What unlikely places do you get actual journalism these days?
May 11, 2017 3:30 PM Subscribe
What unlikely places do you get actual journalism these days?
By 'journalism' here I mean places that actually put effort into their reporting - research? talking to sources? interviewing experts? tying in to the greater narrative of the story? anything to do more than simply repeat and regurgitate news items, to add value to the reporting and bring the gestalt of a story together.
For this concept in my head, my go-to examples come at political/daily news from strange angles, like the classic Teen Vogue (who I subscribe to), the unlikely Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and Someecards of all places.
But I very much do NOT mean only political news. Example: general technology site Ars Technica has long been a place that puts effort into their stories and has spawned several subsites focusing on different aspects of technology, and where basic Journalism 101 acts like sending a couple emails and knowing the backstory turn a simple press release into a love letter to the semi-fraught reboot of a classic game.
Basically, I am interested in hearing about any subject matter, whether it's fascinating to me personally or not, covered by anybody who seems to give half a shit about their remit.
By 'journalism' here I mean places that actually put effort into their reporting - research? talking to sources? interviewing experts? tying in to the greater narrative of the story? anything to do more than simply repeat and regurgitate news items, to add value to the reporting and bring the gestalt of a story together.
For this concept in my head, my go-to examples come at political/daily news from strange angles, like the classic Teen Vogue (who I subscribe to), the unlikely Merriam-Webster Dictionary, and Someecards of all places.
But I very much do NOT mean only political news. Example: general technology site Ars Technica has long been a place that puts effort into their stories and has spawned several subsites focusing on different aspects of technology, and where basic Journalism 101 acts like sending a couple emails and knowing the backstory turn a simple press release into a love letter to the semi-fraught reboot of a classic game.
Basically, I am interested in hearing about any subject matter, whether it's fascinating to me personally or not, covered by anybody who seems to give half a shit about their remit.
Best answer: A couple of years ago the United States Naval Institute started USNI News a blog-style news site on issues relevant to the U.S. Navy. Officially the U.S. Naval Institute has no tie the United States Naval Academy or the U.S. Navy, but because it is based on the grounds of the Naval Academy and consists of mostly active and retired Navy personnel it is a unique look into the U.S. Navy. It's biases are readily apparent, but the reporting is professional and often interesting. For example, their story on Trump's "You going to goddamned steam, the digital costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it’s no good" quote in Time magazine includes details you don't see in more mainstream reporting.
posted by RichardP at 4:02 PM on May 11, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by RichardP at 4:02 PM on May 11, 2017 [5 favorites]
Best answer: You don't mind niche interests? Well, the O-Zone is the web's best resources for varsity sports at The Ohio State University. There's some commentary as well, but they continue to exist because of their reporting. They don't just speculate; they watch practices, talk to coaches, and a lot of times talk to players directly. And it's not just for major sports like football and basketball. They have excellent coverage of sports like wrestling and hockey, and some good coverage of men's volleyball (where we just won the second of back-to-back national championships), among others. OSU offers more varsity sports than all but a handful of other schools in the NCAA, so there's a lot of work to be done, and they do it. A lot of really amazing original photography as well, not all of it sports-related. When we renovated our Main Library a few years ago, they posted a photo tour before it was reopened to the public. Oh, and it's old-school as hell. The current site design is their modern redesign, after having literally the same template for 20+ years.
There's also the better-known Eleven Warriors, which is similarly-focused, but IMO not as good. Less original reporting, more commentary, and more focused on major sports (although still some items about the obscure ones).
Less niche, This American Life runs several excellently-reported stories every week on a wide variety of topics. I do not understand how anyone can go through life without listening to TAL.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:19 PM on May 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
There's also the better-known Eleven Warriors, which is similarly-focused, but IMO not as good. Less original reporting, more commentary, and more focused on major sports (although still some items about the obscure ones).
Less niche, This American Life runs several excellently-reported stories every week on a wide variety of topics. I do not understand how anyone can go through life without listening to TAL.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:19 PM on May 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Esquire, of all publications, often has great journalism. As a bonus, Charlie Pierce writers politics for them.
posted by General Malaise at 4:22 PM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by General Malaise at 4:22 PM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The New Yorker has been amazing for the last couple of years now, if it's not already on your list.
posted by Mchelly at 4:33 PM on May 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 4:33 PM on May 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Streetsblog! I've learned a ton about transportation, of course, but their reporting really touches on just about every area of urban (and even not-so-urban) life.
posted by ferret branca at 5:25 PM on May 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by ferret branca at 5:25 PM on May 11, 2017 [3 favorites]
Best answer: It's not unlikely, but I think NASA Watch is one of the greatest sources of space news out there.
posted by Rob Rockets at 7:46 PM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Rob Rockets at 7:46 PM on May 11, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Reveal's podcast specializes in long-form (full and multiple episode) investigative journalism.
posted by The Deej at 10:07 PM on May 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by The Deej at 10:07 PM on May 11, 2017 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The New Yorker might seem obvious, but the best to me still. it feels more like a who's who to some people in terms of their 'hint slant', but I like seeing the consistency over the years. They move & tend to get a wide range of backgrounds. It's kind of incredible. You can sort of ballpark this general snapshot by watching The New Yorker, The Weekly Standard, Washington Post, and The New Yorker. You can also follow specific Atlantic writers, Sports Illustrated. I like to check on specific people just for their background. If that sounds boring just think of it like baseball. I need a friend to keep me motivated here
posted by semaphore at 8:14 AM on May 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by semaphore at 8:14 AM on May 12, 2017 [2 favorites]
Metafilter More of an aggregator, of course, but I often find links to solid reporting on a variety of topics. And Facebook, for that matter, depending on what pages you follow.
posted by LonnieK at 4:13 PM on May 17, 2017
posted by LonnieK at 4:13 PM on May 17, 2017
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posted by BlahLaLa at 3:39 PM on May 11, 2017 [7 favorites]