The daily political writers I should be reading
November 16, 2024 8:41 PM Subscribe
I generally read WaPo, NYTimes, my local paper, AP and Reuters(email updates) for a quick overview, MeFi. I usually read Heather Cox Richardson. Often Joyce Vance and Rebecca Solnit. To deal with the coming times, I'd like another couple of reads - well-documented, reasonable but willing to speak out. Kind of an early warning system for whatever fresh hell is looming. Not podcasts or video.
I'm trying to have a factual, reasoned and prepared approach, and to recommend this approach to some of the people I know who are really freaking out. Freaking out at the news and election doesn't seem unreasonable, just ineffective.
I'm trying to have a factual, reasoned and prepared approach, and to recommend this approach to some of the people I know who are really freaking out. Freaking out at the news and election doesn't seem unreasonable, just ineffective.
Best answer: Jeff Sharlett [Jeff's twitter] Religion Despatches, yesterday, on Hegseth.
Google news: "Jeff Sharlet"
Jeff does not shy away from writing what he sees and hears, and will write anywhere that will listen, NYT, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic...
Some US regional papers are very good for 'heads up': Texas Tribune, and the Texas Observer - cover a lot of things in the belly of the MAGA beast, and have reporters who actually understand American religions and ask the right questions.
High Country News is a monthly but looks at the high-country US States, and Alaska. Environment, farming, and life and issues in these regions. Presents a less one-sided view of that region.
Byeline Times, in depth coverage of the far-right, the 'Christian' 'Right', and general topics that other press won't touch, and that the UK Govt would rather wasn't in print.
Almost the entire media in my country NZ favours the far-right, but as we're sometimes a bell-weather, and as we we have a far-right 'Christian' government now we may be a place to watch for emerging problems - and ways of dealing with Christo-fascism. So look at E-Tangata, it is an online-first weekly and reporting on Pacifica and
posted by unearthed at 9:14 PM on November 16, 2024 [3 favorites]
Google news: "Jeff Sharlet"
Jeff does not shy away from writing what he sees and hears, and will write anywhere that will listen, NYT, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic...
Some US regional papers are very good for 'heads up': Texas Tribune, and the Texas Observer - cover a lot of things in the belly of the MAGA beast, and have reporters who actually understand American religions and ask the right questions.
High Country News is a monthly but looks at the high-country US States, and Alaska. Environment, farming, and life and issues in these regions. Presents a less one-sided view of that region.
Byeline Times, in depth coverage of the far-right, the 'Christian' 'Right', and general topics that other press won't touch, and that the UK Govt would rather wasn't in print.
Almost the entire media in my country NZ favours the far-right, but as we're sometimes a bell-weather, and as we we have a far-right 'Christian' government now we may be a place to watch for emerging problems - and ways of dealing with Christo-fascism. So look at E-Tangata, it is an online-first weekly and reporting on Pacifica and
posted by unearthed at 9:14 PM on November 16, 2024 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Ed Zitron keeps an indispensably jaundiced eye on the tech hype cycle, and given the rate at which tech bleeds over into politics in these interesting times, I think he probably counts.
posted by flabdablet at 9:19 PM on November 16, 2024 [5 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 9:19 PM on November 16, 2024 [5 favorites]
SEMAFOR is becoming a regular point of info for me.
posted by unearthed at 1:10 AM on November 17, 2024
posted by unearthed at 1:10 AM on November 17, 2024
I would seek out international news sources. Diversifying where my news is coming from has been eye-opening: how things are reported, what is reported, etc.. If you know or are studying a second language, find news in that language. If not, some major international sources of English news include:
Al Jazeera
Der Speigel
The Guardian
El País
Le Monde
The Financial Times
China Daily
Times of India
posted by Mournful Bagel Song at 4:25 AM on November 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
Al Jazeera
Der Speigel
The Guardian
El País
Le Monde
The Financial Times
China Daily
Times of India
posted by Mournful Bagel Song at 4:25 AM on November 17, 2024 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Sarah Kendzior and Gaslit Nation (the latter is a podcast, which I won't listen to either, but it has transcripts, which are great to read). Also Kelly Hayes at Truthout.
posted by limeonaire at 5:36 AM on November 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by limeonaire at 5:36 AM on November 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Jamelle Bouie is excellent.
posted by rhymedirective at 6:06 AM on November 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by rhymedirective at 6:06 AM on November 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Eh I would dispute the Atlantic as a good source, especially considering how they caused two of their most brilliant writers/journalists to decide to leave - Ed Yong and Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Watching the Western mainstream media work through COVID and the genocide in Gaza has taught me a few things about reliable sources:
1. hardly any of them exist.
