The top of my list is NPR and American Public Media. They are not quite non-profits, but they are certainly not corporate. What they receive in funding, they put back into the product. (This is how journalism should work -- not based on turning profits.)

It is worth noting, a study I came across about media coverage in the 2012 election indicated NPR was the only media outlet that aired almost a 50-50 split of negative stories on the candidates. (I think it was 52-48 skewed against Obama.) Almost every other media entity had a 65-35 or greater skew toward one candidate. So in regard to not showing bias in journalism, NPR did a pretty good job against its peers.

Start with the NPR hourly news update. It is what I like to call 'Cronkie journalism' -- just the facts. As far as breaking news goes, no one needs more than 8 minutes at any one time. News needs time to evolve.

You are bound to hear more world news on public radio, and much more in-depth national coverage. I think it is Susan Stamberg who covers the Supreme Court for NPR; her reporting is phenomenal. If one of her reports is on, I don't leave my car until she is finished. (Who would ever guess the Supreme Court is interesting?) Public Radio International's 'The World' is an excellent show that will expose you to news stories that would be ignored by the U.S. media. (Because of the what-comes-in-goes-out budget, public radio tends to still fund a number of foreign correspondents, where as many corporate news divisions have scaled back.)

You may hear some arts and music related coverage on NPR, but not your typical celebrity gossip coverage. Maybe a movie or album review, but those features are short maybe only 2-3 minutes. (News stories run around 4-6 minutes.)

If you want to learn how to conduct an outstanding interview, listen to Terry Gross on NPR's 'Fresh Air.'

The BBC (not BBC America) is an excellent source. Your PBS station may carry BBC World News, which is exactly what they get in the UK. It is a proper 30-minute broadcast, and they do cover news in the United States. BBC World Service is the radio branch, also excellent. And because the BBC is a publicly funded entity, there's no worry about news being skewed, dumbed down, etc. because of finances.

The CBC in Canada is very similar. Peter Mansbridge is the host of The National, the CBC's nightly news, is a good, traditional newsman. They, too, have great radio, but the television broadcasts are so hard to get in the U.S. I haven't watched Al Jazeera America, but I thought their English product was solid. Unfortunately, you can't get AJE in the U.S. anymore. (And my understanding is, yes, the broadcasts are different.)

Print-wise, you can't go wrong with the New York Times. There is some corporatism there, but 90 percent of the company is privately held. And the Times has experienced some scandal, but it still stands as the best in the U.S. (It's Sunday edition is worth the $6 they charge -- all original content, unlike many newspapers that use wire service copy, sometimes days old, as filler.)

Speaking of wires, the Associated Press is very reputable. So is Agence France-Presse. Both non-profit wire services.

I am intrigued by Vice Media as of late. It's alternative, but they're going to places and uncovering unique stories others are not. Also, don't overlook a magazine like Rolling Stone for its political coverage.

These days, keep an eye out for investigative, long-form journalism. It tends to be very time consuming, very costly and returns little in terms of profit. It may even put an entity's budget in the red. So if there is some publisher, somewhere willing to make that kind of commitment, it is going to be thoroughly researched and of some serious magnitude.

If you want a great example of investigative, long form journalism, read Katherine Eban's "Dirty Medicine"

Is that a good start? :)

I leave you with this, a quote from H. L. Mencken: "I know of no human being who has a better time than an eager and energetic young reporter."