Those are very good points and I agree to a degree ... but ...
You overestimate your and my ability to not get fooled, even when reading and thinking critically. In studies, more educated people are more easily fooled because they think they can detect it.
> "I know nothing more about the world than I did before reading this article, except for what Murdoch thinks about this".
Right, but how is that worth your time? It's not worth my time. There are still plenty much more trustworthy sources out there.
If I'm stuck reading a WSJ article, I do the same as you. But why not find something better?
Adding to my prior comment: The more important the subject is, the more likely they will try to manipulate you.
> Right, but how is that worth your time? It's not worth my time. There are still plenty much more trustworthy sources out there.
Very good point, you don't _need_ to read this stuff, and you can go towards things that are "better".
I find that Wapo has decently comprehensive coverage on some issues. The journalists draw "wrong" conclusions, and I just no-op that, but I've found it helpful, and there's often more detail than provided in other places. But I generally do some subsequent research after reading most of their articles. But maybe there's something else I could be reading instead.
The Washington Post has its own ownership problems, as you probably know. The NY Times is an obvious option (that I assume you've considered). If you want a signal of trust, look at their opinion section which is spread across most of the spectrum, unlike WSJ and Wapo; they do have their own biases IME - anti-Trump, anti-progressive, pro-Israel.
The Financial Times is good but insanely expensive. The Economist has a clear bias they are open about and is excellent but not really journalism - they don't give both sides a voice, dig up facts; the provide (succinct, sophisticated, lively) analysis. The Guardian obviously has a leftward bias but seem intellectually honest to me.
The Associated Press and Reuters, but they output too much. Curated news feeds can be very good, especially at finding a range of sources.
You overestimate your and my ability to not get fooled, even when reading and thinking critically. In studies, more educated people are more easily fooled because they think they can detect it.
> "I know nothing more about the world than I did before reading this article, except for what Murdoch thinks about this".
Right, but how is that worth your time? It's not worth my time. There are still plenty much more trustworthy sources out there.
If I'm stuck reading a WSJ article, I do the same as you. But why not find something better?
Adding to my prior comment: The more important the subject is, the more likely they will try to manipulate you.