A short list of media organizations that actively try to stay independent from large corporations, governments, and party politics.
None are perfect – but all are significantly more independent than mainstream corporate media.
Type: Non-profit investigative newsroom
Funding: Donations & foundations (no advertising)
Focus:
- Corruption & abuse of power
- Big Pharma & healthcare
- Justice system
- Corporate & political misconduct
Strengths:
- Long-term investigations
- Heavy use of primary sources
- Frequently cited by mainstream media
- Multiple Pulitzer Prizes
Bias / Limits:
- Slightly progressive
- Strongly fact-driven, not ideological
Type: Independent investigative journalism
Funding: Donations
Focus:
- Intelligence agencies & surveillance
- Military & foreign policy
- Big Tech & privacy
- Media criticism
Strengths:
- Originated from the Snowden leaks
- System-critical reporting
- Willing to publish uncomfortable material
Bias / Limits:
- Clearly left-leaning
- Occasionally polemical
- Strong opinions, but usually well sourced
Type: Non-profit investigative newsroom
Funding: Donations, grants, partnerships
Focus:
- Lobbyism
- Corruption
- Extremism
- Social & political power structures
Strengths:
- High legal and journalistic standards
- Transparent funding
- Strong cooperation with local media
Bias / Limits:
- Liberal-democratic framing
- Sometimes moralistic tone
- Research quality generally very high
Type: Independent investigative journalism
Funding: Reader donations
Focus:
- War narratives & propaganda
- NATO & U.S. foreign policy
- Regime-change operations
- Think tanks & information warfare
Strengths:
- Deep source analysis
- Strong focus on media propaganda
- Useful counter-narrative to mainstream war reporting
Bias / Limits:
- Strongly anti-imperialist
- Can be one-sided
- Best used as a counter-source, not standalone truth
Type: Member-funded journalism platform
Funding: Subscriptions (no ads)
Focus:
- Structural analysis
- Economy & technology
- Climate & society
- Long-term trends instead of breaking news
Strengths:
- Slow journalism
- Context over headlines
- Minimal emotional framing
Bias / Limits:
- Progressive worldview
- Less confrontational
- Not focused on scandals
🔗 https://decorrespondent.nl
(English version: https://thecorrespondent.com)
- Combine 1–2 independent outlets with 1 mainstream source for comparison
- Watch what is not covered as much as what is covered
- Trust patterns, not single articles
Independence is not about neutrality –
it is about challenging power instead of protecting it.