I watched this interesting YouTube video from David Pakman.
And I got to thinking about content creators and new media. Good context creators. How to support them, How to not just quit turning to the NYT and the Washington Post and even some of the crappy left-leaning sites. Since we mock them with references to Tiger Beat, why are we quoting them?
In the olden days, we had the blog roll. (Speaking of which, I probably haven’t updated that in 3 years – does anyone still use the blogroll?)
Anyway, just thinking out loud here, but I wonder if we might want to put together a list like that of good content creators.
If you think that’s a good idea, let me know who you think should be on it, and supply links.
If you think that’s the dumbest idea you have ever heard, you can let me know that, too. Just don’t be an ass about it as you do. :-)
KatKapCC
Not a dumb idea at all!
While I don’t always agree with them on everything, I find Mother Jones to be a good source with strong reporting.
TadoDad
Yes Yes Yes.
BeautifulPlumage
This is right where I’m at: looking into where I want my subscription money to go. I don’t want to subsidize Substack, however, so considering the platforms the outlets are on is important for me.
La Nonna
I have and would use the blogroll, that’s how I found balloon-juice. As an old and in Italy (no tiktok), and no social media except bluesky, it would be really useful for us.
RevRick
Politics Girl, Meidas Touch, Brian Tyler Cohen
Also, support other websites like TPM and Dailykos
oldster
Pro Public routinely produces genuine exposes and uncovers official wrongdoing. They are the true heirs to what the Post and Times used to be, and deserve our support.
I also want to put in a good word for Josh Marshall, who combines fresh reporting with political savvy and a staunch refusal to be a defeatist. His editorials are good stiffeners for Democratic backbones.
Bupalos
I think we should be thinking about ethical and effective content creators, and I probably wouldn’t characterize Pakman in there. Honestly I consider channels like his part of the problem.
His content is largely geared towards audience capture and monetization.
CapnMubbers
Yes, I use the blog roll almost every day.
WaterGirl
@La Nonna: The blogroll currently resides in the footer on every page of Balloon Juice.
Or are you saying you would use the “new” content creator blogroll equivalent?
WaterGirl
@Bupalos: Did you watch his video? He made some excellent points about content creators and how they are handicapped currently.
Excellent points about content creators whether you would consider him to be one of the good ones or now.
WaterGirl
@BeautifulPlumage:
Excellent point.
Ramona
I’d like a list, yes. I like David Pakman.
La Nonna
@WaterGirl: New content would be welcome
SleepyMonster
Let’s see, I read a lot of news for cross-checking, but for news that I actually believe when they write something, besides here, that’d be The Guardian, ProPublica, Techdirt and Slashdot, though slashdot is mainly an aggregator. Only news vlog i follow is Beau of the fifth column, which is ‘Belle of the Ranch’ now, I guess? But still good. Never been fond of video. I’d much rayher read.
WTFGhost
One of the fun things of the earlier blogosphere was the ability to find other clever, interesting people – I *highly* support a blogroll/tuberoll/tokroll.
(I’m sorry – I could take TikTok more seriously if they didn’t share a name with a wind-up brass man from the Baum Oz books – you had to wind up three keys, one for action (walking, picking things up, etc., one for talking, and, one for thinking.)
eemom
@WaterGirl:
Actually it’s not excellent at all. A lot of the best content out there is on Substack, eg Wonkette and now Krugman.
Rebecca S of Wonkette had an EXCELLENT rant last week about purity ponies boycotting the platform.
WaterGirl
@eemom: Do you not support considering the platforms the outlets are on as important?
I do.
There are some great people on Substack, but I believe there are nazis, also. Correct me if I’m wrong on that
We can identify the platform without excluding an otherwise good person from the list.
KatKapCC
I only wish David’s name was Clyde. Maybe if he has a son one day… :P
H.E.Wolf
Electoral-Vote.com is a blog with 2 writers*. It posts once daily, usually in the early morning USA time.
*soon to be 3
Z (the historian) usually writes the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday posts.
V (the more pessimistic blogger) usually writes the Monday and Thursday posts.
They co-write the Saturday Q & A post.
Sunday is readers’ mailbag.
Here’s a sample article. Note the Joni Ernst reference for a sample of Z’s sense of humor.
https://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2024/Items/Dec21-1.html
MattF
I don’t think there is any single source for the news you want to see, so you need an aggregator that lets you scan, filter, and choose. Apple News works for me.
KatKapCC
@WaterGirl: I mean, there are also a lot of horrid people on YouTube, aren’t there? But we all watch videos there and subscribe to YT channels. I admit I don’t know much about Substack as a platform or company, but I’m not clear why good people should not be read if they use the same general platform as crappy people.
Bort
I like Democracy Now, despite the fact that they put Award Winning Asshole Glenn Greenwald on there from time to time. I may not always agree with them, but they aren’t corporate shills. You hear voices of people that don’t make it into the news in other places.
WaterGirl
@KatKapCC:
Me at #17 above: We can identify the platform without excluding an otherwise good person from the list.
KatKapCC
@WaterGirl: Agree, but I guess I was asking regarding other people saying they don’t want to support or subsidize Substack. As far as I’ve seen, you can always subscribe to someone on there for free, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen ads on the free ones I read. So just reading something for free doesn’t seem to be subsidizing, at least not to any significant degree, and every single platform on the internet is going to have awful people on it. I mean, of course people can make their own choices and I’m not policing that. I’m just unclear in this case.
