Dose of Paranoia - 2026-06-13
It gets worse before it gets worse
Media Diet Stuff
Given the increasing craven capitulation of US media to the Trump regime, I have been increasingly seeking more globally oriented news and analysis sources. Sort of like how Soviet citizens listened to VOA and people in occupied Europe depended on the BBC. History. Yay. Given that America is currently occupied by the Stupid, here are some resources for those who actually care about what’s going on:
General news headlines - There are a number of really good English language news outlets which provide a more global view of events in the America and elsewhere. My current faves are:
BBC World News - still the gold standard
CBC World News - for a view from north of the border
France 24 English Service - really good coverage of Europe and Africa as well as an outside view of US politics
The Guardian - my replacement for the increasingly shitty NY Times.
EuroNews - sponsored by the EU and a bit dry sometimes, but good coverage of the “socialist hellhole” that is Europe.
Channel News Asia - Singaporean view of Asia. They have some great documentaries as well.
NHK World - Japan’s public broadcaster has Japan/Asia centered coverage and absolute treasure trove of amazing arts and culture programming. And Sumo wrestling!
If You’re Listening - Matt Bevan/Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Entertaining, in depth looks at major news stories in either podcast or video form. Matt takes the time to put stories in historical context and examine different viewpoints in punchy 20 minute episodes. He has been doing a series on the history of the Taiwan/China conflict for the past few weeks which has been excellent and interesting. I actually feel smarter and better informed after every episode.
Al Jazeera Plus - Yes, their coverage (especially of the Israel/Palestinian conflict) definitely comes from a very specific viewpoint which you may or may not want to see. I recommend it as an antidote to the relentless pro Israel propaganda we are subjected to here in the US but they also have a number of really interesting documentaries on other global stories and viewpoints which don’t get covered here in the US. You can find them on YouTube. I’d also recommend The Times of Israel which seems to be one of the better Israeli outlets for a bit of balance on the Middle East. Bring your grains of salt for both outlets, but I fear that Al Jazeera’s coverage of the Middle East is closer to the truth than anything we are getting here in the US.
The news media landscape here in the US was already pretty bleak before Trump came on the scene, but the pace of enshittification has been rapidly increasing - I really believe that adding some of these outlets to your media diet is one way to maintain a balanced view of whats going on in our own country and in the world which we seem to be trying to disconnect from (unsuccessfully).
Fun Stuff
Betcha didn’t know about the pivotal role that my adopted home town of Weehawken and the Lincoln Tunnel played in America’s Space Program! THEY don’t want you to know!
Whoever did this should get a medal!
And some really good news during dark times