The time has come to re-educate myself. And pay for it.
No, I am not going back to school, per se. But I am subscribing to the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and perhaps some other online news and analysis media. Or whatever we call informed sources these days.
I used to subscribe to both my local California newspaper and the New York Times. I read them faithfully every morning before work, even though the Times made me miss Manhattan something awful.
I quit print when I divorced – too expensive, I said, too hard to manage. Maybe too sad, reading papers on a small round Pottery Barn table in my apartment with mirrored closet doors. I had painted one wall red, like an Architectural Digest Upper East Side snuggery, to no avail. But I digress.
In any case, that personal storm and resettling absorbed all my ability to think. Then I started writing the blog. Again, mind occupied. Then, as soon as I mastered the blog routine and all that associated new information, I went back to work.
One of the really good things about work, besides exhilarating problem-solving, and productive teams, and a salary, is that people talk. I don’t mean gossip, or back-biting, or even collaborative discussion of work issues. I mean they talk about the world. And so I managed, still, not to miss my newspapers.
But now, 6 months into re-retirement, I find I am dumb as a stump with regards to anything outside my own sphere. And that’s not right. So finally, after a reader sent me yet another article link that I could not access, I started to pay for the New York Times online. To balance that dear, liberal world, I’m also going to have to pay the Wall Street Journal.
I’m looking for a few more good sources. My stepfather recommends Foreign Policy. And the Economist. I find reading the Economist to be rather like eating chocolate truffles; the box looks beautiful uneaten, but two bites in and I’m shoving it all back into the closet. I hope to persevere.
Do any of you have suggestions? My goal is to be informed by the brilliant experts, of all viewpoints. Although I am unrepentant in my liberal atheism I am always open to well-reasoned opposing opinions.
Thank you in advance. And perhaps, in a month or two, I will be able to understand American education funding, global energy strategies, and what on earth is happening in Russia. Or at least to know that no one on earth has it figured out.
I know I cannot hope to become an expert on any of these large topics, that’s OK. And I don’t plan to talk about my opinions, at least not here. But I would feel incomplete having none at all.
89 Responses
I read the NY Times online, but now you are convincing me I need to read the WSJ as well. Balance!
I think you’re looking for news sources, but I’ve come to feel I can’t live without The New Yorker, which often the most illuminating source for deeply reported and thought-out stories behind the news items of the day. Plus, you know, cartoons.
I miss adult intelligent conversation. The other night we had a dinner party, and embarked on a heated debate, bordering angry, but not quite, about the meaning of life – so invigorating! and having friends that one can feel totally safe to express extreme opinions – priceless.
I read online magazines from “other” countries – always refreshing to shake biased ideas: The Guardian, for good old British sarcasm, and recently – Vice – for excellent cover of the world and social issues.
I cannot get passed the Guardian’s left wing agenda, just not my politics.
I’m a Times woman.
When I manage to keep up with The New Yorker and Harper’s Magazine, I feel better connected and informed. Many years ago I read The Economist cover-to-cover, but haven’t gone back to it.
I confess I’ve become a news flibbertigibbet, and thus I don’t read any newspaper regularly. *hangs head*
I second Susan Champlin’s recommendation of The New Yorker. It is a fantastic publication, full of humor and insight, and often containing important stories that demand one’s full attention. Wonderful writers. And yes, the cartoons.
My Aunt Nancy, who is perhaps my favorite person in the world, only reads The New Yorker (she’s based in Rhode Island). Literally, it is the only periodical she reads. If it doesn’t appear in The New Yorker, she doesn’t know about it. So far she doesn’t feel like she’s missed anything.
I love The Week! You can get the American version, but there is a great UK version too. I love the FT for a global view too.
The FT weekend section is majestic!
@Erika, my 95 year old aunt does the FT polymath crossword every Saturday. Where the brain goes the body follows. She also reads the Spectator which she then passes on to me.
