News Websites

For this edition of Great Websites we are looking at how to keep up with local and world news.  There are many national and local websites which can keep help you keep up with the news, but in this edition we’ll look at global sites and how good they really are.

CNN - www.cnn.com

CNN has become a behemoth in 24 hour news delivery across the globe and its website is just as comprehensive.  CNN is owned by TimeWarner Inc, a vast entertainment and publishing conglomerate, and although CNN operates under strict guidelines of non-interference from its parent group, has in the past been criticised for presenting biased news coverage.

Through video clips and online streaming, news events can be downloaded, but the site also has access to CNN programmes.  The printed news topics are also extremely broad, but only available in English.

The site is very easy to navigate, but does contain pop-ups and advertising.  The search facility is provided by Yahoo, and does not contain CNN recommended websites. 

The weather service on CNN.com is excellent, with weather news as well as forecasts for every city in the world, with temperature and satellite mapping.  However the best feature of the CNN website is the comprehensive listings of interesting articles on every topic from world news to entertainment.

The BBC - www.bbc.co.uk

The BBC has long held an affectionate place in the hearts of the British people, but is also very highly regarded around the world.  The BBC carries no commercial advertising on its UK TV networks, but does carry advertising on its international news networks.  However, the BBC website is free from advertising and therefore still holds its place as the only international media and news web to be free of commercial sponsorship and the attendant censorship this could sometimes lead to. 

The BBC website is vast and costs nearly €20 million annually, all funded through the BBC’s licence fee status.  All UK owners of a TV must pay an annual licence fee of €200 to the government and this is then given directly to the BBC.  This comes to a grand total of nearly €4.5 billion per year, a very sizable budget.

The website has a very comprehensive search engine with excellent website recommendations.  News reporting includes impressive live streaming from BBC News 24, access to all of the BBC Radio networks and print news in 33 languages.  Many BBC programmes are also available to watch online and there are even Podcasts; digitally stored programmes able to be downloaded to MP3 players.  The site also has a passable global weather section.

The BBC is free from government interference even though it is funded through a tax system, and this is what gives it a truly unique and unbiased perspective without pop-ups or advertising.

Reuters - www.reuters.com

Reuters is probably the most respected news gathering agency in the world, with an unusual and dignified constitution.  Dating back throughout its history, the group has clung to its central tenet, that no individual or group can have an interest in the company that would instill a bias in its news reporting and to this end, no more than 15% of its stock can be held by any single entity. 

The website provides very up to date worldwide reporting and unlike CNN or the BBC, favours no single country in its news coverage.  The site contains seventeen different editions, covering the US, Japan, Germany, UK and Italy, Latin America, China and Russia as well as a dedicated Arabic version.
 
The site is quite heavily pointed towards world business news, in a throwback to Reuters original aim as a company, which was to provide worldwide stock prices.  For business news across its seventeen bureau, Reuters is a leader in its field.

Bloomberg - www.bloomberg.com

Bloomberg can now be found on every cable and satellite TV network in the world, and has a focus on financial news.  Bloomberg has eleven bureau worldwide, each of which is represented by a separate website. 

The site contains very up to date financial and world news, with live streaming and a vast archive of material.  Bloomberg's media services include the global Bloomberg News® service with more than 2,000 Professionals in 125 bureaus worldwide; Bloomberg TV® 24-hour business and financial network produced and distributed worldwide on 10 separate channels in seven languages; Bloomberg Radio services which provide up-to-the-minute news on XM, Sirius and WorldSpace satellite radio around the world and on WBBR 1130AM in New York; and Bloomberg.com, a top-ranked financial news site.
 
The company originally began as an investments analysis group, but has today become a financial new gathering organisation.  It is largely free from bias, but the websites do contain advertising.

Newspapers - www.newspapers.com

Although this an unashamedly commercial website, with lots of advertising and annoying pop-ups, it is nevertheless a great search engine for national and regional newspaper websites around the world.

Want to know what the Belize Times are reporting today, or how the Johannesburg Mail and Guardian are reporting a story?  Then newpapers.com is the right site to discover.

This site is also really useful for Expats, as they have a portal to all of the news not just on their home country, but in their home town.   Missing news from home?  You will find your local newspaper here if it has a website.