On-the-spot records of breaking news often comes from mobile device video now. Initial commentary also comes from nearby people with mobile devices. The commentary is often useless beyond telling you "something is happening." You need to wait a few days for a coherent explanation of e.g. a big terrorist attack or a coup attempt. Unfortunately, traditional news media just forwards fevered speculation without checking while an event is happening; the incentives for them are "better wrong than slow."
News about events that don't leave corpses in the streets comes less from random bystanders and more from traditional reporting. Financial news, investigation into political corruption... as I started to type out a list I realized that specialized blogs often provide better reporting and commentary about less-spectacular events. But you have to know where to look first. Reading the right blogs versus AP news wires is sort of like the difference between reading scientific journal articles and a stream of university press releases about scientific research. The latter are full of spin, simplifications, and hype, but at least provide an entry point so you know that a topic is worth reading about from better sources.
Unfortunately, I don't know of any news outlets that consistently serve a readership that's broadly educated but not subject matter experts. I suppose that publications like the New York Times and the Economist aspire to that middle role, but I don't think they are quite filling it. In articles about global warming, efficiency legislation, solar technology, etc. I see constant mistakes like confusing power and energy. If the general public can't assemble a coherent bigger picture from these articles, no wonder: they're not coherent as written.
News about events that don't leave corpses in the streets comes less from random bystanders and more from traditional reporting. Financial news, investigation into political corruption... as I started to type out a list I realized that specialized blogs often provide better reporting and commentary about less-spectacular events. But you have to know where to look first. Reading the right blogs versus AP news wires is sort of like the difference between reading scientific journal articles and a stream of university press releases about scientific research. The latter are full of spin, simplifications, and hype, but at least provide an entry point so you know that a topic is worth reading about from better sources.
Unfortunately, I don't know of any news outlets that consistently serve a readership that's broadly educated but not subject matter experts. I suppose that publications like the New York Times and the Economist aspire to that middle role, but I don't think they are quite filling it. In articles about global warming, efficiency legislation, solar technology, etc. I see constant mistakes like confusing power and energy. If the general public can't assemble a coherent bigger picture from these articles, no wonder: they're not coherent as written.