We watch the news on the TV and I listen to the CBC during the day….isn’t NPR a good source for news in the states?
I must say my world has opened up by going back to class to refresh my 40 year old French! Nothing like being thrown into the education system to jump start ones awareness.
Dumb as a Stump….no way, you graduated from Princeton!
@Bungalow hostess,
In my opinion, NPR news is the best!
@Bungalow hostess, NPR is the best, and you can multi-task while you’re listening to it!
I love the Week magazine which gives me a round up of everything in the past week.
Also the Daily Skimm in my inbox. At least that one makes me aware-and makes me smile!
Used to love the Wall Street Journal when I could filch it at work. (When I worked)
Find listening to a different radio station or picking up a magazine that I haven’t read before always opens my eyes.
And this weekend I am heading out to a girl’s weekend with 6 very accomplished and very intelligent women of VERY different leanings. A few days of convo with that group makes me think we could solve all the world’s problems if only we had one more glass of wine.
@Nancie Bartley, that sounds like erious fun…@ Lisa: how about a Summer summit?
@Nancie Bartley,
I used to read The Week, but there were way too many factual errors to continue my subscription. The numerous glaring errors threw a pall of doubt over everything.
I read the NY Times, the WSJ, and the New Yorker.
I almost never get to read it, but I like Wired. It’s not breaking news, but it does talk about current topics in its niche in an interesting way.
I like the Economist.
I find it is much easier and enjoyable to read if you do it while out on the deck in the sun, sipping a drink. It makes me feel very worldly. And you have to read while not in a rush. (Hence sitting on the deck, relaxing)
I also really like Conde Nast Traveler. Just for the pictures. And ads.
Oh, and for my iPad I really, really like Zite. Which pulls from a lot of different sources: huffington post, LA times, wired etc.
OMG and the Atlantic. Amazing articles. How could I forget the Atlantic???!!
I bloody love The Atlantic!
Two sources spring to mind – try thephilosophersmail.com and of course the Guardian
Although it is an investment blog Abnormal Returns covers extensive topics. I look forward to learning through reading many of the daily links. This might also be a good substitute to the Economist for economics and finance information.
http://abnormalreturns.com/
“Abnormal Returns has over its eight years in existence has become a fixture in the financial blogosphere. Over thousands of posts we have striven to bring the best of the financial blogosphere to readers. In that time the idea of a “forecast-free investment blog” remains as useful as it did seven years ago.”
Seconding The Guardian, which makes a point of being free. Also good for rounding things out are The Washington Post and LA Times. And The Atlantic and NY Review of Books (which makes some of their articles, and all blog posts, free). For the Ukrainian/Crimean situation, I’ve become devoted to (Yale/London School of Economics) Timothy Snyder’s writings. Search for him on Google News to get his latest.
I also have CBC on during the day, with news on the hour as well as a range of wonderful daily programs, including current events (The Current) and arts/culture/politics (Q).
As a fellow liberal atheist, I’m impressed at your desire to read the WSJ. When I was in public affairs, I read that (along w about 9 other papers), but now, I stick to the NYT and Washington Post. I also used to read the Economist and the New Yorker, but don’t seem to have the energy to do that. I try to listen to the “other” opinion as best as possible, but so much of the arguments seem more posturing than truly cogent arguments. Kathleen Parker, I exempt from that statement.
@Gretchen,
I agree with you Gretchen. But, I still feel that I should try out the WSJ.
My 91 year old mother reads The Economist every week, I have even quizzed her, and yes, she reads it and understands more than I do, I did not inherit my parents’ brains.
I love nothing more than reading print newspapers on Saturday morning, it’s the only time I am not up and out at 6.30am.
I get most of my news online other than watching Rachel Maddow, and suggest Slate Magazine, The Daily Beast and The Maddow Blog.
@Janie,
I love Rachel–as do many of my friends. She is so coherent.
