"Top News of the Last Week or So" type sites?

September 19, 2016 8:45 PM

I don't keep up with the news on a daily basis and don't wish to, but I would like to have a general idea of the big U.S. and world news. I can't seem to find any sites that give just the top news of the last week or so. Any recommendations?

All the sites I find either focus on in-depth analysis of issues ("An Examination of How ISIS is Recruiting Members like the New York / New Jersey Bomber"), or they focus on breaking news ("NY, NJ Bombings Suspect Charged With Attempted Murder"), when I don't even know there was a bombing in New York or New Jersey. Are there any sites where I can go to find out just the very top big news for the last week or two ("Car Bomb Explodes in Los Angeles" "Massive Earthquake Hits Lima") without having to sort through all the related news ("Authorities Still Searching for Car Bombing Suspect" "Lima Without Power for Third Consecutive Day")?

posted by Bugbread to Media & Arts (14 answers total)

What about The Week? It's really more of a magazine and might require a subscription to access all the content, but it does what you want.

I also find that NPR's Morning Edition and.... whatever the afternoon equivalent is?????.... works this way. Yes, they cover ongoing stories and tend to assume you have heard of ISIS, know there's a presidential election going on, etc. But they also tend to provide a lot of background information so that listeners tuning in for the first time in a while aren't completely lost. If you can handle waiting thirty seconds, they'll get you up to speed. Definitely stuff on the level of "there was a bombing in NYC over the weekend and maybe you weren't watching the news this weekend" is where they're at.

Another thought. This is embarrassing, but... Buzzfeed News is really good at this.
posted by Sara C. at 8:56 PM on September 19, 2016

I subscribe to an email service called "need to know" or "N2K" which gives 7 or 8 headlines every weekday morning about 4:30 pacific time. It includes entertainment and sports and it is NY oriented but it makes me feel like I'm not totally clueless.
posted by janey47 at 8:58 PM on September 19, 2016

hmm, I know of a site called Need 2 Know (recently switched to a daily email, though) that sums up the days big events in one or two sentences.

or you could add the current events portal of wikipedia to your bookmarks bar and check it when the urge strikes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events

on preview, janey47 beat me to it!
posted by carlypennylane at 9:00 PM on September 19, 2016 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions! Need 2 Know sounds great, but I'm not so keen on email newsletters. Buzzfeed News isn't working for me (won't show me any news other than Japanese news, even if I set the Buzzfeed country to "US"). Wikipedia, though, which never would have even occurred to me, is perfect. Thanks!
posted by Bugbread at 9:25 PM on September 19, 2016

I'm an outsider, so, outsider opinion here, but: you won't get this from American media. The tabloid culture is too embedded, and the organisations that resist this go too far in the opposite direction with the in-depth analysis stuff you're trying to avoid.

I'd recommend the trifecta of ABC/BBC/CBC (Australian/British/Canadian Broadcasting Corps). Since I'm Canadian I'm mostly familiar with CBC, but between the two radio shows The Current and As It Happens, you'll be pretty well versed in what's going down.
posted by mannequito at 9:46 PM on September 19, 2016

Response by poster: Also, thanks for the NPR, CBC, etc. recommendations but I shoulda been more clear: I'm looking for text or text-and-photo stuff, not audio or video.
posted by Bugbread at 9:51 PM on September 19, 2016

If you're willing to pay for a subscription, the Economist does this exact thing, starting off each weekly issue with Politics this Week and Business this Week section.
posted by BusyBusyBusy at 11:44 PM on September 19, 2016 [2 favorites]

The Guardian Weekly is great in the print edition. I've never tried the online one, but it's worth a look. Although the regular Guardian is a UK publication, the Weekly edition is more international and also includes articles selected from other papers.
posted by the long dark teatime of the soul at 1:23 AM on September 20, 2016 [1 favorite]

Have you looked at Wikipedia's current events section?
posted by Bruce H. at 1:48 AM on September 20, 2016

There's an email service caked The Skimm which summarizes news, I can't remember if it's daily or weekly. I personally found the way they summarized kind of annoying and I have no idea how they're doing with election stuff this year, but it's an option you can look at.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 3:30 AM on September 20, 2016

The Economist also has an app called Espresso, which is short snippits of news for the day, but is for subscribers only.
posted by GnomePrime at 8:09 AM on September 20, 2016

Harper's has a Weekly Review blog, and you can subscribe to their email list on this page (far down on the right side). They combine top national/world stories with some news-of-the-weird kinds of things, and it's the only email subscription I look forward to receiving on a weekly basis.
posted by craven_morhead at 8:21 AM on September 20, 2016

For context, here is todays N2K email, including embedded advertisement:

Good morning! Don’t be a sh*tty person today. (Some words to live by, from our friends at Spoiled NYC.)

