Democracy Now!

It's difficult to review the app without commenting on the show's content, so let me get that part out of the way. Democracy Now is, hands down, the best news daily going. Free from corporate influence, relying on grass roots support, they don't have to march to "big money's" drum and come across as the best place for journalists to employ their education and skill with integrity. The app is perhaps the latest development in making their message accessible, but there's still room for improvement. It's tremendously convenient to access the show simply by clicking on an icon. However, if the viewer has limited access to wifi, it's content is not apparently stored to be obtained without using data minutes. Some of us are privileged, and thankful, for the donations of others to maintain the show's quality and integrity, yet do not have the resources to purchase a smart phone with data minutes. It would work better for us if the app allowed us to store content when within wifi range so we could view it later. Also, the app is geared for smartphone use, but I rely on my iPad. It would work better for me if there was a companion iPad app to make landscape viewing and entry more convenient. Moreover, I've found that some days allow live access to the show through the app but not others. Lastly, the "contact" link sometimes is insufficient in allowing my iPad to move away from and comeback to the entry screen.

Let's be clear, I use this app every single day of my life and although the programming is somewhat repetitive and clearly leans to one political side, I love it. Im never able to watch the programming but listen to it podcast style in the app. For what it is, a public radio app, it is decent and what it needs to be, but nothing more. For someone who's been using the app every single day for at least a year, I'd say there is two things the app is really missing.(#1 especially) 1--a 15 second forward and backward button 2-- app memory that keeps your spot when you can't listen to the whole show and possibly tells you which shows youve listened to so you know which you may have skipped. I would pay a monthly fee or "upgrade" to a "pro" version if there was one available in a heart beat. Since technically the public paid to create the app I get why it's not amazing but I personally would invest a lot of money into an app that has more features, more content and works better!! Make a better app option and the people will pay!!! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I have used several dissatisfying news apps for a long time and am so so glad I found Democracy Now! news app because it is the only in-depth investigative journalism of the truly important stories happening from around the world. Even HuffPost fails to bring Democracy Now!'s substantive inquiries and intelligent selection of what actually matters or issues of actual human interest---stories injustice, violence, oppression, climate science, government corruption or lies, erosion of freedom, and absolutely no distracting newsfluff about celebrities or entertainment news..... I love the Democracy Now! podcast, but I find the app even more useful in its quickly available offerings of either print or video content. This will be the app I tell many more friends about in person or on Facebook. I have always absolutely loved the show and even scheduled some appointments so I can drive while listening and have always told my clients and friends to watch on PBS or listen on Pacifica radio, but people just kind of look at me blankly because they don't really intend to follow those urgent advice moments.... so now I'll just tell them to get the app and they will easily see what I'm talking about.

I am thankful that I can listen to the newscast on my way to work without watching the video. When I’m home, watching the video is great—they have incredible guests—but I don’t always have time so the number one thing I appreciate about the app is that I can listen to the newscast without streaming video which eats up data. Since I’m here a couple things I appreciate about Democracy Now in general: The news is not often something to celebrate, and hardly ever is it good news but I think being informed is one of the best choices a human living in this time can make. Democracy Now sites their sources, allowing the public to find information out on their own. Another really important thing I think people should do: their own research. Don’t just take what newscasters say for the complete truth! Besides the fact that they generally have a limited time to cover certain stories (you can always learn more) you should be able to confirm or deny what you’re being told. Democracy Now gives you the tools to do that. This transparency is why I continue to return to Democracy Now to keep up with current events. Thanks DM!

OK, this app has really improved but there are still technical features that would be nice to have, such as notifications. However, it gets five stars for being the best news around. And Because I am seriously upset that the App Store will not allow users to search for it. I’ve installed this app three times now and each time I had to go and Google “democracy now app an Apple store” and don’t get my browser open the link in the Apple Store. It is apparently impossible to search for Democracy Now in the App Store. It doesn’t matter if you write it exactly the way it is listed including the !, It will not come up and instead you get a whole bunch of useless news apps. I’m not going to speculate on why this is but I would like to know if the app owner does know by any chance.