I read my local Chicago Tribune, online subscribe to NYT, and always check the aggregator realclearpolitics.com to see which other articles are generating buzz from a variety of viewpoints although they do skew a bit rightward. RealClear also has subsections on Energy, History, Books, Markets (Financial), Science, Tech, etc. where the most influential articles on those topics are assembled.
I’ll just caution that too much can lead to burnout. Before I started my own practice, when I was at a firm and regularly home from work after 7-7:30 pm each night, we were receiving The New Yorker, Harpers, The Atlantic, The Economist, Scientific American, Tricycle, the NYT and WSJ and I’d skim local papers and CNN.com. One day, exhausted and cross-eyed from The Economist, I swept up everything I could find and recycled it. So there is also a box of chocolates element here, as in too much can make you queasy.
I think those two are good choices.
I was quoted in the WSJ last year and used that as an excuse to subscribe.
I skip their opinion pages, they are worth reading for business news. They cover the business side of fashion, and it’s interesting to read of the workings of that industry.
I’ve been a subscriber to the Atlantic Monthly ever since they profiled David Stockman in the Reagan Administration. I’m sorry to say that David Stockman, along with the WSJ is way too right for me, but I should give him some credit for getting me onto the magazine.
The FT including the weekend supplements and the Economist remain my favourites.The Guardian has dumbed down especially online and the feature writers bore me to tears. The NY Times has far better writing than the Guardian. I compared the quality of a book review in both papers recently and really thought the Guardian had lost its way. In my local cafe, I get to read the Wall St Journal, Le Monde and El Pais and if I am lucky he will let me take them home if he is closing up. But then this is Brussels and to get by at work you need to read the press of more than one language. And at the hairdresser,, where it can take forever in francophone cultures, I lap up Paris Match and Hola, and realise how much royalty is still out there other than the family we all know.
well, it might surprise you a bit but I decided to literally return to school other than all other media education I adopted feeling the same yearning. having a PhD in Literature, I am making all necessary arrangements to enrol (yes!) for a Master’s first, and then PhD in Digital Humanities!! what do you feel about this venture Princeton alumni?? appropriate for a sturdy gal??
by the way, thank you everybody for all this precious homework! now I have a working bibliography!!!
I also went back to school — from engineering to be a nurse practitioner! what the heck was i thinking?? (actually it worked out beautifully, and I absolutely loved being an older student) — lately I’ve actually thought about going back to school *again*
I like the New York Times, The New Yorker (which I’ve subscribed to for years and just let lapse, may have to re-think that). I also really like Andrew Sullivan’s Daily Dish which, while online only, often presents a variety of viewpoints and lots of world news/affairs, not just domestic. I also listen to the BBC World News sometimes in the car, through XM Satellite.
Having become an Independent through evolution, I find it necessary to read both the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal so that I can get both sides of the issue; which is why I’ve also included the Fox Channel, along with main media in my resource arsenal. I also listen to “talk” radio, which I find allows me to listen and learn while working on other projects. Again, I always like a balanced menu. Over the years, I’ve decided to reject the labels of “liberalism” and “conservatism”, and instead, form opinions based on “humanism” served up with a good dose of realism! Reading and listening is important…..but thinking is the end result.
We get the Wall Street Journal and our local paper (San Francisco Chronicle). They do balance each other out nicely!
Until about 2010 I got the New York Times and The Chronicle daily in hard copy. Now I get the New York Times, which I recently reluctantly re-abandoned in daily hard copy form for digital only, the New Yorker in hard copy and in digital (I share Susan Champlin’s idea of it as an excellent source of news of all stripes), The Nation, and the Wall Street Journal. The friend I’m staying with taught political science and economics, and he gets The Economist in hard copy but I find myself picking it up only to abandon it mid-article. I’m going to begin getting the SF Chronicle in digital form soon, because there are a few folks there whose work I love and want to support, as in for example John King and Michael Bauer. If you want going-out-for-the-evening add-ons, my friend is also a member of the World Affairs Council, and I find their evenings to be intelligent, informative, and topical. Until about 2008 I used to attend every City Arts & Lectures event, and it made me a much better informed person, as well as an inspired one. Sydney Goldstein is a treasure who curates extraordinary rosters of guests in areas such as fiction, science, and social studies. I will begin attending those lecture series again soon.