2. Black/Palestinian activists/writers were among the first to point out warning signs - that the Biden administration were imposing draconian consequences on college protesters, Cop city protests in Atlanta, that would rebound to the larger public eventually, and we are seeing that play out already in the form of legislation like HR 9495, which targets pro-Palestinian nonprofits, but in reality is a threat to free speech.
3. if you have been following any of the Gaza threads, I post a lot in them and there is a lot of work to do to have to actually parse out what happened, who said what, etc because the inherent bias of Western mainstream media is to deny the minority any actual perspective or daylight.
Anyway, that being said, in addition to Ed Yong and Ta-Nehisi Coates, I will second Sarah Kendzior as a source, and also: Zeteo, which is on Substack and run by Mehdi Hasan (who you may or may not have issues with), but is one of the few journalistic outlets in the US that will critically analyze mainstream news stories on Gaza, do news stories on Sudan and other global South countries, and also has 26-year-old Prem Thakker holding the current Biden administration to account on Gaza.
Huff Post journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed has been doing amazing work on the US/Israel/Gaza that is not just regurgitating the admin's talking points or access journalism.
Rachel Cohen does excellent, reality-based journalism about education and child care.
I also like ProPublica (amazing work on healthcare stories) and The American Prospect.
posted by toastyk at 6:55 AM on November 17, 2024 [3 favorites]
Watching the Western mainstream media work through COVID and the genocide in Gaza has taught me a few things about reliable sources:
1. hardly any of them exist.
2. Black/Palestinian activists/writers were among the first to point out warning signs - that the Biden administration were imposing draconian consequences on college protesters, Cop city protests in Atlanta, that would rebound to the larger public eventually, and we are seeing that play out already in the form of legislation like HR 9495, which targets pro-Palestinian nonprofits, but in reality is a threat to free speech.
3. if you have been following any of the Gaza threads, I post a lot in them and there is a lot of work to do to have to actually parse out what happened, who said what, etc because the inherent bias of Western mainstream media is to deny the minority any actual perspective or daylight.
Anyway, that being said, in addition to Ed Yong and Ta-Nehisi Coates, I will second Sarah Kendzior as a source, and also: Zeteo, which is on Substack and run by Mehdi Hasan (who you may or may not have issues with), but is one of the few journalistic outlets in the US that will critically analyze mainstream news stories on Gaza, do news stories on Sudan and other global South countries, and also has 26-year-old Prem Thakker holding the current Biden administration to account on Gaza.
Huff Post journalist Akbar Shahid Ahmed has been doing amazing work on the US/Israel/Gaza that is not just regurgitating the admin's talking points or access journalism.
Rachel Cohen does excellent, reality-based journalism about education and child care.
I also like ProPublica (amazing work on healthcare stories) and The American Prospect.
posted by toastyk at 6:55 AM on November 17, 2024 [3 favorites]
There seems to be a growing trend of non-profit news orgs at the state and local level - for example, Ohio has the Ohio Capital Journal, and the Cleveland area has Signal Cleveland and The Land. IMO it's worth checking to see what similar orgs you and your friends might have available in your state or area.