Softail
mostly a lurker here but I think it’s an excellent idea
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@H.E.Wolf:
Count me in as another vote for electoral-vote.com
Also too, while the Blogroll is at the bottom, it’s so tiny if you don’t think to scroll down, you don’t know it’s there. Perhaps putting it over on the right side.
Fair Economist
Absolutely have a list of sources you like. Interconnections are what let true social media – like the old blogosphere – work. Without them people must rely on the algorithms in fake-social media like X and Facebook.
WaterGirl
Nominated so far.
Techdirt
Democracy Now
Democracy Docket
Majority Report with Sam Seder
Joyce White Vance on substack or bluesky.
Substack
Harry Litman (Substack)
Heather Cox Richardson (Substack)
Paul Krugman (Substack)
Wonkette (Substack)
Timothy Snyder (Substack)
Ian Dunt Striking 13 (Substack, UK focus)
Oliver Willis (Substack)
Brian Buetler Off Message (Substack)
Will Leitch (Substack)
James Fallows (Substack)
Aaron Rupar’s Public Notice (Substack)
Jay Kuo
News
Plain Dealer aka cleveland.com (newspaper)
The Guardian (newspaper)
Philly Inquirer (newspaper, non-profit)
Baltimore Banner (newspaper, non-profit)
Middle East Eye (news, Middle East focus)
Recombobulation Area (newspaper, Wisconsin focus)
High Country News (news, West focus)
The Cascadia Advocate (news, focus on the Pacific Northwest)
Independent News
ProPublica (independent news organization)
Mother Jones (independent news organization)
Talking Points Memo (independent news organization)
Rewire
Political Podcasts
The Professional Left (podcast)
Daily Beans (podcast)
Law and Chaos w/ Liz Dye and another (podcast)
Belle of the Ranch (podcast / YouTube)
Blogs
Terry Kanefield (blog)
Electoral-Vote.com (blog)
Daily Kos (blog)
Marcy Wheeler (blog)
Digby’s Hullabaloo (blog)
Charlie Pierce (Blog)
YouTube
Politics Girl (YouTube)
Meidas Touch (YouTube)
Brian Tyler Cohen (YouTube)
The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak in-country reporting on Ukraine(principally (Substack)
The Downballot (Substack)
BlueSky
Christopher Webb on bluesky.
Sherrilyn Ifill on bluesky.
La Nonna
@WaterGirl: Grazie mille
MazeDancer
Daily Beans Podcast is good. Resisted for a long time. But is a painless way to keep up with news.
On MSNBC Lawrence’s show – and Rachel’s – as a free podcast the next day is always excellent. The Weekend crew is surprisingly sane and pointed. Sometimes, Joy Reid can be good. As can Ali Velshi.
Actually, usually enjoy Rick Wilson’s podcasts. And anything with Stuart Stevens.
Speaking of content, can anyone rec any Holiday rom-coms? My niece suggested one with a “hot rabbi” ploy.
Despite being semi-Jewish adjacent having lived in NY for decades, never met a hot rabbi. Or hot minister, either.. And many rabbis – and all clergy – are women these days. But the blonde female lead had so much plastic surgery/filler/botox couldn’t watch.
Have seen every classic rom-com, many times Looking for new mindless material,
WaterGirl
@La Nonna: I googled that thinking it was a site I had never seen before. :-)
Fair Economist
@WaterGirl: There was also a nomination for Mother Jones, which I second. Don’t always agree, but they still do in depth reporting which is getting rare as hen’s teeth.
Steve LaBonne
The Guardian is far from perfect, but it is neither billionaire nor corporate owned and is worth supporting. If your local paper is not entirely fishwrap it’s also worth subscribing to (as I do to the Plain Dealer’s website, cleveland.com).
WaterGirl
@MazeDancer: If you’re on Netflix it seems like they have been adding a dozen holiday rom-coms a day since the election.
dc
The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, in country reporting on Ukraine (principally), also Substack:
https://www.counteroffensive.news/
nickdag
This is where I strongly feel the Democratic Party could step in. They might not be the content creators, but they could coordinate, elevate, encourage, train, and highlight content creators.
We Dems need our own ecosystem, and if the Dem Party is to survive, it needs to do *something* to this end. And, as the party is the, well, the party, they have the most resources and are best placed to do exactly what you’re talking about doing.
WaterGirl
@Fair Economist: I swear I had the on there – it was the first one – but I see that I didn’t. Good catch.
dc
The Downballot (also Substack), daily newsletter (Morning Digest) is free, reporting on races all over the country down to the most local. https://www.the-downballot.com/
Mr Longform
I use the blog roll to link to a couple of old reliables. Why not add some substacks like Heather Cox Richardson’s?
KatKapCC
@WaterGirl: I almost did, too!
WaterGirl
@MazeDancer:
I always listened to her Jack podcast even though she annoys the hell out of me because I love Andrew McCabe – though I haven’t listened to that podcast since the election, guessing that it has ended since no more prosecutions.
So I have never listened to Daily Beans.
WaterGirl
@nickdag: Did you watch the video up top? He outlined the issues with that coordination not occurring now (except the Biden Admin at least had an office related to that) and suggesting that we need that coordination now in order to have a fighting chance.
I totally agree.
WaterGirl
@dc: Kudos for being the one person who added a link!!
edit: for both of your suggestions! ! :-)
Ph64n
Dear WG: great idea! I would chip in suggested sites, but they are already listed above.
schrodingers_cat
@MazeDancer: If you don’t mind subtitles, you can’t go wrong with Jab we met (when we met).
