Q & R: Reliable Information

Here’s the Q:

Thanks for your new book. You describe my upbringing to a “T.” I want to leave behind my strong-hostile religious background without sliding into a weak-benign one instead. The strong-benevolent option is the way for me – and your suggestions on how to get there are just what we need. Thanks also for your recent CNN.com piece. I know you took a lot of heat for it – from all sides – but I also know that if people don’t speak out against religious prejudice wherever it is found, including among us Christians, we’ll sink deeper in the hole we’re digging.
Now that I want to get a bigger picture of what’s going on in the world – including other religions – I want to find a reliable source of news and information about the Middle East. It seems that many of our so-called news sources have heavy doses of propaganda. Where do you go for more trustworthy information?

Here’s the R:
First, I’d affirm your concern – that the line between news and propaganda isn’t as obvious as many people think – especially here in the US. So it’s unwise for anyone to listen to any single perspective without hearing other sides (the “s” is important – there are many sides to almost every issue) – presented by knowledgeable sources, not a single biased perspective. So, for example, I wouldn’t listen exclusively to Fox News or NBC without also listening to Al Jazeera.
There’s a new site I can recommend for trustworthy perspectives (again, the “s” is important) on the Middle East: www.MiddleEastExperience.com