Where do you get your news?
It’s a conundrum. We’re drowning in “news coverage” but it doesn’t tell us what we need to know. How do we streamline our experience and get beyond the horse race headlines, both-sides-isms and federal-white-male centric news, without spending a small fortune? Here are some of my favorites.
These newsletters all have free versions:
- Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American. She puts the news in historical context. This is very important since our education system is so uneven. It’s hard to know what people were even allowed to learn, let alone what they were interested in learning. Subscribe here
- Robert Hubbell, The First Edition. He started writing this news summary for his family, and now provides this service for us. This is a great way to know what the mainstream media is doing without paying them or accidentally clicking on (and thereby encouraging) their disingenuous reporting. A nice feature: you can listen to him read it if you prefer. Subscribe here.
- Simon Rosenberg, The Hopium Chronicles. If you are looking for optimistic news to share, this is the place for you! The mainstream media makes money from bad news drama – they literally have no incentive to cover good news. Website and podcast too! Subscribe here.
- Jessica Craven, Chop Wood Carry Water. Feeling alone? This newsletter shares what people across the nation are doing and can do! Subscribe here.
- The 19th News Tired of only hearing about white males? This non-profit news site reports on gender politics and policy. Subscribe here.
Want to invest in some in depth analysis? Ditch the NY Times and Washington Post (you can get all the important articles from the free newsletters above) and try these:
- Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse Looking for in depth legal news? Joyce Vance will keep track of and analyze all the legal news for you from Abortion to Trump. Subscribe here.
- Marc Elias, Democracy Docket Marc Elias has fought for voting rights and election fairness every day in every state. Keep up with the fight and how Republicans continue to assault our democracy. Subscribe here.
- The Atlantic In depth analysis, especially on the authoritarian threat we are under. See especially the articles in the January 2024 issue. Their website and newsletter make it easy to read and share. Many articles have a read aloud feature. Subscribe here.
Want to listen? A lot of articles have a read aloud feature, but podcasts are fun too.
- Sisters in Law: Joyce Vance, Jill Wine-Banks, Barb McQuade, and Kimberly Atkins Stohr will pull back the curtain on how our government actually works, take on the corrupt, share their wisdom and give us their rulings on the latest in politics, law, and culture. Find it here.
- The Bulwark: Tired of mealy mouthed both- sides-ism? Listen to former republicans Charlie Sykes and his guests. They are not afraid to criticize the corruption and ineptness of the current Republican party. Also on youtube. Find it here.
- Rachel Maddow: Ultra and Deja News: Anytime someone says “This is not who we are” I am frustrated. We have always had a segment of our population that embraces authoritarianism, conspiracy theories, racism, homophobia and misogyny. Rachel Maddow brings her attention to detail and delightful storytelling to reveal the stories that show the cyclical nature of our history, and how people prevailed the last time. Find Ultra. Find Deja News.