I don't find CounterPunch to be as strong as Common Dreams, but on occasion I'll check in and usually find myself rewarded with piercing commentaries and acumen as well as solace in knowing that progressives and those who struggle are not alone and that the morally correct kind of upheaval is possible. CounterPunch began life as a newsletter in 1994. In 1996, the founder and investigative reporter Ken Silverstein left and aristarchs Jeff St. Clair and Alex Cockburn took the helm. The physical newsletter is published b-weekly, but I recommend simply checking out the website since a wealth of their material is at the ready online. I also urge people to donate as we can't have enough subversive outlets available to us in this uncertain age of Empire. The more truth that is put out there to combat corporate misinformation the better, and CounterPunch succeeds in that end. May I do some name-dropping? Noam Chomsky. Tariq Ali, Norman Finkelstein, Cynthia McKinney, Robert Fisk, Ralph Nader (voted for him! no regrets!), whistleblower Frank Spinney, Lila Rajiva, Bill Quigley, Dave Lindorff, Russell Mokhiber (!), Linh Dinh. If you don't recognize those names, then you have some reading to do, don't you? read more

If you believe in free thought, progressive and humanitarian ideas and want information outside the USA bubble and corporate "news" media this is the place. I've been a supporter for over fifteen years and my small annual contributions are nothing compared to the quality writing and thinking I receive in return. I wholeheartedly recommend giving them a week or two of reading and absorbing - then donate. Study after study has shown that when people are interviewed about things like health care, the environment, good schools, less military actions they agree with most of the CounterPunch writers. read more