Independent Sources
Reliable Information from Independent Sources
The nonprofit, nonpartisan research resources listed below are available free online to help you find the answers you need.
The Annenberg Political Fact Checker is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. FactCheck monitors the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases. FactCheck applies the best practices of both journalism and scholarship to increase public knowledge and understanding.
The Center for Media and Democracy is a non-profit, non-partisan, public interest organization that strengthens participatory democracy by investigating and exposing public relations spin and propaganda, and by promoting media literacy and citizen journalism.
SourceWatch is a collaborative project by the Center for Media and Democracy to produce a directory of the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda. SourceWatch documents the PR and propaganda activities used to manage and manipulating public perception, opinion and policy.
Black Box Voting is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with a mission to ensure fair and accurate elections through citizen oversight.
Congress.org, a free public service of Capitol Advantage and Knowlegis, LLC, is a “one-stop-shop” where one can identify their Congressional representatives; research Congressional voting records; learn about the issues of the day; and send e-mail directly to Congress. Constituents can even opt to have their e-mail message hand-delivered to their Representative or Senator’s office on Capitol Hill – all without ever leaving their computer.
If Americans Knew aims to inform and educate the American public on issues of major significance that are unreported, underreported, or misreported in the American media, in the ”belief that when Americans know the facts on a subject, they will, in the final analysis, act in accordance with morality, justice, and the best interests of their nation, and of the world. With insufficient information, or distorted information, they may do the precise opposite.”
NewsTrust helps people find good journalism online. This non-profit, non-partisan project provides quality news feeds, media literacy tools and a trust network to help citizens make informed decisions about democracy. The free NewsTrust.net website features daily feeds of quality news and opinions. NewsTrust reviewers evaluate each article againstcore journalistic principles such as fairness, evidence, sourcing and context.
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Through these eight projects, the Center provides facts and data that help inform the national dialogue. Unlike many think tanks, the Center does not take positions on policy issues or make policy recommendations.
Pew Research Center for the People and the Press is an independent public opinion survey research project that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues.
Project for Excellence in Journalism is a research organization that specializes in using empirical methods to evaluate and study the performance of the press. It is non partisan, non ideological and non political.
Stateline.org is an online news source that reports each weekday on state government, tracking and analyzing policy trends in the 50 states. In addition to offering free access to staff-generated news stories, Stateline.org links to hundreds of daily newspaper articles and provides statistical data for state-by-state comparisons.
Pew Internet & American Life Project studies demographics and usage patterns for the Internet.
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life seeks to promote a deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs.
Pew Hispanic Center mission is to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos’ growing impact on the nation.
Pew Global Attitudes Project has conducted a series of worldwide public opinion surveys on an array of subjects, from people’s assessments of their own lives to their views on the current state of the world and important issues of the day.
Pew Social & Demographic Trends project studies behaviors and attitudes of Americans in key realms of their lives, including family, community, health, finance, work and leisure.
Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971 as a small civil rights law firm. Throughout its history, SPLC has worked to make the nation’s Constitutional ideals a reality. SPLC fights all forms of discrimination and works to protect society’s most vulnerable members. SPLC is internationally known for tolerance education, legal victories against white supremacists, and tracking hate groups.
