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News Source?
updated: Oct 14, 2012, 10:54 AM

By Edhat Subscriber

My husband and I watch Channel 4 Los Angeles (NBC), KEYT-3 Santa Barbara (ABC) and NBC Nightly News (Brian Williams). Many times the NBC Nightly News that is taped at 3:30 in the afternoon our time is more accurate and up to date than our local Santa Barbara news at 11PM!

Case in point: Last night when the Endeavour was still struggling to leave the corner of Crenshaw and MLK Blvd. the reporter on KEYT-3 cheerfully reported that the shuttle was safely parked at the museum (obviously depending on the "scheduled" arrival and reporting it as a fait accompli).

I know that they are all guilty of misreporting occasionally, but it seems to us that this local Santa Barbara station misses the ball more than most. What do you other Edhatters watch and trust?

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 331195	2012-10-14 11:13 AM
Kcal for LA news Msnbc for political news Fox news If i want to here fake news....EDHAT for local news!
COMMENT 331198	2012-10-14 11:25 AM
Unfortunately Santa Barbara doesn't have one. Scared the truth will run the tourist and their $$ off!
COMMENT 331204	2012-10-14 11:43 AM
I never choose TV for news. Major newspapers' online editions all have instant coverage. For local news nothing beats Edhat.
COMMENT 331206	2012-10-14 11:51 AM
Online news. Edhat for local.
COMMENT 331207P	2012-10-14 11:52 AM
Due to the bizarre FCC ruling that LA TV channels aren't part of the Santa Barbara viewing area(!) we're stuck with KEYT, KSBY and KCOY for news, since in its wisdom, the FCC has decreed that Santa Maria and SLO are our demographic and LA is not. We MUST get this arcane ruling overturned so that we can once again get all the LA channels here via Cox Cable and satellite. Does anyone know where to start? We are effectively cut off from any real TV news sources in SB.
COMMENT 331208	2012-10-14 11:53 AM
MSNBC by FAR has the most accurate reporting without the bias of many other cable or network news programs. Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews have got it going on. For reading, hands-down, the links in The Drudge Report will guide you to where you need to be guided. Then of course, there's EdHat - Oh Yeahhhhhhh!!!! Years and years from now we'll all still be talking about Roger, Fiona, Aquaholic, Seedlady, Robert Bernstein, and.....the cat pictures!!!! Gotta love it folks.
COMMENT 331212	2012-10-14 11:55 AM
There is no local news source you can depend on. The best national source for news is The Drudge Report (sorry, not allowed to give you their web address). ABC,CBS,NBC,CNN,MSNBC,Huffington Post, LA Times,NY Times are all a bunch of hacks. Fox News is good by still tends to slant things.
ROGER DODGER	2012-10-14 11:56 AM
ESPN.
COMMENT 331219	2012-10-14 12:43 PM
Perez Hilton and TMZ.
COMMENT 331220	2012-10-14 12:46 PM
PBS - Cox channels 10 and 105 for national and international news. Sometimes CNN for national. Local: KCOY seems better than KEYT but that's not saying much. I don't think it is reasonable to expect to get comprehensive, let alone in depth news from TV. Never has, never will, at least, not in here in CA. New York and Boston were different, with capable journalists, but maybe that has changed, too. I go go for the LATimes online and Sunday hard copy for state news, but online is a poor second to hard copy so it is hard to keep informed on state and local. Noozhawk for local; edhat for fires, etc.; SB News-Press also for (some) local and state and then searching online, say, the Sacramento Bee. For opinion, Jerry Roberts in the SB Independent.
COMMENT 331222	2012-10-14 12:54 PM
The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, CNBC, MSNBC and for local news Only EDHAT! I do look at news online from London also to get a different perspective.
COMMENT 331226	2012-10-14 01:29 PM
I get the 'news' aka infotainment, online without the incessant commercials. By using a script blocker I don't even get the online ads unless I opt in. I can't even imagine having and paying for a cable service that subjects me to dozens of ridiculous stations with dumbed-down programming so I can get to the 4 or 5 stations with something worthwhile. KEYT is a total joke without the punchline. Edhat for local, online for regional/national/world. PBS and KCLU online for mostly nuetral, CNN and MSNBC for the left, Politico and The New Republic for the right, Fox isn't even worth watching on TV or online. Without the Fairness Doctrine, done away with by Reagan, it's a morass of opinions and BS out there.