Sure Lurkalot
I recommend Aaron Rupar’s Public Notice Substack and The Professional Left Podcast.
https://www.publicnotice.co/
http://professionalleft.blogspot.com/
ETA See these two are already listed but they need all the pointers to their content possible!
WaterGirl
@Ph64n: You could always help me categorize the ones that aren’t in a category yet. :-)
Omnes Omnibus
@WaterGirl: I read Balloon Juice even though Steve in the WTF and Baud comment here.
WaterGirl
@Omnes Omnibus: Best argument yet! :-)
WaterGirl
It seems like mistermix had a couple of posts where mentioned a couple people he was following, but I didn’t get a chance to read those posts. Anyone recall who those folks might have been?
PsiFighter37
Speaking of blog rolling, it does make me wonder what the late, great Steve Gilliard would have thought about these times. He was a unique voice who has been missed for the better part of 20 years now (it is crazy it has been that long).
Starfish (she/her)
This is a great idea.
I did not join BlueSky (yet.) The search for the latest, greatest thing has been harmful to our ability to pay attention to longer content. It sacrifices accuracy. And it allows for emotional manipulation.
I am trying to pay attention longer, be influenced less by propaganda, and not give my emotional energy to things that are a waste of emotional energy. I am subscribed to some newsletters, and I have been watching some YouTube. I get some good links from Slack and DIscord sometimes.
Do we still have a blog roll somewhere? I am not seeing it.
WaterGirl
How would you categorize these?
Techdirt
Belle of the Ranch (podcast / YouTube)
Democracy Now
oldster
@dc:
Here’s another upvote for Tim Mak’s reporting from Ukraine. He has been a vital source for on-the-ground information practically since the day of the invasion. If you care about Ukraine, he deserves your support (I subscribe).
WaterGirl
@Starfish (she/her):
The blogroll has resided in the footer on every page of Balloon Juice for the past 5 years. :-)
The Audacity of Krope
It might do us some good to characterize this list by type of content, too; distinguish daily news, deep investigations, cultural commentary, or even just feel good or cheerleading type content. Let people know what to expect in short so we aren’t blindly clicking links just to see.
WaterGirl
I’m not sure about including podcasts from MSNBC – I am sort of thinking of this list as an alternative to the mainstream news sources.
Thoughts and opinions on that?
frosty
Newspapers: Philly Inquirer, Baltimore Banner. Both non-profits … well, I guess all newspapers are these days but these two are intentional.
No national or international news in either one. Both very parochial for their hometown and there are far too many “Best places to eat” type articles. They’re not the only ones though. I’m still getting the free daily email from the LA Times and skipping all of the “100 best restaurants in LA”.
Newsletters: Timothy Snyder (substack)
Podcast: Law and Chaos (Liz Dye and another)
ETA: I’d call TPM a blog
KatKapCC
@WaterGirl: There was this post from last week where he lists:
I suppose for the first two, it could just be the sites in general, not necessarily only those authors.
dc
@oldster: I also subscribe, but there is a free part to each post as well. I’ve really liked the Taiwan reports as well as reporting and stories on Ukraine.
Mousebumples
I endorse the Recombobulation Area. Wisconsin focused, but that works well for me. It’s a part of CivicMedia now, which is Madison based.
Miss Bianca
@WTFGhost: So I am not the only one who thinks of Oz when I see the name TikTok!
Mousebumples
Also, speaking of Bluesky – starter pack here – https://go.bsky.app/Vd5CXK3
Let me know if you’d like to be added.
I’m @Mousebumples.bsky.social
WaterGirl
@frosty: Thanks, frosty.
JWR
May I recommend Background Briefing with Ian Masters ?
Formerly of Pacifica Radio & KPFK, it’s usually about an hour long, with either two or three separate guests. Yesterday’s program was quite good, being all about the Trumps and Musks and the damage they’ve already done. Oh, and I wanted to share an excellent interview from last Thursday:
She seems a bright light in an otherwise bleak media landscape.
Starfish (she/her)
@WaterGirl: Did we drop LGM? With the Angry Black Lady Chronicles not having been updated in a year, would Imani mind if we linked to the broader Rewire Newsgroup site? I think the abortion issues are still very important.
Steve LaBonne
@WaterGirl: Talking Points Memo is a non-corporate, very worthwhile source of political news and analysis from a mainstream Democratic perspective. Josh Marshall was trained as a historian and brings that perspective to his political commentary (as of course does professional historian Heather Cox Richardson- didn’t check to see if she’s been mentioned yet but her Substack posts / emails are pretty much obligatory).
frosty
Is anyone still reading Brad DeLong? I haven’t even checked to see if he has a site for years.
ETA: James Fallows (substack I think). Free email but he cuts off the last part of his post unless you’re a paid subscriber.
WaterGirl
@Steve LaBonne: Yeah, I subscribe to TPM, I’m just not sure how to categorize them since they have actual reporters who do more than blog. So I think it’s more “news” than blogging. No idea how to categorize.
Geminid
I’m getting more and more news from Middle Eastern news sources these days. That could be because I’ve been following Middle East news a lot.
Anyway, Middle East Eye– which actually is based in London– has a good article today by Ragip Soylu and Fatima Taskomur. The headline is, “Why the Turkish Foreign Minister and Syrian leader sipping tea became a viral meme.”