I am a junkie and like to read as much as I can get my paws on but I read most of the UK dailies – the guardian ( unlimited free), telegraph( i think 10 articles a month), the times ( one needs to pay) and also the independent. I think if one only reads news that one agrees with then there is almost no point of reading the news. In the US I see there is a lot of preaching to the choir which can produce either boredom or rage. I find the European weekend papers are THE best and probably one of the few reasons why I love living in London!
I get the NY Times and the Wall STreet Journal digitally, and read them for much the same reason you started up with them again. The odd thing is that once in a while the internal reporting in the NYT will be more conservative than the WSJ and vice-versa, so I always find them entertaining. I felt like a no-nothing for a while, and I would like to feel like I know something of the world. I am a liberal non-athiest who very often prefers the company and opinions of atheists but I don’t know if that shapes my reading preferences, it probably does. Anyway I do like the Economist, and if I am pressed for time I feel I can get away with that in terms of understand something of the world if I neglect other sources. Spiegel Online is a another good source, they have an English edition, and it is more liberal than most US papers but I would guess it is middle-centrist by European standards. I also read the Atlantic and Foreign Policy and I wish I could say I read the New Yorker more often. I enjoy the Financial Times, but don’t read it enough. The problem is I want to know what is going on but I also get kind of cantankerous if I don’t have time to just sit and read a good book occasionally as well as have a life.
Oh my just looking at all the gives me a headache.
I find the set up of most news sites–even notionally “serious” ones–steers readers toward the quickly changing non-news rather than toward deeper analysis of real problems. There are a few writers I trust; you must read Gary Younge in The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/profile/garyyounge for instance . For more indepth understanding of news that interests me, I steer more toward the serious end of the Blogosphere, e.g., http://crookedtimber.org/ and http://equitablegrowth.org/blog
And you might want to subscribe to the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books, as well.
Good luck!
NYT, WSJ, the New Yorker, Rolling Stone and the Washington Post. All online subscriptions except for the New Yorker (paper is best for travel) and the Stone, where we have a lifetime subscription.
I read email newsletters from theSkimm.com and quartz.com (offshoot of the Atlantic) every morning.
The Skimm is a little fluffy for me but I rationalize that it doesn’t hurt me to be aware of some fluffier stuff.
I also read the NY Times and NYmag.com every day (but then I do live in NYC). I used to subscribe to the Economist and still buy it whilst travelling. My husband listens to the BBC every day, usually 5Live (news and sports) and occasionally BBC4, which means we are well caught up on the new budget and changes to pension schemes (to be fair, he is English but hasn’t lived there since the 80s).
I like Quartz because it draws from a lot of sources including the Guardian, FT, NYT, Atlantic, WSJ, NYer etc and also has its own content.
I have an NYer sub but find I prefer to read on my iPhone, so I’m not sure what to do about the paper delivery. I don’t really want to buy a tablet.
:-)
Hi Lisa!
well, you got me with the photo.
“what is happening in Russia” Do you mean Russia-Russia or the Russian military invading Ukrainian territory?
I met Ukrainians during my stay on the Crimean peninsula, who teach and speak Russian.
It is confusing and I noticed the media is not well informed. I was privileged to meet them and have the chance to live with them. What I experienced as a bit discomforting (there was a lot of stress, mostly related to their difficult financial situation), was rewarding after all.
I can not tell you where to look for the correct information, but I would like to invite you to take a look at my “hands-on” photos from last May/June:
http://ratherthanfacebook.blogspot.co.at/2014/03/whereabouts-crimea-9-months-ago.html
What is your opinion on the Huffington Post?
greetings,
Paula
Just chiming in to add my recommendation to others of The Guardian. It does have a liberal left wing bias and that’s why I love it! It’s also free and you get most of the good stuff online (although there is a bit more in the print version). The Guardian has been actively annoying world leaders, which I think is only a Good Thing (TM).