COMMENT 331229	2012-10-14 01:37 PM
Fox News, lol. Political commentary that likes to call itself news.
COMMENT 331232P	2012-10-14 01:46 PM
I haven't watched TV news for close to 20 years. When I do catch a glimpse of it, I'm horrified at its simple-mindedness and sensationalism. My spouse often watches Al Jazeera or the BBC. When I catch glimpses of the stories, it makes me nostalgic for what TV news used to be when I grew up, before the Fairness Doctrine was abolished. Sometimes, I like to watch Bill Moyers on PBS. I feel strongly that watching any TV news is giving one's mind up to propaganda. MSNBC isn't as bad as Fox, but is getting there. Especially in an election year, it's important to avoid all TV news and pundits.
COMMENT 331234	2012-10-14 01:58 PM
putting someone in front of a camera and calling them a contributer then allowing them to just sit and bs is so much cheeper than accually reporting facts on a subject.
COMMENT 331237	2012-10-14 02:05 PM
I feel like I have to watch and read news from different sources to get a decent pictures of what is going on. News outlets inject their opinions not only by how they tell the news, but what stories they choose to run. Every morning, I scan EdHat, LA Times, SF Chron, Sac Bee, Fox, CNN, MSNBC, Huffington, Drudge, and I even find some out of country sites tell stories and give perspective that we don't get here. I tend to only watch tv when football is on.
COMMENT 331239	2012-10-14 02:19 PM
SNL (Sat. Nite Live!)
COMMENT 331253P	2012-10-14 03:06 PM
When we had the last fire I was watching Paula at KEYT say quite casually that smoke had been reported. A few minutes she reported that there seemed to be more smoke. Then I heard ber say after a few more minutes fire was responding. I knew it was near my neighborhood and watched for further "reporting." I finally got the best coverage thru KCAL 9 who had reporters on scene and air coverage. I was a die hard fan of the KNBC news until that fiasco with cable giants occurred and we lost them with the exception on the 5, 6, and 11' clock news at night and one broadcast in to early morning. I really had to shake my head in disbelief the last time the wharf was fully engulfed in fire and they boasted they had dual coverage. Turns out that they had one reporter on each side of the wharf! And the thing about the Shuttle last night should have been confirmed. I don't know how many times they have given a teaser in regular prime about something that they seem to forget by the 11'o clock news. They claim to be "local" news, but most of their reporting is North of us. I guess they've got us captive thru Cox Cable. Does the dish company get KNBC?
COMMENT 331266	2012-10-14 03:27 PM
Fuggedaboudit! There is no local TV news coverage on a daily basis for Santa Barbara. Of course if you want a litany and rehash of the crimes committed in the last 48 hours the local yokels will fit the bill but if you want meaningful news you have to pick through several print and online sources.
COMMENT 331267	2012-10-14 03:29 PM
Television for news! Now that's a joke. Nothing but infotainment and commercials.
AQUAHOLIC	2012-10-14 04:43 PM
All network news is crap, but our 'local' news is the absolute worst. Even PBS has gone mainstream and can't be trusted...did you see the Obama\Romney debate?....Jim Lehrer was a joke, IMO. Stick with edhat, and if you must, try MSNBC or Al Jezeera. Honestly, I like the SNL suggestion, at least you'll get a laugh out of it!
COMMENT 331293	2012-10-14 04:47 PM
MSNBC unbiased? lol. It's the left equivalent to Fox. Al Jezeera is one of the best stations for truly unbiased news.
NATURE BOY	2012-10-14 04:52 PM
Agree with Al Jazeera & the BBC for international. CNN for national only because it's the lesser of three evils. Local... hmmm... KEYT is sometimes helpful, sometimes not. Their website is a joke, not even allowing comments on their stories which could provide more info/commentary on their stories. Edhat & The Independent work pretty well.
COMMENT 331303P	2012-10-14 05:13 PM
AQUAHOLIC Yes right. I saw the debate and keep blaming the moderator for the dismal performance of the President. Without his teleprompter and words that were written by someone else, he doesn't have a clue. Oh and I also heard that Romney had a handkerchief and was cheating. I am surprised you did not include that in your analysis.