It’s accompanied by a picture taken Saturday night of Hakan Fidan, Turkiye’s formidable Foreign Minister and Ahmad al-Sharaa, the Interim President of Syria formerly known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. The two men are sitting on a terrace overlooking Damascus, sipping coffee (or tea?) as they chat while surveying the brightly lit city below.
Legend has it that Mt. Mayioun is the site where Cain slew Abel back in the day. More recently:
There’s more in the article and I will attempt a link. Maybe I can hit the the broad side of the digital barn this afternoon.
http://https//www.middleeasteye.net/trending/turkish-foreign-minister-and-syrian-rebel-leader-become-viral-meme-materialising-lif
Ed. looks like I missed.
Mr. Bemused Senior
One of Adam’s posts led me to Perun, “An Australian covering the military industrial complex and national military investment strategy…”
Very worth watching.
WaterGirl
@Starfish (she/her): You made me look!
You’re right, ABL hasn’t posted anything on Angry Black Lady Chronicles in over a year, so I deleted that one. As i said, I haven’t updated that in at least 2 years, maybe more.
I already had rewire on there – it’s toward the bottom under News.
LGM is on there, with the words spelled out. Do you not see it?
Ohio Mom
I didn’t know we have a blog roll but I guess should have — BJ is a full service blog after all.
raven
Will Leicht has been featured here and he’s also on substack. He lives here in Athens and is an Illini so what’s not to like? He does lean to the sports side but has great political chops as well.
John S.
@Steve LaBonne:
The Guardian is great for news, but their editorial section is awful. It’s just a bunch of tankie left and so-called progressives that just love to hate Democrats. Except for Robert Reich, who I have enjoyed for many years.
Steve LaBonne
@John S.: I have indeed been very disappointed in their US political commentary. At least it errs in the opposite direction from the crypto-Republicanism of the big US papers.
oldgold
Digby’s Hullabaloo at https://digbysblog.net/
ArchTeryx
@WTFGhost: The first robot in fiction, actually. He predated Rossums Universal Robots by decades. He also was a creation of the Fair Folk so wouldn’t work in our ordinary world, only in fae country. His insides were clockwork, but they required fae magic to actually function. Early Arcane Artificer technology!
I found it hilarious that the Chinese owners of TikTok had no idea where the name actually came from. I’d wager close to 0% of the kids that use it don’t have any idea who Tik-Tok is, either.
Jacel
I’d add Heather Digby Parton, whether at her own venerable Hullabaloo blog (digbysblog.net) or at Salon. Salon also has Amanda Marcotte pieces and other good items among the clickbait.
frosty
Another newsletter: Jeff Tiedrich.
Steve LaBonne
@WaterGirl: I think of it as a small independent news operation, sort of the same category as ProPublica. It also usefully aggregates stories from the mainstream media which helps make it unnecessary to frequent those sites oneself.
Miss Bianca
@Mousebumples: I hadn’t been planning to set up a BlueSky account, but a writer friend of mine has recommended I do it. I think she thinks I need to stake a claim to my name on the platform or something.
WaterGirl
@Steve LaBonne: Super helpful. I just put it in with ProPublica and Mother Jones, and changed the name of the category.
WaterGirl
@frosty: I find him annoying. Do you and others here generally like his stuff?
ArchTeryx
@Jacel: Digby’s always been something of a doomer but some of her other posters are first class, and her own insight, when she isn’t dooming everyone to death, can be quite incisive.
Steve LaBonne
@ArchTeryx:
Ha, didn’t know that. I was wondering all along how the Chinese came to be acquainted with one of the more obscure inhabitants of Oz. (I bought my daughter, when she was a preteen, all the Dover reprints of Baum’s Oz books and read them myself. Something I recommend.)
JWR
@Geminid:
Yes, Middle East Eye! That one’s been in my News bookmarks ever since you recommended it months, (years?), ago! Some good reporting there.
NotMax
@MazeDancer
Mentioned before, the Swedish TV series Home for Christmas on Netflix. Two seasons of six episodes each, so easy to binge watch. Fun, without all the syrupy Hallmark trappings.
While on that theme, annual list of some thumbs upworthy Xmas time films:
The Man Who Came to Dinner
The Coca-Cola Kid
The Ref
The Dead
Desk Set
Rare Exports
Three Days of the Condo
The Thin Man
Lady on a Train
In Bruges
The Shop Around the Corner
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang
Remember the Night
A Bill of Divorcement
.
Gretchen
@oldster: Josh Marshall also has a PhD in history so he has an interesting and informed perspective on current events.
My favorite podcast is http://professionalleft.blogspot.com
frosty
@WaterGirl: I haven’t been annoyed with Tiedrich yet. I’ll keep an eye out though. I only read his stuff when someone links to it – I haven’t signed up. Maybe I’m just seeing the good stuff.
KatKapCC
@WaterGirl: He’s a good anger translator. I appreciate that he never tries to gloss over anything and is very clear about how effed up the GOP is. But I can definitely see why he would not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Geminid
I ran into a site covering news from the Pacific Northwest that looked promising. It’s the Cascadia Advocate, put out by the Northwest Progressive Institute. Editor Anthony Villaneuve and reporters cover political and other news from Oregon, Washington and Idaho with some stories from British Columbia thrown in.
Here in Virginia, Cardinal News has some good coverage of stories from Southside and Southwest Virginia.
