Re: In search of good news

On June 1, 1980, CNN, the world’s first 24-hour television news network, made its debut. There’s zero doubt that CNN changed news forever. But underneath the banner of “news” are several types of journalism at work including, broadcast journalism, business journalism, entertainment journalism, investigative journalism, opinion journalism, political journalism, sports journalism, watchdog journalism, and my favorite kind, photojournalism. 

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But the true news revolution came with the advent of the internet. 

Of course, institutional news networks like CNN, The Chicago Tribune, and News & Observer  hedged on the new medium, but independent news websites started to emerge (i.e. The Drudge Report became famous in the late 1990s when it broke the Monica Lewinsky story).

Today, the news industry is fueled by immense advertising dollars and subscription models. Facebook, Twitter, Apple, and Google devote enormous amounts of resources to ensure news is part of their digital offerings. For all of us, it’s overwhelming. 

Every day we experience anxiety-inducing news. In fact, a recent study linked news addiction to not only poor mental wellbeing, but physical health too. The study states, “People with an obsessive urge to constantly check the news are more likely to suffer from stress, anxiety, as well as physical ill health.”

Forming good habits for news consumption is an incredibly difficult task, but over the years I’ve slimmed down how I engage it. For example, I read newsletters or listen to podcasts. I don’t watch news on the television. Axios earned my respect for their dedication to brief and matter-of-fact content. Their mission is to get you smarter, faster on what matters and their perspective helped me reshape how I consume all news. 

If you’re struggling with how you consume the news, I hope the below resources help you find signal over noise. 

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