I highly recommend reading news sources from outside your own country (particularly if that country’s news is pretty parochial.) I used to read The Guardian from New Zealand.
here’s the thing about The Economist: you have to start from the back. Start with the obit (they are in my estimation, nearly 100% fascinating). Then work you way back through the science and literature and culture section and through to the region specific sections. By the time you get to the top stories, you will have already learned enough basic info to decide whether you want an Economist analysis or not (but you’ve already absorbed all the other information, which is really why you are reading The Economist).
I agree with others who have mentioned The New Yorker. The most informed I’ve ever been was one summer when I worked a temp gig with a 45 minute bus commute each way – I got all the way through both The Economist and The New Yorker each week.
I read the Guardian online and am extremely grateful for it, I love the leftieness of it too! Sometimes I read and I think, thank heavens someone is writing about this. It helps (I’ve found) to read the UK version, not the US version – there’s a tab at the top so you can switch. That way you can also be aware of what is ‘important’ in another part of the world.
I read the NYT online some as well, but having gotten used to the Guardian layout I find the NYT online layout distracting. Still, it’s good for lots of things (NYRB if nothing else).
Also I’d like to plug both Ms. magazine (oldie but a goodie!) and BUST magazine.
@Hannah,
LOL, I was going to recommend this exact method for tackling The Economist! It is worth the effort, in my humble opinion, for exceptional writing, a refreshingly non-American viewpoint (speaking as an American, here), global coverage, and most of all, the puns!
I too highly recommend The New Yorker. It truly is stimulating and covers so much territory. I would be heartbroken if I didn’t have a subscription. Good luck with this project and please keep us updated on your progress!
For those who watch Fox, I suppose they never mentioned university study that showed Fox not only did not informed its viewers, it actually misinformed them! They would have been more knowledgeable of Current Events had they watched /read nothing at all than watch Fox!
And I am sure “the university study” was completely unbiased and had no agenda at all. I switched to Fox because it actually provided real information that I wasn’t getting with other outlets. As with most media outlets that I read, including the NYT, Washington Post, WSJ, etc., they all have an agenda they are pushing. A university study that states people are stupid who watch Fox obviously is biased. I know a lot of people who watch Fox now and they are very well educated and informed. We all read or watch many different news outlets to get a balanced view of events.
@AggieK,
Nancy, you said stupid, not me. I said “misinformed”. You sound biased yourself.
@AggieK, @Nancy, This is why I don’t talk politics much here:). Good people have strong but differing opinions, and I’m a big sissy when it comes to arguments.
I find many of the news sources very biased and I want to hear more about social justice/equality. About 5 years ago someone suggested “YES!” to me. It covers many of the current issues and offers possible solutions. If you haven’t read you may enjoy. http://www.yesmagazine.org/?utm_source=YTW&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=20140321
Everything on line, TV or radio…because I can’t bear paper clutter. (Having said that I prefer real books to digital.) The problem today is that there is so much to choose from, such conflicting opinions, and fair and balanced so seldom IS. (on either side). I want facts, not op-ed. Such a dilemma.
I subscribe to the New York Times (paper version) and read it front to back each day. That and the BBC World news website. A plus to this is the NYT’s Style section every Thursday.
Hi Lisa,
I admire your desire to get your news from a variety
of sources. You might try National Review( on deadwood). I started reading it when my children were young. When I graduated from college I spoke beautifully, but found staying home with my babies had reduced my vocabulary to yucky and icky. So I subscribed to National Review to enhance my vocabulary and challenge my reading comprehension. I had to skip the economics articles at first, but eventually was able to read and follow their arguments You may disagree with the opinions expressed, but the articles are well written.