WaterGirl
@KatKapCC: Thanks for that.
dc
I believe High Country News is a good source for out West reporting.
https://www.hcn.org/
The Audacity of Krope
@KatKapCC: Chris Titus works best for my anger translator. He isn’t always the most accurate, but his vituperation is top quality.
ue
@Steve LaBonne: If you just read the first book yeah, he’s pretty obscure, but he pops up a lot in the subsequent books, including the immediate sequel. It’s kind of telling that he’s the official Army of Oz (like, the entire army) because he’s the only one that actually is willing to go in and fight. The rest are all officers and just want to give orders. The oxymoron of military intelligence goes back a long way.
Oz was also the first fantasy world to have an organized fandom, as in, they held conventions and the like. That was no small feat in the early 1900s, when train travel was the only way to go any real distances, and the trains were not that fast.
Sure Lurkalot
@KatKapCC: I think Tiedrich’s newsletter is good wrt its content and also see how people might not like his highly stylized presentation. He reminds me of the Roy character on Ted Lasso who everyone remembers for the overwrought “fuck” lines and not how he evolved into a sensitive human being.
Still, I think Tiedrich is worthy to be on a BJ list.
Gretchen
I also enjoy the Bob Cesca show, especially the Thursday show that he does with David Ferguson (T-Rex), an Athens, GA musician, and Jody Hamilton, showrunner for the Stephanie Miller show and Carol Burnett’s daughter. Bob does an interview show every Wednesday and he recently did one with the Professional Left couple. It went so well that they are considering having them come back once a month or so.
https://www.bobcesca.com
CaseyL
Are we including analysis as well as original news reporting? Are we including international sources?
If the above answers are “Yes,” then I recommend another Substacker, Ian Dunt, for anything UK-related. His substack is “Striking 13” (shoutout to Orwell, TYVM). No, or very little, original reporting, all analysis.
Miss Bianca
@dc: My very own Ark Valley Voice also does a lot of good regional/Western reporting, with an accent on investigative reporting on local authoritarian and white nationalist outcroppings. Plus, bonus Adam Silverman!
JWR
Another one I’ve never had any trouble accessing even though it’s on Slate:
WaterGirl
@CaseyL: The answers are Yes and Yes. Double-yes on analysis. :-)
rikyrah
Donald Trump is a white DEI hire (@Needle_of_Arya) posted at 5:44 AM on Mon, Dec 23, 2024:
In the Age of Trump, the LA Times will quite quickly become unreadable.
Watch it bleed daily readership like CNN has done with viewers.
(https://x.com/Needle_of_Arya/status/1871159867240747077?t=xYqByAnLLK-AVMWwxb_G_g&s=03)
Bex
@Gretchen: Stephanie Miller is on Political Voices Network. Among her regular guests besides Bob Cesca, are Glenn Kirschner, John Fugelsang, Jo Jo from Jerz, Hal Sparks…and lots more.
Omnes Omnibus
@Sure Lurkalot: I’ll confess that I avoid Tiedrich because a number of his fans are annoying about their fandom. It created an unreasonable aversion.
oldgold
Marcy Wheeler https://www.emptywheel.net/
Central Planning
@WaterGirl: I no longer subscribe to people on Substack because of the nazi (and other) elements that openly post there.
For the blogroll, maybe it gets updated monthly/quarterly, and doesn’t have an overwhelming number of sites.
Also, how about a list of sites we don’t like, again updated in a regular basis? Like a un-blogroll?
WaterGirl
@Central Planning:
Yeah, that’s disturbing.
Agree, not too many sites, regular updates, maybe quarterly.
Can you say more about that? You’re not talking about removing sites from our list? More like a list of stay away from these because of X reason?
WaterGirl
@oldgold: I should have thought of Marcy!
Baud
On Blue sky some people were saying substack now had some kind of partnership with Bari Weiss’s group. FWIW
WaterGirl
@rikyrah: As soon as the LA Times said all article about Trump have to be pre-approved and anything negative about Trump has to have a pro-Trump story alongside it – I knew they were turned to shit.
WTF?
WaterGirl
@Baud:
Remind me, who is Bari Weiss?
Geminid
@JWR: Middle East Eye has been very good for reporting on recent events in Syria. Ragip Soylu, their Istanbul bureau chief, began working as a journalist in 2010 and the Syrian Civil War broke out in March of 2011, so Soylu has spent most of his career reporting on this war. He’s one of several Middle East Eye reporters with a good base of knowledge regarding Syria.
New Lines Magazine is another good source for news and analysis of events in the region. Lebanese-British reporter Oz Katerji, who is best known for his reporting about Russia’s war on Ukraine, highly recommended the Syria reporting of New Lines editor Hassan I. Hassan.
The Audacity of Krope
Full time grifter profiteering off performative opposition to cancel culture.
Gretchen
@Bex: I think she has Charlie Pierce from Esquire on sometimes too. I love Charlie Pierce: https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/
WaterGirl
@Sure Lurkalot: Is it a NYT newsletter, or a personal newsletter he puts out that the NYT has no control over?
Asking because I’m thinking this is an alternative to mainstream media list.
WaterGirl
@The Audacity of Krope: Sad to say, after the past week, I’m not sure I trust your take.
Hoping others will chime in as well.
jonas
@WaterGirl: Audacity is correct.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl: The take is correct.
