i recommend identifying some indie journalists that are local or focus on a subtopic youāre interested in and following them (twitter and bluesky have a lot). just first skim their profile and check the outlets theyāve written for in case there are red flags (i can rec some US ones if u want!)
i also above all recommend finding your nearest newspaper - in the US you usually have some sort of ātribuneā or other local newspaper. if you arenāt in a metropolitan area i recommend additionally following one from your closest metro area (if not, your state capitol).
if you have a local NPR affiliate they are generally reliable and free.
your local news might only be one of those acronym-number tv ones (FOX11, ABC7 etc), but their stories are free, report on a variety of topics, and usually better than CNN imo (**be mindful they still tend to publish random copaganda crime stories)
also, local papers almost always still report out on national news and big international news
you also donāt even need a paper subscription, a web subscription is typically cheap. usually $10-30 for a year
all that said - local newspapers can still be biased, but IMO it can be easier to spot the BS when you know the issues local to you. if you know your mayor has sucked because he is funding a shady project and heās cutting budgets for something that fixes an important issue in your town, and an article comes out on the issue getting worse but doesnāt mention the budget cuts or only quotes the mayor without fact-checking or adding further context ā thatās suspicious and you know to be weary of what else that paper is putting out. but if they do publish a nuanced story with multiple sources, background context, and seems to be fact checked, you can then approach other things they publish with less apprehension. itās an imperfect litmus test for news
Sep 3, 2024
Related Recs
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depending on your experience level and writing portfolio, a lot of smaller and independent pubs are fairly accessible for budding music journos. if you have a solid story idea and interest in getting into music journalism, editors will be receptive to that!
for the portfolio part, reviewing local shows or writing short essays and publishing them on a personal blog or substack can be a great starting point.
for publications: iād reccomend new feeling co-op! Iāve written for them a few times and theyāre so kind & are all about helping new writers find their voice in music journalism.
Feb 8, 2024
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if my bunk ass town has one yours definitely must. that's the #1 place to go if you want to get covered - they're usually starved for content and jump at the chance to cover something local - especially if it's diy and artsy
Sep 7, 2024
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the range of news given in newspapers is kind of incredible. there are so many options and you donāt have to scroll through the websites and hope to spot something interesting. youāre exposed to news and stories from places you had no idea existed. my only problem with them is that they donāt have the whatās showing in cinemas section anymore.
Feb 22, 2024
Top Recs from @marxinista
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being traditionally cool is really quite boring and iterative, and itās actually very cool and sexy to geek out about something you like or share bits of knowledge on a topic youāre passionate about
Aug 17, 2024
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i had it for a little over a year until i was like wow this is actually terrible! i genuinely think it has negatively impacted society by ruining peopleās attention spans, having a horrific algorithm, and most of all by the most mind-numbing or outright harmful trends -
fake words that people now use IRL (āunaliveā), trad wife tiktok, shein hauls, body-focused fitness vids that encourage fatphobia and unhealthy habits, shallow political/feminist theory and queer discourse, āalpha maleā podcaster tiktok, encouraging overconsumption in general, trends ruining local spots or niche thingsā¦ the list goes on
Aug 17, 2024
a million times cooler than the lackluster āsleekā tech color palette used today
Feb 22, 2025