1. TERROR SUSPECT SHOT
GOT HIM: Police arrested 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami, who they believe planted bombs in New York and New Jersey last weekend. It came after a dramatic police shootout in Linden, New Jersey, and only hours after the NYPD had set off a cell phone alert asking for the public’s help to find him. NY DAILY NEWS

WHO HE IS: Rahami lived in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He’s a naturalized US citizen, born in Afghanistan. He traveled there multiple times, including in 2011, but was not on the radar of law enforcement. Here’s what we know about him: CNN

2. ZIKA-FREE
The CDC lifted its travel warning for Miami's Wynwood neighborhood after Florida’s governor declared the area free of the Zika virus -- but pregnant women are still encouraged to postpone nonessential travel to the area. It’s been about 45 days since any new Zika cases were discovered related to local mosquitoes. ABC NEWS

And everyone is celebrating at LIV like…

3. BRIDGEGATE
Prosecutors argued in court that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie knew about the George Washington Bridge lane closures in 2013 while they were going on. Two of his aides allegedly caused traffic problems in Fort Lee as revenge against the city’s mayor, a political rival of Christie. WASHINGTON POST

4. TOTAL RECALL
Kellogg is recalling about 10,000 cases of Eggo Nutri-Grain whole wheat waffles in 25 states. The company says tests revealed they may be contaminated with listeria. RECALL ALERT

Doesn’t syrup kill bacteria?

5. POLITICS
Former President George H.W. Bush plans to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in November-- a sign of his dislike for GOP candidate Donald Trump. A member of the Kennedy clan posted a photo of Bush and said, "The President told me he's voting for Hillary!!" POLITICO

SPONSORED POST
HOOCH
Introducing HOOCH, a members-only cocktail app that gives you a FREE drink a day - EVERY DAY - at hundreds of top-shelf bars and restaurants. For a limited time, get your first month on HOOCH for only $1! That's a buck - or what you likely can find in the couch cushions - for 30(ish) drinks! (Normally $9.99/month, less than the price of a single cocktail.)

Download today and sign up using invite code "need2know"!

CHECK IT OUT NOW

6. TRANSPORTATION
AAA says paying more for premium gas could be a waste of money, especially if your car is designed to run on regular gas. Its research found the premium gas doesn't increase horsepower or fuel economy, or reduce emissions. MARKETWATCH

7. TECH
Waze is launching a new "Where to Park" feature on its app. It looks at real-time parking traffic, directs drivers to the best spots and tells them the price. THE VERGE

8. BUSINESS
GoPro unveiled its highly-anticipated Karma drone. It’s designed to be easy to use and fit into a backpack. The Karma goes on sale next month and costs $800. Some analysts believe GoPro's future is riding on the upcoming holiday season. FORBES

Has anyone hooked up a GoPro to a dog to see what they’re looking at? Are we freaks?

9. ENTERTAINMENT
Jim Carrey is being sued for wrongful death and drug violations by the husband of his late girlfriend, Cathriona White. Mark Burton says Carrey gave White the powerful painkillers she used to commit suicide last year. THR

10. SPOTTED
... Crocs, on the runway during London Fashion Week. Designer Christopher Kane covered them in rhinestones for his new collection. SEE PICS

Who's going to tell Mario Batali?

11. LEFTOVERS
Kate Moss is launching her own talent agency and lifestyle brand, Kate Moss Agency. “I don’t really want pretty people, I want people that want to sing and dance and act — I want to create stars,” she says. VANITY FAIR

She also wants the ‘90s back, but so do we.

RETWEET
@Conanobrien: I love autumn in California… watching the leaves change color because they’re on fire.

AND THAT'S WHAT YOU 'NEED 2 KNOW' ON
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2016
GOT NEWS YOU THINK WE
'NEED 2 KNOW'? EMAIL US HERE.
posted by janey47 at 9:51 AM on September 20, 2016

The Current Events portal on Wikipedia has a top section with topics in the news and then has high level stuff for each day, so you can scroll down to a week ago and read through in reverse order.
posted by soelo at 10:08 AM on September 20, 2016