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Courtney Cook's avatar

To add to your excellent list:

Substack now has several news aggregators that are independent. Drop Site News and The Bulwark come quickly to mind. Remember that independent doesn't mean *neutral*. I know of no news source that is neutral. The BBC, NPR, Guardian, etc. all have a very observable lens, as does Drop Site and even Bulwark, which has an explicit non partisan mission. Even nonprofits have their click bait issues, but they are still better than the corporates. Local TV news stations in the US are now often owned by a single corporate conglomerate--look for independent, local newspapers, if possible. There is a new national print newspaper (a broadsheet, no less!) that focuses on regional, mostly rural reporting, called County Highway--the author Walter Kirn is one of the founders. There are also aggregator sites like "Naked Capitalism", which has been curating thoughtful, independent writing on economics since the oughts.

To repeat, all of these are sources of excellent writing, and they all do have a political--in the general sense--lens through which they interpret the world. But to me, it's fine that publications have a lens, especially when we read widely. What's problematic is when we read uncritically--when we read only to confirm what we already think. The trick is to read with curiosity.

I think X has gotten a bad name as a source, undeservedly. Its owner is clear about his lens, but tens of thousands of independent writers and journalists still post their links there and despite the rumors to the contrary, I find their work easily every day. I use the app's "lists" feature and avoid almost all of the scourges that others suffer. I don't know why this is not a better known feature as no other social media channel has it. It works much like my beloved Google reader used to work. By making my own lists on X, I choose what I see in my feed. Imagine what this means for a moment! I highly recommend learning how to use the "lists" function on X as a way to aggregate your favorite writing.

Above all, don't let the algorithm choose what you read. Instagram, Facebook, and Threads are all perfectly engineered to show you anything that makes you scroll and in general this means anything that makes you upset or insecure. They should never, ever be a source of information other than photos of your friends or new TV shows or things to buy.

For years now, I always look for a second and third source on anything I read that seems to have "clear" ramifications, because almost nothing is ever that simple.There is always more detail needed. There is always a verb or a phrase that shows what has been elided. Reading critically, as a reflex, even when I agree--especially when I agree-- has stood me in good stead, including all through COVID.

I love the reminder about seeking out long form writing! This bring us back to Substack, too, as a great source. I have also returned to reading proper, printed books when I wake up in the morning. I had lost the habit and am getting it back now, in part because I switched back to a dumb phone. But that's another story!

Thanks for shining the light, as always, Elizabeth!!.

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Caroline's avatar

Wow!! I love this!! And I’m so grateful for the shoutout.

A few weeks ago I saw Conclave. I’ve had a line stuck in my brain ever since: “certainty is the enemy of unity.” I kept hearing that as I read this. If we’re so focused on “templates” or on how things “should be” you’re going to miss so much. And probably miss out on some peace.

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