Fact Check

http://www.factcheck.org/

This website gained a considerable amount of notoriety during the 2008 presidential election for being very quick to correct the candidates when they got their facts wrong, exaggerated, or told out-right lies. The reports go after Democrats and Republicans alike, and more recently have focused more on Obama than anyone else. The published reports are very thorough, and the writers site all of their sources. This is still true of today, but the website has, unfortunately, cut way back in their reporting. The website averages about one report per week, but they could just as easily being doing one per day. Watch this website during the next election and you'll have a new-found appreciation for the information you'll get.

Quote #3

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

- Evelyn Beatrice Hall

The Progressive

http://www.progressive.org/

Forget the New Republic!--This is what real liberal news looks like. That is to be emphasized, though: you do not go here for balanced news. This may be the most liberal news outlet around, but that's also one of its strengths. They'll do coverage on most of the usual suspects from politics to celebrities to major world events to the economy, etc. They'll usually put their perspective on any given topic, which most of the time is the point of view you won't see any where else. One of their strongest attributes is historical perspective. They will often incorporate similar events from history into their regular coverage; which, I feel, is one of the most important things missing in mainstream media. A one-of-a-kind organization that has been going for 100 years, and hopefully does not stop any time soon. I know very well that they have been struggling to stay afloat recently, so stop on over there and give them your support and keep this uniquely American voice alive for the next century to enjoy!

Penn & Teller: Bullshit!

http://www.sho.com/site/ptbs/home.do

I figure now is the best time to post this one. They kicked off their seventh season just a few weeks ago and they're still going strong.

The idea behind the show is to tackle a topic or organization and expose the truth behind it. They go after the usual suspects such as Astrology, War On Drugs, Profanity, Hypnosis, etc. However, they also go after a number of topics that are all but universally supported, such as Recycling, College, the Obesity Epidemic, etc.

This post is coming with a disclaimer, though. I don't always agree with them or support their stance on certain topics. It is considered a documentary show, but it is by no means unbiased. They take a certain stance on a topic and tend to make the other side look deliberately bad to either support their stance or just for comedic effect. So the show is always to be taken with a grain of salt. What this show does do, though, is give you the side of the story that you're not likely to hear. This is a show to not be taken totally on face value, but to give you a unique perspective on a number of topics, and allow it to serve as a jumping-off point into the topic if you do want to learn more about it.

I have to be fair. You're not getting that much out of this week's link. You'll be able to watch some brief video clips, and usually the most recent episode, but other than that, this link is really just meant to make you aware of a quality show that fits in here. The first six seasons are out on DVD, or you can download them from iTunes.

Prison Radio

http://www.prisonradio.org/

A good and unique organization, but seemingly disorganized. It is part of a larger organization started by environmental activist Judi Bari in 1994. It'd be hard for me to tell you a whole lot about what the organization does, because the website does not keep up regular updates on the various things it claims it is involved in. The main aim of the group seems to be, as they put it, to "help shift public opinion toward a more humane view of prisoners." That is done through giving prisoners a voice "into the public dialogue on crime and punishment." I'm not sure how all they do this, but their main way (and the sole reason this website made it onto The Noise Network) is through weekly recordings from Mumia Abu-Jamal. You may know him as the man put on death row over two decades ago for the alleged murder of a police officer, who is most likely innocent of any crime. He does a weekly recording about current events, done with his unique insight and historical perspective included (which you can also subscribe to as a podcast on iTunes).