Financial Times, esp their weekend cultural reporting. And Reddit, to balance out all the old people. and Metafilter.
The NYT and the New Yorker are the must reads at our house. Sometimes I buy the Atlantic, but I don’t want to subscribe because I tend to let magazines stack up until I get a chance to read them…
We often watch Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. When he has book guests on we are not familiar with we order their books. Very broadening for the brain.
Also read paper version of NYTimes. Sometimes The Atlantic. And sometimes The New Yorker.
I also belong to a book group and every month we spend some time discussing the actual book we’ve read and the rest of the time we talk politics (we’re liberal Texans all so we have MUCH to talk about in the current political arena). Belonging to a book group is pretty wonderful because it’s face to face discussion outside ones normal day-to-day routine.
I’ve recently become a fan of the writing in the Atlantic. And, for an intelligent and independent perspective, The Christian Science Monitor is very good.
WSJ and FT are excellent. The Economist, back to front as recommended, will give you story leads to follow online, time permitting. I also read Le Monde, Hola, and odd articles to keep the rust off my French and Spanish. (And sometimes I struggle with Der Spiegel.) But one can’t go far wrong simply listening to NPR while driving, cooking or sofa surfing..!
Have you heard of The Skimm? Google it up and check it out….it’s a great way to catch up with current events written by two women who used to be news writers for NBC….it’s kinda tongue in cheek reporting (including sources to refer to) and it quickly covers world news, sports in a daily email.
Such a wealth of resources here today!
I read one book in 2008 that has helped me to contextualize some of the formerly invisible underlying dynamics in much of the world news since. Invaluable, whatever one’s leanings. Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein
BBC World Update. Wide ranging and online. The country profiles are great for quick introductions to unfamiliar locations.
I love the paper NYT on a Sunday! It’s a wonderful, simple luxury.
The Economist is totally a dense truffle! Perfect description. You may want to try the audio version, free online – they have short audio and video summaries of their main articles every week. I find the British accents so lovely to listen to while doing the dishes, etc.
You may also want to try other podcasts, like This American Life and Planet Money, as well as Storycorps. And Radio Lab! These are more cultural storytelling than current events reporting, but still. Interesting and rich adult conversation. The audio format is so great for me.
I am enjoying the blog called fivethirtyeight.com.
the New York Times is a daily necessity.
You’ve reminded me to actually make use of my NY Times electronic subscription, Lisa.
The other thing I love is listening to my new fangled digital radio last night. It’s tuned to the Australian ABC News Radio and their programme list includes segments from NPR, the BBC and Deustch Welle. It’s my window to the world and it’s nice to end the night with a bit of thought provoking audio.
SSG xxx
Living in the USA, you can get the UK Guardian subscription at no cost. Liberal, notorious for it’s typographic errors, and some breathtaking comments to the articles. I read it daily and am thankful I’m now iving in the USA.. iPad & iPhone are separate apps.
I second NPR and The Atlantic. I listen to NPR and also peruse their website along with following them and The Atlantic on Twitter. I’m always finding interesting articles to share with my students and I feel both sources keep me in the know. I would love the Times digital but it seems a bit pricey for something I can’t physically touch (I’m an old soul, I guess). Best of luck and would love an update on the sources you’ll add to your list and also how you feel it’s worked out for you.
For home-grown content and presentation you can’t beat NPR, they make the BBC pale by comparison.
http://america.aljazeera.com/
I think they have more in-depth coverage of international news than the NY Times does at this point. Better fact-checkers too.
Don’t believe anything remotely sensational that you read online from a single source–check multiple sources, and give it a little time to get sorted out.
http://longform.org/
Long articles on many subjects from multiple sources.
Alas, i cannot be of much help on this…I do buy the new York Times to read on the train…but truly, I am informed via my husband who is an avid political reader and has plenty of time on his hand, not having to work as i do.We both are of opposite political views so it makes for some heated arguments. I save my time for reading contemporary or classic novels. My work life being in a turmoil and reaching a stress level that is incredibly difficult to manage, I look forward to my reading time on the train from Connecticut to New York. Also, I live in denial when it comes to current affair, really too depressing at the moment. Congratulations on your endeavors, I will look forward to reading mo0re on the current state of the world on your blog!