Gretchen
One of the things Driftglass complains about at ProLeftPod, which burns me too, is how all the people who have been wrong all along, like Bill Kristol and David Brooks, are still being paid plenty to offer their opinions. Same with the people who spent decades building the Republican Party to be the mess it is today, like Rick Wilson, Tim Miller, Nicole Wallace, are being paid the big bucks in case they’re finally right for once. And people like Digby, Marcy Wheeler, Driftglass and the others who have been warning of the direction of the Republican Party since Gingrich and knew that Iraq would be a disaster are still regarded as dirty hippies and kept far from the tv cameras.
nickdag
@WaterGirl: Oh I’m embarrassed that I did not watch the video first! Thanks for the reply, and I’ll definitely watch it. Glad we aren’t the only ones with that idea.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Free_Press_(online_newsletter)
Another Scott
I have many sites I scan for news, but not so many “content creators”. Here are a few that might fit.
BlueVirginia.US, mainly Virginia-centric political news, but every (weekday?) morning has a long list of headlines with some in-line commentary.
The KyivIndependent news feed – Lots of headlines with an obvious emphasis on the Ukraine war and how US, EU, and NATO policy is affecting the fight.
StatesNewsroom.com and their associated MD and VA papers.
Cheryl Rofer’s Nuclear Diner blog for commentary on nuclear issues, arms control, women’s rights, and more.
https://mastodon.social/explore – for a quick (non-algorithm-driven) look at what seems to be blowing up on social media.
https://xcancel.com/Fritschner – for up to the minute breaking news about what is happening in the House.
https://cepr.net/blog/dean-bakers-beat-the-press/ – Dean Baker’s always clear and level-headed discussion of economic issues, economics reporting, etc.
It would be nice if there were another golden age of blogging. Doom scrolling and emojis are not making us better informed or happier. 🤪 Slowing down, reading more, and thinking more, would help all of us.
Thanks.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Lumpy
I nominate (or 2nd) these sources:
Al Franken podcast (weekly podcast with lots of ‘serious’ mainstream writers as guests. It’s good to hear them speaking conversationally, which seems to feel much different than reading them). https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-al-franken-podcast/id1462195742
Majority Report with Sam Seder: daily podcast with former Air America host. Sam Seder has IMO incisive takes on current events, plus lots of informative interviews. Regular guests include David Dayen, Ryan Grim, Digby, etc. https://majorityreportradio.com/
Empty Wheel: deep dives on legal cases and current events. An authoritative source on topics like Russian election interference, Justice Dept, the Hunter Biden case, etc. https://www.emptywheel.net/
The Guardian – for daily news
WaterGirl
@jonas: @zhena gogolia: @The Audacity of Krope:
Okay, three for three. Sold! thank you.
The Audacity of Krope
Why look something up when you can gratuitously insult someone?
WaterGirl
@The Audacity of Krope: It wasn’t my intention to insult you, but I clearly did. I am sorry for the insult. I have just been so shocked / surprised by you in the past week or two that I hardly know what to think.
prostratedragon
Joyce White Vance on substack or bluesky.
WaterGirl
@Lumpy:
Two were already on the list, and I added the third.
This one I’m not so sure about. I’m thinking good sources for political news and analysis, and I’m guessing this is more general interest conversation with writers?
Kind of the like the Talking Feds, but different?
comrade scotts agenda of rage
Drop Vox. And why would we want to put LGM on the blogroll? Yeeee-ikes.
WaterGirl
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: The blogroll says last edited in 2019. I think it was more like 2020 or 2021, but still, it’s an old list.
Baud
I don’t even see the blog roll on the mobile site.
Jackie
@Starfish (she/her):
Forgive, WG, but I’m not seeing a Blog Roll either. On cell phone.
WaterGirl
@Baud: @Jackie:
Is there no footer at all on the mobile site? No, there it is. Its’ the dark purple area that’s just under Social Media.
Hit the down arrow and it takes you right to the bottom.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
Oh wow. That’s hidden.
Matt McIrvin
@ArchTeryx: Tik-Tok is a great character but I would argue that robots in fiction go back to classical antiquity–Hephaestus has a bunch of them toodling around his workshop in the Iliad! (Since he’s a literally god-level engineer rather than a sorcerer, I’d argue that they are supposed to be mechanical beings made with superhuman ingenuity rather than something like a golem.)
prostratedragon
@frosty:
Brad DeLong has moved his blog to substack. It is active of late.
Matt McIrvin
@rikyrah: This could be much like Twitter/X in the age of Elon Musk: in an age of open corruption, it doesn’t matter whether a media outlet is successful in any traditional sense as long as it kisses the right ass. Musk may have driven X into the ground but he’s clearly gotten vast wealth and power out of flattering Donald Trump and will continue to do so for a while at least.
AWOL
@Bort: Jill Stein. Assange. Nader. Mate. Farty Ol’ Michael Moore. Yammerin’ asswipe Cornell West. A whole ton of other shitheads.
If they’re anti-Democratic Party, Amyista Goodman will host them. She’s too stupid to be an asset. She just wants to play Girl Revolutionary. Maybe she’ll grow up before she kicks or gets indicted like Bernard White.
WBAI-Pacifica, which she emerged from like the Toxic Avenger, is such a fecal waste.
The OP is on-target—I don’t watch the news. Some sort of valid blogroll would be helpful.
Old School
@Jackie:
It’s right under the link to Balloon-Juice’s YouTube page.
The Audacity of Krope
So, let’s work on this.
I mean, I know why. I’m broadly more angry at Democrats than Republicans right now and I’m intent on showing it. You, however, are very committed to the success of Democrats.
And look, my values haven’t changed. I’m not going to start voting Republican. I’m angrier at Democrats for their behavior this year, so many dumb issues all year, for the same reason I would be angrier at my boyfriend than the dog if both shit on the floor.