Not least because reaching out to local and state level politicians can be one of the most effective ways to make your voice heard - Senator-elect Bernie Moreno doesn't give a shit what I think about Trump's cabinet picks, he's in place for the next six years and there's nothing I can do about it; Mayor Bibb and my Ohio House representative are up for election much sooner and need my vote more.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:15 AM on November 17, 2024
Not least because reaching out to local and state level politicians can be one of the most effective ways to make your voice heard - Senator-elect Bernie Moreno doesn't give a shit what I think about Trump's cabinet picks, he's in place for the next six years and there's nothing I can do about it; Mayor Bibb and my Ohio House representative are up for election much sooner and need my vote more.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:15 AM on November 17, 2024
I cannot recommend the Foreign Exchanges newsletter highly enough for international news and commentary.
posted by jy4m at 9:20 AM on November 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by jy4m at 9:20 AM on November 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
This basically follows on soundguy99's reply ... States Newsroom is the one-stop shop for those non-profit news organizations they suggest. (Minor disclaimer, a friend is a national editor for them, and other friends work at affiliates.)
They have links to partners in every state, I think. As traditional news outlets have largely closed up their capital bureaus, States is filling the void. The affiliate in Florida (my current home) is terrific.
It's mostly hard news, but most if not all of the state-level sites have columnists, too. Both are good ways to get that early-warning service you're looking for.
posted by martin q blank at 10:25 AM on November 17, 2024 [2 favorites]
They have links to partners in every state, I think. As traditional news outlets have largely closed up their capital bureaus, States is filling the void. The affiliate in Florida (my current home) is terrific.
It's mostly hard news, but most if not all of the state-level sites have columnists, too. Both are good ways to get that early-warning service you're looking for.
posted by martin q blank at 10:25 AM on November 17, 2024 [2 favorites]
You might also want to listen to the BBC!
posted by ragtimepiano at 11:17 AM on November 17, 2024
posted by ragtimepiano at 11:17 AM on November 17, 2024
I have been really enjoying The Ink, run by Anand Giridharadas. However it is on substack and a lot of the content is subscriber only.
The focus is really on messaging, but it consistently puts out some really thoughtful interviews. Why immigrants defected to Trump was one of the best things I've seen on this subject.
posted by maggiemaggie at 11:42 AM on November 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
The focus is really on messaging, but it consistently puts out some really thoughtful interviews. Why immigrants defected to Trump was one of the best things I've seen on this subject.
posted by maggiemaggie at 11:42 AM on November 17, 2024 [1 favorite]
I have heard people recommend The Philadelphia Inquirer and I grew up in Philadelphia a long time ago (so it caught my attention). But you may just want to put it on your "maybe" list. FWIW.
posted by forthright at 3:15 PM on November 17, 2024
posted by forthright at 3:15 PM on November 17, 2024
Response by poster: Marked as best the answers that give specific writers.
posted by theora55 at 4:57 PM on November 17, 2024
posted by theora55 at 4:57 PM on November 17, 2024
FYI on the Atlantic - according to Semafor, Ed Yong encouraged his friends to unsubscribe due to the anti-trans coverage (and Gaza stance) of the magazine, and in his private Instagram stories, called Jonathan Chait a "fucking putz".
posted by toastyk at 10:23 AM on November 18, 2024
posted by toastyk at 10:23 AM on November 18, 2024
Best answer: I guess it depends on what you're looking for. It sounds like maybe you are in the kind of mindset where you feel alarmed and jangly and want sources that will confirm that feeling. If so, plenty have already been supplied. Personally, when I used to encounter the writing of someone like, e.g., Sarah Kendzior, I found her to be perpetually catastrophizing and terminally self-righteous -- not someone who offered a level-headed, useful take in turbulent times.
This recommendation may go down badly with some folks here, but I've been finding significant value in the writing of David French, a conservative columnist at the NYT. He holds many positions I flatly disagree with, but doesn't generally bring those into his writing in this context (while he does candidly acknowledge them).
He is not a fan of Trump, nor of the direction the GOP has taken during the Trump years. But as someone who is outside the mainstream of both parties, he seems to have a fairly clear-eyed understanding of their fault lines and blind spots. He is also a constitutional lawyer, and understands how the legal system and the government actually work, which is more than can be said for a lot of opinion columnists.
I find his writing a lot more substantive, insightful, and useful than that of, say, David Brooks, another NYT "house conservative" who is less intelligent and less honest about his views.
