Why Shortwave Radio will soon be your friend.

When the "national emergency" hits, whatever it may be, all communications in the United States will fall under government control. AM/FM stations will be ordered off the air except for officially approved news bulletins. Televisions will find "V-Chips" activated by the government to block reception of all programming except that which carries the authorization code to allow viewing. The internet will go down to prevent communication from/to parties interested in maintaining a Constitutional government as "terrorists are using the internet as a means of communication". CB and Amateur Radios will be available, but transmitting will result in a multi-thousand dollar fine and/or jail time for unauthorized communications during a period of national emergency.
Where then will a person be able to get news?
Shortwave radio!
The shortwave band, which starts just above our AM radio band and continues upward in frequency, is used by many nations around the world to communicate news and information to citizens in their respective countries and other listeners around the world.
Here is a list of stations currently broadcasting in English:
[link to www.primetimeshortwave.com]
Radios normally come with AM/FM/SW modes but serious listeners should consider a radio which additionally has SSB (Single Side Band) capability. This mode of audio transmission sounds like Donald Duck talking when heard on an AM radio. SSB is used by various military organizations and also by Amateur Radio operators in other countries. Two widely used military SSB frequencies are 8992 and 11175 kilohertz.
Although some nations will undoubtedly heed the request to limit news on/from America, I cannot see other stations like Radio Havana Cuba, Radio Moscow, or Radio Beijing being willing to obey instructions from our "new" government. Foreign Amateur Radio stations will certainly be on the air discussing events in America.
I do not recommend one brand of radio over another. A source for radio reviews is [link to www.eham.net] or you can pick up a copy of Monitoring Times or Popular Communications at your local newsstand.
The list at primetimeshortwave can give you an idea of what frequency ranges your radio will need to cover. A radio listed as "continuous coverage" (meaning no breaks in the frequencies covered) would be the best to consider.
Thanks.