Both should know better but one led me to expect better.
Lumpy
@WaterGirl: Al Franken gets political writers and pundits like Franklin Foer, Dave Weigel, Norm Ornstein, Molly Jong-Fast, etc. It is mainstream Democratic political takes from well-known sources. The guests are on the show for the entire episode, so it can be in-depth. i think it can be interesting to hear things discussed in a conversation, rather than reading an essay.
Lumpy
I like Democracy Now, and if there can’t be a range of voices on the blog roll, then I would question the usefulness.
Grown-ups are free to ignore the sources they don’t care for, without childish insults.
WaterGirl
@The Audacity of Krope:
I can appreciate your anger.
You said I am very committed to the success of Democrats, and you are right about that.
Are you not also very committed to the success of of Democrats, no matter how badly this election turned out?
Jackie
@WaterGirl: Found it. Tiny print inside the blue box at the veerry end. Maybe it should be featured more prominently?
Jackie
@Baud:
Agreed!
WaterGirl
@Lumpy:
Did I miss something? Because I don’t know where that’s coming from. Unless you mistook my not being sure which group they belong with for thinking they don’t belong on the list at all?
*I will admit, though, that they are too tote-baggy for my personal tastes.
WaterGirl
@Lumpy: Ah okay, I did not get that impression re: Al Franken from whatever I read above. That makes sense for inclusion. thanks.
WaterGirl
@Jackie: But it’s right there with the comment policy that we want everyone to read! :-)
Okay, I will rethink the location. :-)
The Audacity of Krope
I voted my usual straight D ticket this year. And I loved Kamala Harris. But Democrats fundamentally broke my respect for them this year. They chose bigotry at every turn that I can see.
-Promoting Islamophobia in our foreign policy and stochastic terrorism directed at student bodies
-Ageism
-Treating the electorate like it’s too dumb to even attempt to push back on the ageism
-White Democrats acting like the career of our black Vice President is worth sacrificing to protect their own careers
-Clear little pockets of racism directed at black and Latino men
-The general waffling about trans folk
So, no, I had been committed to Democrats. They’d rather compete for the votes of bigots. I only vote for individuals now, Party designation is to be ignored.
prostratedragon
Christopher Webb on bluesky. He also has a couple of starter packs, Resister Starter Pack and Resist and Persist.
prostratedragon
Sherrilyn Ifill on bluesky.
Lumpy
@WaterGirl: I was responding to another commenter who denigrated Democracy Now in a very trollish way. I didn’t feel like tagging that person. Sorry for being unclear.
Sandia Blanca
In addition to many of the above (TalkingPointsMemo, emptywheel, Digby, Jeff Tiedrich, etc.), I have recently started reading both Heather Cox Richardson (https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com) and Jay Kuo (https://statuskuo.substack.com/), both on Substack. Both are very good at explaining complex topics.
Jackie
@WaterGirl: LOL!
Matt McIrvin
@The Audacity of Krope: Ok, but… since the Republicans are maximally committed to hate and corruption at this point, isn’t that going to amount to the same thing? Unless you’re planning on just sitting out a lot of elections, or voting for spoilers?
I really have zero commitment to the “Democratic Party” name; it’s just a team designation–but strategic voting based on my policy preferences ends up leading to my voting exactly as if I were a reflexively partisan Democrat. Doesn’t prevent me from kvetching about them sometimes.
Central Planning
@WaterGirl: You got it – the ‘un-blogroll’ is a list of sites we don’t recommend people go to. Maybe it’s sites that “don’t appear to reflect BJ values” so it’s clearly subjective and not a statement of fact.
Anyway, it was just a thought. IDK if the potential hassle is worth it.
Mo MacArbie
I think Kevin Drum’s site itself prominently features a blogroll, if you’d like to crib from there.
Whatever happened to Juan Cole? Is he still blogging somewhere?
The Audacity of Krope
@Matt McIrvin: So there will be a few changes to my political approach because of my break of trust with Democrats.
For starters, making politicians the focus of your political activities or the President the focus of your assessment of the state of politics is effectively abdicating responsibility to those people. Voting is the least salient political activity I participate in, so less focus on politicians and more on groups out there helping others.
In terms of voting and the parties, though, there are options other than not voting or voting for spoilers. Parties can be an excellent resource for finding worthwhile volunteer opportunities. And if I do want a third party to have better prospects, maybe helping it develop a local presence so it can win a state house seat.
Democrats, by and large, showed their ass this year. Elizabeth Warren has been one of my favorite people in public policy for decades, well before she ever ran for office. I don’t even think I could vote for her ever again as things stand. She still is the best advocate for effective programs to assist and protect working Americans, but nothing will get me past the fact that she underbussed the best President in my lifetime on those same issues because pushing back on media narratives is too inconvenient.
Getting the issues exactly right and being smart and capable are all very important, but pale to the simple strength of character to stand up for the truth and for your allies.
eemom
Here’s the post from Wonkette’s Rebecca S about purity ponies vs. Substack that I mentioned. Worth a read imho.
WaterGirl
@The Audacity of Krope: I can’t respect the path you are choosing. Among other things, third parties were the cause of some of our losses.
However mad you are at Democrats, they are the only game in town if we want to keep our values and have a chance at winning.
I’m sad for you and hope that at some point soonish you can see another path.
Starfish (she/her)
@WaterGirl: Oh! It is in the political blogs section. That section is long.
