Discourse has devolved so much it is going to be tough getting people to debate respectfully around different viewpoints. It might be better to recruit a handful of people who can set the tone for these debates and then eventually open it up for a larger community.

I agree with your sentiment about publications just rehashing the same story. That's a large reason why I started http://emergentdata.co. It's not political focused rather focuses on technological acceleration and large global issues like water scarcity and mass migration. I try to curate content around a few principles: -Try to get to the most original source -Stick to real events, avoid speculation and hearsay -Avoid sensationalist headlines

Good luck to you.

Edit: typo