COMMENT 331314P	2012-10-14 05:59 PM
207p, so the FCC is to blame for this bizarre media situation. Figures. In answer to this question, I don't watch any local news any more. The local news stations are filled with more fluff then substance. I get my local news via online sources like Edhat, noozhawk, and the Indy,
PAMSB	2012-10-14 05:59 PM
OP here...thanks for all of the thoughtful responses. Really appreciated. I do make use of many other sources (online, etc.), but was specifically interested in TV. I guess I just got very upset at the blatant misreporting of the Endeavour whereabouts. I went ballistic over that! Poor hubby didn't deserve to be the only one listening to my rant. Thanks again.
COMMENT 331320	2012-10-14 06:03 PM
KEYT is a joke. 7 times out of 10 an incident or event around town won't be reported. And maybe even closer to 9/10 it will be reported incorrectly. I also take serious issue with their website, which has such bad grammatical mistakes that it actually changes the subject and focus of the story by accident, sometimes. I'm not a stickler for spelling and grammar (especially on breaking news) but their site is just an embarrassment to the local news industry. They really need to get people who can at least string a coherent sentence together. A good majority of what goes live on that site is hard to even decipher. I go to BBC for World News and the LA Times for SoCal news. Here in town, it's Indy or Edhat.
MTNDRIVER	2012-10-14 06:04 PM
TV news is the pits. Horrible! Forget it. I just read news online now. NY Times, a couple English newspapers, The New Yorker, a few blogs I trust (with a bias, but not trying to pass off bias as fact). The Newshour on PBS is pretty good, actually. But the rest, ugh. Not only because "if it bleeds, it leads" but also because what is presented as most "newsworthy" in political reporting is always what is most opinionated, offensive, often untrue. News on network television is about selling stuff, not about informing people. What is presented is what appeals to a large audience, not what might educate the populace.
COMMENT 331336P	2012-10-14 06:21 PM
320......you said it all and more. KEYT is a joke. All too often I get my "local" news from KCAL 9, and KNBC, both LA stations. If I want news for points north I watch KSBY, or KKFX.
AUNTIE S.	2012-10-14 07:02 PM
207P I completely agree. We are NOT like SLO and I prefer the LA stations. I watch KNBC, Channel 4, which I get here on channel 8 - at least until Cox cuts in on 8 with the stupid "local interviews" Gad, I hate that.
YIN YANG	2012-10-14 09:43 PM
The Daily Show & Colbert Report
CORKY	2012-10-15 06:46 AM
Well, for some reason, I keep watching channel 3 even though they consistently mispronounce Spanish names as in SaBADo for SAbado.
FLICKA	2012-10-15 06:49 AM
Interesting that commenters here list Edhat for local news and some can't even bother paying $1 a week to subscribe. I think Edhat provides us with excellent service, it would be nice if all users could find it in their hearts to support their efforts.
COMMENT 331396P	2012-10-15 07:17 AM
KEYT and of course Edhat. Edhat is the BEST for local. What's amazing is that during a fire, News-Press radio is awesome, really good and accurate. I'd never touch them for any other occasion.
COMMENT 331406	2012-10-15 07:55 AM
Interesting that no one has mentioned Al Jazeera News (English) as a good source for international news. If you haven't come across it, check it out. It gives news that you won't find elsewhere, and reported with an even hand.
COMMENT 331407	2012-10-15 08:07 AM
Two previous posters mentioned Al Jazeera. CTRL+F "Al Jazeera".
COMMENT 331408P	2012-10-15 08:08 AM
We have given up on all "local" TV news stations. Their top stories are strings of car accidents and murders, even murders several years old, etc. and if you're looking for any top national item, like a picture of the stratospheric parachuter yesterday which certainly seems like video-worthy news by any standard -- forget it.
UPONTHEHILL	2012-10-15 08:26 AM
I miss KTLA. I wish we could all get together and insist that we get it back.
COMMENT 331420	2012-10-15 08:47 AM
@Flicka, don't be so judgey when it comes to subscriptions. I used to have one for many years and couldn't afford it this year. If I could pay, I would. But there are some of us who can't afford an extra dollar a week but still want to know what is going on in the community just like anyone else!
JG	2012-10-15 08:49 AM
The word "accurate" threw me off. Are there really any accurate news channels. Our local "crack news team", in my opinion is an absolute joke. On one of our many evacutions, they closed down as usual. The best news we received (while stuck in a motel)was from SLO. MSNBS IS SO FAR TO THE LEFT it makes Fox News "middle of the road".
