Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who are you?
We are a small group of people who are fed up with the systematic misinformation and serious shortcomings of the mainstream, profit-oriented media industry. We have varied backgrounds and different stories to tell, but we are united in our effort to use the Internet for strengthening alternative voices and visions on line. We did not create the News Insider to gain personal exposure, so we do not see the need to name ourselves at any given opportunity. For enquiries, please send us an email.

Q. Where are you based?
We are based on both sides of the Atlantic.

Q. Why are you doing this project?
We decided to stop whining about the state of corporate media and do something about the situation. Our frustration about the state of mainstream news reporting was the seed that gave birth to the News Insider. For more information, please read our brief Mission Statement.

Q. What are your politics?
We are characterized by a general progressive ideology, although this varies amongst our members. Various shades of progressive ideology are professed by News Insider members.

Q. How long has the News Insider been on line?
We began our journey in April 2000. For a synopsis of our site's development, please see our Press Room.

Q. Are the News Insider services totally free?
Yes. We have never required or requested money from our visitors or subscribers, although if you're dying to sponsor us, we'll come up with something. For more information, please send us an email.

Q. How are you compensated for what you do?
Our aim is to "steal" readers from the mainstream media. We therefore enjoy seeing our visitor numbers grow day after day, month after month. We also enjoy building a stable, faithful readership mass. We are always grateful when visitors write to us with words of appreciation, or even complaints about something we wrote or a news story we posted or ignored.

Q. Why do you have partner sites?
Studies have shown that over 80% of global Internet activity concentrates on only 50 sites. Major news conglomerates are among those sites. If alternative online media are serious about challenging the electronic hegemony of profit-oriented media industries, they need to team up. Our partnerships are based on the idea that (a) we're part of a larger community of alternative news providers and readers and (b) that this community is stronger when it is united, choosing to ignore minor ideological/political differences and focusing on what motivates us all to do what we do.

Q. All over the world, the main news headline today is about _______ (fill in the blank). But you're not even mentioning this in today's edition. Why?
Just because CNN, Reuters or the Financial Times choose to promote a specific news development by selecting it as their main headline, does not mean that this particular development necessarily deserves our attention. It is erroneous to allow a handful of conglomerate media to set our news agenda on a daily basis.

Q. Why are some of your news headlines in green lettering?
It's our way of saying "hey, check this out"!

Q. I am interested in your project and want to help you. What can I do?
First of all, keep coming back often. Become a member of our growing readership. Second, write to us and let us know what you like and what you don't like. If you want to, register to receive daily under-reported and censored news headlines by email. If you still wish to do more, write an article or two and send them to us for publication on our site. We read all submitted articles and we always respond. For more information, go to our Article Submission page. Finally, and most importantly, spread the word about the News Insider in any way you can. You, the readers, are our strength and most important means of promotion.

Q. I am a webmaster. How can I post your site's banner or host your news headlines on my site?
You can host the News Insider's daily under-reported headlines on your site for free by clicking here. All you need to do is configure the appropriate parameters to taste and then collect the appropriate Java code or HTML source. The news items are renewed automatically as we update our titles. Also, please don't forget to drop us a message to let us know you are using our webfeed and what you think of it.

Q. Are you into conspiracy theories?
First, let us get something straight: the Illuminati, Freemasonry and UFO sightings are interesting subjects, but we don't pursue them here at the News Insider. There are plenty of online sites on these subjects but we're not one of them. We believe in conspiracy theories or, in their correct term, institutional analyses, only so long as they have a traceable political outcome. Here are four illustrative examples of this: (a) "Is George W. Bush a member of an Alien colony on Earth?" - we couldn't care less. He certainly behaves as if he doesn't care about this planet, but the important point is what he does as president and how this effects this planet's citizens; (b) "Is George Soros member of the Illuminati conspiracy?" - well, he might be, he might not be, depending on whether the Illuminati conspiracy exists or not. Soros is certainly a capitalist, so if the Illuminati exists and if it protects and increases the personal fortunes of its members, then Soros is bound to be a member. However, the easy answer is that Soros probably strikes more important deals at the locker rooms of his local Golf Club than at the Illuminati headquarters; (c) "Has there ever been an agreement in recent history between leading countries to carve up the world into zones of influence?". Yes, it's called the Yalta Treaty and it's as mainstream as history can get. The fate of world populations is still governed by that secret conspiracy; (d) "Are our freedoms in danger by conspiratorial secret services that work to undermine democracy and human rights?". Yes. Our precise knowledge about what the CIAs, FBIs, MI5s, etc, of the world are up to behind our backs is usually 30 to 50 years behind, due to the convenient delay with which most government documents are declassified. However, if we are to judge by what has already been declassified on both sides of the Atlantic, then there is absolutely no doubt that the absence of popular oversight over these organizations has allowed them to engage in constant and systematic attempts to undermine justice and human rights over many decades. As long as these organizations are allowed to develop in the shadows of democratic accountability, we will not be free.