The fast-changing news media landscape is making me dizzy. I thought I was doing enough by reading three papers: the New York Times, the Washington Post (my hometown paper) and the Wall Street Journal. But more and more, it feels like it’s not enough, which is particularly troubling for someone like me who grew up in a time when news mostly came from the local paper, the nightly news broadcast, and maybe a public radio station. That was like a 100 years ago, right?
But seriously, is there really anyone who can keep up with all the news that’s being generated today, and work a full-time job and get seven hours of sleep a night? Consider all the not-to-be-missed sources of reporting that have emerged recently. Buzzfeed, the site made famous by its GIFs of adorable animals and embarrassing mishaps, is now featuring original reporting on serious topics like the NSA and national security. Prominent young journalists like Ezra Klein and Nate Silver have given up their respective perches at the Washington Post and New York Times to launch their own online news outlets, bringing along many talented and serious reporters with them.
Then there’s the slew of investigative reporting outlets. Glenn Greenwald, the most hated or loved journalist in the world, depending on your perspective, has started his own site, The Intercept, with a clutch of similarly gutsy/borderline criminal (again, depending on your perspective) journalists who are funded by the deep pockets of a tech billionaire. Pro Publica, which has been around longer, continues to do solid reporting that’s well worth reading. VICE News, long dismissed by many (including me) as news for the Rolling Stone-set, grabbed attention last summer with their insightful and serious reporting on the emergence of ISIS, one of the most important stories of the year that most other news organizations missed.
Yahoo! is getting more serious about news with big-name hires like Katie Couric and David Pogue. And if you want to stay up-to-date on the tech industry, you’ll also have Re/code on your daily reading list.
In short, it seems if you don’t want to miss a big or influential story, you’ll have a very long reading list. But that won’t work for most of us, who have jobs, families and outside interests. That’s why I’m adding only one more publication to my daily read, bringing the total to four. Now, I just need to figure out what the fourth one will be.