COMMENT 331431	2012-10-15 09:05 AM
If anybody comes up with a way to inform the FCC that we are NOT Santa Maria or SLO, please post so we can join the bandwagon!
COMMENT 331435P	2012-10-15 09:22 AM
I find it so ironic that unpaid posters list Edhat as their local source......come on guys.......give up that one beer or one cup of coffee per week and buy a subscription!
COMMENT 331436P	2012-10-15 09:26 AM
I have no cable and watch no TV. I get my news online and with Edhat. Occasionally I splurge and buy the Sunday New York Times - love it. I also buy the NY Times or the L A Times if something really important happened the day before. The L A Times had three or four great columns about the V P debate - for example.
COMMENT 331460	2012-10-15 10:26 AM
331208 - I find that usually when people describe a news source as "unbiased", what they really mean is that it has biases that match their own biases. You must be a liberal. If you had described Fox as unbiased, I would presume you to be a conservative. If you truly want unbiased, you'll probably have to settle for using a number of sources representing a variety of biases and then think for yourself. Not likely to happen with TV news and I often find myself too lazy to do it with internet news.
EARO65	2012-10-15 10:32 AM
We watch MHZ network on 26-4. It has everything but infotainment. NHK has interesting segments on geography and history, Aljazeera is well-balanced, and the European ones shown give a perspective we need before judging the rest of the world. Weekends they offer stations from the middle east and Afganistan. Good network for international news, I know of none for local news, sadly. I am unsure if those who have cable can watch 26-4, we have antennae.
COMMENT 331485	2012-10-15 10:53 AM
Edhat, L.A. Times, Independent, NO local TV stations. I agree with most that our local stations aren't much.
COMMENT 331489	2012-10-15 10:57 AM
MSNBC is, objectively speaking, unbiased compared to Fox; to assert otherwise is to show extreme bias.
COMMENT 331491	2012-10-15 11:02 AM
Nice try at humor 208/489. If you have Ann Coulter on one side of a teeter-totter then you'd find Rachel Maddow on the other side. The only difference between the two is that I DON'T have an overwhelming urge to punch Maddow in the face. But I would spank her.
DEE D	2012-10-15 12:48 PM
Rachel Maddow has a PhD from Oxford (Rhodes Scholar) in Political Studies. Her program offers original, well-sourced analysis and opinion, as well as reporting of current events and thoughtful guests. When she misstates something or gets it wrong, she follows up and corrects the information. She is respectful, insightful, original, and yes, Liberal, if by that you mean an advocate for not using war as an instrument of foreign policy and for recognizing that every human being deserves to have the legal protections conducive to pair-bonding, a behavior we share with most other social species. There is no comparison between her and anyone I see on Fox News (which I do flip to regularly.) Her goal is not to outrage, inflame or entertain, but to investigate and explain. We need more like her, of all political persuasions.
COMMENT 331557	2012-10-15 01:02 PM
I like Rachel Maddow for the latest in politics - she is whip smart. I like The Week (magazine) for a good overall summary of what's going on in the world (they have something from everywhere). For TV News, KCOY does it for me - crystal clear HD and good reporting - they tell me more about SB than our local farce factory. Hope you find something that you like.
MESAJIM	2012-10-15 01:17 PM
EdHat, BBC, and Facebook.
COMMENT 331574	2012-10-15 01:44 PM
DEE D - Ann (gag me) Coulter is an Ivy Leaguer who also has a doctorate, which proves that a piece of paper on a wall means literally nothing. Just because Maddow doesn't scream and yell like her counterparts on Fox doesn't mean she isn't as radically left-leaning as they are right-leaning. She doesn't upset you because you are liberal and you like her message. I'm sure you just adore Bill Maher as well (Maher is perhaps the only TV host who is MORE radically liberal than Maddow).
COMMENT 331594	2012-10-15 02:24 PM
John Palminterri is Santa Barbara's Borat! We might as bring back Phil Mann and the Phog monster!
COMMENT 331901	2012-10-16 10:53 AM
AP Online, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews are brilliant, Fox news Sunday with Chris Wallace (The rest of FOX is blatantly right wing propaganda — such a joke how they hypocritically squawk about how fair and balanced they are), CNN international, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has top tier guests for interviews, plus exposes hypocrisy along Both sides of the political spectrum, It is pretty hilarious, too.

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