I'm based in the UK, so you might find some of my links a bit UK-centric.
I tend to check a mixture of primary general news sources, alongside some secondary opinion/editorial based sites and individual blogs. I do check in on mainstream news outlets from time to time, just to keep tabs on their brainwashing methods. I utterly despise the Guardian, which over the years seems to have morphed into the press office for MI5.
I'm always on the lookout for media sources that give coverage to events that the UK government either ignore or deliberately censor.
It took a while for me to put this together, here's a compilation of my main sources for information, not exhaustive by any means:
General News Sources:
Global Research | http://www.globalresearch.ca/
WikiLeaks | https://wikileaks.org/
Media Lens | http://medialens.org/
4th Media | http://www.4thmedia.org/
Information Clearing House | http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/
TruePublica | http://truepublica.org.uk/
Reuters | http://www.reuters.com/
Drudge Report | http://drudgereport.com/
Russia Today | https://www.rt.com/
Sputnik | https://sputniknews.com/
SGT Report | http://sgtreport.com/
The Duran | http://theduran.com/
The Intercept | https://theintercept.com/
Counter Punch | http://www.counterpunch.org/
The Free Thought Project | http://thefreethoughtproject.com/
Financial News Sources:
ZeroHedge | http://www.zerohedge.com/
Peak Prosperity | https://www.peakprosperity.com/
Max Keiser | http://www.maxkeiser.com/
Positive Money | http://positivemoney.org/
X22 Report | http://x22report.com/
Independent news and media analysis:
Off Guardian | https://off-guardian.org/
More than just an 'anti-Guardian' website, although it does a terrific job of exposing the Guardian for the state mouth-piece it truly is. Full of high quality journalism and media analysis. Highly recommended.
Disinfo | http://disinfo.com/
One of the original subversive internet 'conspiracy' sites. The comments section for individual articles are always worth a read. You get some really interesting debates/discussions taking place there.
Of Two Minds | http://www.oftwominds.com/blog.html
Personal site of Charles Hugh Smith. It's one of my main sources for understanding the global financial system and politics in the US. Full of data, statistics and charts to help you come to terms with the insanely complicated world of finance. His articles often get featured on Zerohedge. Lot's of links to other great websites.
John Perkins | http://johnperkins.org/
Personal website of John Perkins, author of 'Confessions of an Economic Hitman'.
AMTV | http://www.amtvmedia.com/
Cuts through all of the crap and gets straight to the heart of the real issues. Fiercely independent news analysis, unafraid of standing outside the circle-jerking 'mainstream' alternative news sphere. Hard Hitting and In Your Face!
The Corbett Report | https://www.corbettreport.com/
Alongside AMTV, one of the best alternative media sources for independent analysis. Excellent research and critical analysis. The video content is very transparent when it comes to links and refering back to original sources of information.
UK Specific:
Private Eye | http://www.private-eye.co.uk/
A political satire magazine. One of the few good publications left in this country that's still worth buying. The website isn't great, but the publication is well worth getting. It's the only print-based UK news journal that I still read on a regular basis.
The Canary | https://www.thecanary.co/
Very 'Left' leaning but covers very important topics that aren't being discussed in the UK mainstream. Similar to Private Eye, full of hilarious satire.
Mark Curtis | http://markcurtis.info/
Personal website of writer Mark Curtis, who is quite possibly the most important political writer in the UK. You might not like what he has to say about Trump, but Curtis is too important to ignore. Curtis has written numerous books exposing the shady acts of the UK deep state. His research, documentation and critique of UK foreign policy is phenomenal. It's well worth checking out his books if you want to learn more about the UK's role in advancing the agenda of the pro-globalist military industrial complex.
Jonathan Cook | http://www.jonathan-cook.net/
Cook is a first rate independent journalist. He is mostly known for his excellent critique of the Israel-Palestine situation. His personal blog is full of insightful geopolitical analysis and media criticism.
Other:
Most Damaging Wikileaks | http://www.mostdamagingwikileaks.com
A very useful archive/summary site for Wikileaks. Presents a point-by-point breakdown of the the most important leaks. Each leak contains bullet points listing all of the main facts, how they connect to other facts, and their wider implications.
Moon of Alabama | http://www.moonofalabama.org/
Essential source of news and analysis for the Middle East. The site has been a crucial source of information in providing a counter-narrative to the blatant lies of the MSM on Syria.
Above Top Secret | http://www.abovetopsecret.com/
A very good discussion forum. Don't be put off by people who try to dismiss ATS as being a crazy UFO 'conspiracy' website. Yes, there is some 'crazy' content there, but it's also a great place for helping to keep your mind open and for testing out your critical thinking skills.
Surfing the Apocalypse | http://www.surfingtheapocalypse.com/
Similar to ATS, curates controversial news from across the net, content focuses on topics such as UFO's, disclosure, and geopolitics.
DeepDotWeb | https://www.deepdotweb.com/
Independently sourced news relating to the dark net. Contains lots of useful information relating to finance, security, privacy issues and hacking.
Project Veritas | http://projectveritas.com/
Best followed via youtube. Contains some shocking video investigations, mainly focuses on the systemic corruption within the US political process. Specializes in exposing electoral manipulation and voter fraud.
John Pilger | http://johnpilger.com/
John Pilger is a first rate documentary film maker. He's a proper journalist and writes some thought provoking articles. I would strongly advise you to watch his documentaries, which are available through his youtube channel.
Truth Cat Radio | http://www.truthcatradio.com/
A truly open-minded and free thinking radio station run by Steven D Kelley. Discussion topics cover a vast range of material including politics, spirituality, social engineering, prepping and alternative medicine. Steven Kelley was featured in an AMTV interview.