I too stay away from mainstream reporting that's always filled with propaganda. Are there any alternative source of genuine news? So far I haven't found any.
Then maybe BBC or Reuters, but always compare coverage of the same event and you'd see there is always a slant or spin involved.
IMO a hallmark of honest journalist is ability to openly discuss the journalistic process & toolkit. Call it journalism's equivalent of Kerckhoff's principle.
Another good check mark is ability to criticize errors in the media and issue correction and retractions.
[1] for example Tim Pool, https://twitter.com/Timcast