The Audacity of Krope
@WaterGirl: But Democrats don’t protect my values. They protect a handful of my social values, as long as the polls look ok, and are every bit as committed as Republicans to ensuring a handful of oligarchs can buy everything and rule us instead of the government.
Joe Biden stood out for doing the right thing a few times this year, AOC, Kamala Harris. Some others, not too many. And the party made sure they were all punished.
I honestly am starting to believe that even though Democrats are technically better right now, Republicans might be more fixable. Especially here in MA where they can’t even win an election involving more than one zip code. And helping the growth of a new party would be less about elections and more about having an impact in your community, if you’re doing it right.
Besides, if we go by the usual script, the Democrats are going to be even worse in four years. They’re going to convince themselves that the real problems were that they ran too far to the left and nominated a black woman. So in 2028 only cis straight white men who support a balanced budget amendment need apply to the Presidential primary. Then they’ll win, not because of this approach, but because they’re the only other game in town. So we continue to stagnate and Democrats will continue to convince themselves that stagnation is the best we can hope for.
Matt McIrvin
@The Audacity of Krope: Whoa. Anti-Democrat because they weren’t supportive enough of Biden and Harris? That’s the opposite of… almost everyone else I’ve talked to with this set of attitudes, who tend to be down on Democrats because they’re down on Biden and Harris.
The Audacity of Krope
@Matt McIrvin: These Donorcrats only support themselves and they exploited Harris.
Bupalos
It’s interesting to read through these reactions and think about what we’re looking for in this kind of source list. It seems to be largely “an aggregator or host that presents the information, sources, and spin I like and agree with already, and want to hear reflected back to me…and filters out the one’s I don’t like.” Indeed, these are the most successful content channels on both the right and left.
The idea of staying away from eg Tim Snyders substack content because lots of people who we don’t like also have substack accounts just seems bizarre.
How about just “this is the most knowledgeable person commenting in this field.” I don’t find any value in generalist perspective presenters like Pakman or Amy Goodman trying to package a certain brand of “common sense.” They make you dumber and their primary interest is in monetizing a perspective via algorithmic conformity and framing. The idea of a single place or person selling expert perspective on the latest developments in world news generally including events in Russia, Ukraine, Syria, South Korea, etc etc is basically just bullshit.
geg6
@MazeDancer:
We had a hot priest at our church when I was a teen. He really was a hottie.
The Audacity of Krope
This is a very cynical outlook. For the record; of all the creators mentioned on this thread, the few I recognized and don’t watch are because I agree with them too much.
For example, Meidas Touch comes across mostly as click bait outrage farming. These are things that outrage me too, but having them aggregated and constantly feeding my outrage is a waste of time.
Brian Tyler Cohen is a cheerleader. Which is fine, but not edifying and I got bored after a couple months of having a left take of the same stories everyone was already talking about, even though I wasn’t getting left takes anywhere else. I’m not looking to be told how to think. I want new info.
Robert Reich, meanwhile, his videos focus on 101 level information. This is great, wonderful even. I’m not the audience.
All people I’m familiar with, good quality production, I agree with, and have no interest in watching.
Because some people value shop their media, there’s a reflexive notion that anyone criticizing the media falls into that group. The radical centrists are particularly fond of pushing this type of argument regardless of the tenor of the actual discussion. So, maybe try engaging with the conversation being had here on Balloon Juice. Include an excerpt of someone making whatever argument it is you would like to criticize. Because the only mention of not supporting platforms due to ideology Is have seen on this thread was not a matter of having a different ideology but of bringing money to an organization that is platforming violent radicals.
WaterGirl
@eemom: I will front-page that tomorrow.
EthylEster
I use the blog roll everyday.
i comment here about once a month.
FelonyGovt
I like Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition newsletter. However he is on Substack, to the extent that’s a problem for people.
jame
Paul Krugman is on fire! He’s always worth reading.
brantl
@WaterGirl: AoK isn’t wrong, she’s a propagandist with a fake university in Texas.
The Audacity of Krope
Also too; obligatory, if late, music cue.
Jager
@nickdag:
Audacy Broadcasting (former CBS radio stations, Greater Media stations, etc.) They went bankrupt recently to the tune of 1.9 Billion, Now as a private company, they believe the solution to their problems is to do stupid shit like put the 4th sports talk station on the air in NYC. George Soros owns 80% of Audacy and should exert some liberal influence and get Audacy to put a few liberal talk stations on the air in some of the struggling markets!
Darkrose
@Steve LaBonne: I do not support the Guardian. Like nearly all of the UK media, they are virulently transphobic. The US edition is a little better—their staff actually pushed back—but in general, I don’t feel comfortable giving them my money.
Also their science and health coverage is absolute shit.
ceece
I like Bolts Media: https://boltsmag.org/ .
It features Daniel Nichanian (Taniel on twitter and bluesky) who does an amazing job with local elections and voting rights. Other writers focus more on criminal justice reform.
No One You Know
A recommendation from BJ always merits a look. I loved blogrolls and welcome whatever the new form might take– as long as it doesn’t always force video. I read fast and prefer quiet. Situational awareness has become more important now for me.
TurnItOffAndOnAgain
@The Audacity of Krope:
Or in other words, I’m sticking with the daddy that hits me because mommy didn’t block every strike.
WaterGirl
@brantl: ugh.
CODave
@oldster: THIS! He studiously avoids inflammatory language. When everyone is running around, rending garments, etc., he’ll point out the hyperbole and offer a more reasonable reading.