that influence what they report. Many independent outlets can be found on certain blogs or in magazines that are not owned by giant corporations, and there are a small number of independently-owned radio or TV stations. But although they may not have sponsors (some are on educational networks, or they are non-commercial) and they may be owned by local people rather than corporate owners, it is untrue that they have no biases. Independent programs and publications can absolutely be biased, whether towards a particular cause (like prison reform, or environmentalism, or curbing government spending) or towards a particular religious belief (there are Catholic channels, Evangelical Protestant channels, etc), or towards a particular political viewpoint. There are independently run programs on radio or internet TV that favor one political viewpoint, whether Tea Party, Libertarian, ultra-left, ultra-right, etc. Thus, independent broadcasters and publishers can advocate for their viewpoint just as much as some commentators in the mainstream media do. And while most mainstream news reporters are accustomed to striving for balance, some independent reporters see themselves more as advocates than as reporters.

In the end, you may find that neither the mainstream media nor the independent media are 100% reliable when it comes to news. Certain individual programs or hosts or reporters may be more credible than others, and you may find you trust those people, while perhaps not being entirely happy with other voices on that network or in that magazine. It is always a good idea to be skeptical of what you hear, see, and read; while you may trust the reporters you believe always report fairly and accurately, it never hurts to fact-check the way the news is reported, and compare various news sources to make sure you get both sides of the story.