Here is an excerpt of French's piece from yesterday, Donald Trump Is Already Starting to Fail:
This recommendation may go down badly with some folks here, but I've been finding significant value in the writing of David French, a conservative columnist at the NYT. He holds many positions I flatly disagree with, but doesn't generally bring those into his writing in this context (while he does candidly acknowledge them).
He is not a fan of Trump, nor of the direction the GOP has taken during the Trump years. But as someone who is outside the mainstream of both parties, he seems to have a fairly clear-eyed understanding of their fault lines and blind spots. He is also a constitutional lawyer, and understands how the legal system and the government actually work, which is more than can be said for a lot of opinion columnists.
I find his writing a lot more substantive, insightful, and useful than that of, say, David Brooks, another NYT "house conservative" who is less intelligent and less honest about his views.
Here is an excerpt of French's piece from yesterday, Donald Trump Is Already Starting to Fail:
One of the challenging realities of American politics is that while vast numbers of Americans participate in presidential elections, only small minorities of voters actually stay engaged. And the priorities of the two groups are not the same, far from it.posted by Artifice_Eternity at 2:22 PM on November 18, 2024
The majority is focused on the things that directly affect their lives — prices, crime, peace. How much do concerns about democracy matter if people don’t feel safe on the streets? Or if they’re struggling to keep a roof over their heads? The minority, by contrast, follows politics closely and can focus on issues that can feel more abstract or niche to the majority.
Because the majority votes and then checks back out, politicians hear almost exclusively from the most engaged minority. My colleague Ezra Klein has written, for example, about the power that “the groups” — progressive activist organizations — exercise over Democratic policy. They demand that politicians focus on issues that might be important but that are often not matters of majority concern. Or even worse, they demand political fealty to positions that majorities reject.
In many administrations, this dynamic results in a kind of tug of war between the activists who demand attention to their pet causes and the political realists who grab the candidate’s arm and tap the sign that reads, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
And then, every few years, the majority steps back in, determines whether politicians have taken care of prices, crime and peace and then ruthlessly punishes failure — regardless of whether the activists got what they wanted and even if it might agree with the activists’ concerns.
With Trump, the dynamic is different. He’s so consumed with his grievances and his base’s grievances that rather than there being a tug of war between activists and pragmatists for the politician’s attention, the activists and the politician are both aligned against the pragmatists.
That was the clear direction of Trump’s first term. At first he surrounded himself with serious people. Think of the contrast, for example, between Jim Mattis as secretary of defense and Pete Hegseth or between Alex Azar, the secretary of health and human services for most of Trump’s first term, and an anti-vax conspiracy theorist like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
But the serious people told him no. They tried to block his worst instincts. So they were purged.
Throughout the campaign, Trump ran with two messages. On the airwaves, he convinced millions of Americans that they were electing the Trump of January 2019, when inflation was low and the border was under reasonable control. At his rallies, he told MAGA that it was electing the Trump of January 2021, the man unleashed from establishment control and hellbent on burning it all down.
But here is his fundamental problem: The desires of his heart and the grievances of his base are ultimately incompatible with the demands of the majority, and the more he pursues his own priorities, the more he’ll revive his opposition. He’ll end his political career as an unpopular politician who ushered in a Democratic majority yet again.
Response by poster: Robert Reich is who I missed.
I'm writing a letter to the people who are expressing fear, panic, etc., and will publish it on a local Dem webpage and FB page. Reading smart, factual news is helpful to me, and it may be to others.
I didn't make it clear enough that I have plenty of general news, looking for specific writers, will check out the ones named, incl. French. I do prefer ungated.
posted by theora55 at 8:46 AM on November 19, 2024 [1 favorite]
I'm writing a letter to the people who are expressing fear, panic, etc., and will publish it on a local Dem webpage and FB page. Reading smart, factual news is helpful to me, and it may be to others.
I didn't make it clear enough that I have plenty of general news, looking for specific writers, will check out the ones named, incl. French. I do prefer ungated.
posted by theora55 at 8:46 AM on November 19, 2024 [1 favorite]
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posted by ojocaliente at 8:49 PM on November 16, 2024 [1 favorite]