C-SPAN

C-SPAN is a not-for-profit public service network founded in 1979 with joint funding from cable television companies. Its purpose can be stated in a sentence: to broadcast the proceedings of the United States Congress exactly as they happen, with no commentary, presentation or interruption.

That format makes it unique. Sittings of the House and Senate are carried gavel to gavel, and even camera angles are constrained so as not to editorialise the debate. Beyond Congress it applies the same approach to press conferences, committee hearings, book interviews and campaign events.

For a reader who wants to see what a politician actually said, from the source rather than from a channel's summary, C-SPAN keeps one of the most open records in the world. Its archive is public and heavily used by researchers.