Subscribe to Twitter feeds of various media like Atlantic, NPR, etc. Puts articles in front of me that I might otherwise miss and let’s me pick and choose topics as I see fit.
If you can access today’s NYT, you will find Peter Baker’s excellent analysis of Vladimir Putin and his relationship with 3 US presidents (from Clinton through Obama) on the front page. Basically the US made serious mistakes in trying to befriend a man who does not value relationships.
Great post. I read New Yorker, Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Vogue, W, and the Sunday NY Times (because there isn’t daily delivery to my rural address) and People while I get my nails done a few times a month. Generally I feel like I know what people are discussing at parties. If I added the Economist and a few others mentioned here, maybe I would have something (interesting) to contribute to dinner table conversation.
At my house we enjoy the New Yorker just for having something fairly well written around. Usually my husband and I discuss a New Yorker article over our morning coffee.
People seem to be contributing two kinds of recommendations: hard news and magazine journalism. Reading The New Yorker (and I do) is not the same as being informed about what happened in, for example, Egypt today. For free in-depth coverage of world events, I like the English site of Al Jazeera.
When I’m busy or lazy I read the Sunday NYT back to front. Some weeks, not all that much happens and a weekly reading keeps me current.
good friends of ours also recommend Al Jazeera.
I’m a NYTimes, New York Review of Books, New Yorker gal. And remember the radio!
If you would like a healthy dose of liberalese, with a side of humor, from a media careerist, you can read my father’s blog on Cape Cod Today: http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/citizen?page=1 ;)
I recommend the dinner party podcast (http://www.dinnerpartydownload.org/). It’s an entertaining weekly onehour podcast full of tidbits that I don’t always get in my usual daily media consumption.
I’ve subscribed to the magazines Bust and Bitch forever and I appreciate their original content, music reviews, plus a smattering of food and style articles that often inspire me.
I am originally from Russia. I quit watching news after I had my son 5 years ago (too depressing), but now I am glued to CNN website watching what’s going on in Ukraine. My very good friend, a journalist for one of the Ukrainian tv stations, was beaten nearly into a pulp by some people in a police or army uniforms with no insignia. They also took all his camera equipment away and tried to take his jacket, but he is a small guy and the jacket was too small for these thugs. It is very sad to watch this beautiful country to go through yet another major upheaval. It seems to be happening every 50 years like a curse. As far as educating oneself… I read history books, mostly about American history as it was not taught well in Russian schools. I also subscribe to Architectural Digest, Town & Country, Art in America and People.
Wow.
May I suggest Common Dreams? I think it’s commondreams.org
I am amazed by all the comments and the incredible set of resources. This will take me some time to absorb, and then sort out. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I should have known that you guys would be highly and broadly informed. Thank you!
I’m shocked that no one has mentioned this yet, but you should consider National Geographic. I just subscribed as my new housewarming gift to myself. It has gorgeous photography, travel, politics, science – it’s the kind of thing that draws you in before you know it.
I am not nearly as informed as I would like to be but just don’t have the time right now. As a result, I use news briefs to get an overview and then look into particular issues further if I’m inclined to do so. Mine are: NPR, the Daily Show and the Daily Skimm.
London review of books. Just brilliant. http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/mar/09/london-review-books-lrb-best-magazines-world-mary-kay-wilmers
@lisa, My father would agree, I think. And the editor is 75? Booyah!
If you subscribe to The Economist, you can also listen to the audio edition. I find this to be a great resource. You can take care of other matters while someone reads the article to you. You can either listen to it on the website, or download it.
While I am not a fan of the op-ed page, The Wall Street Journal can now compete with the Times for solid reporting, without being as long-winded as the Times.
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