Edited 7.14.25 with more sources!
Orig. blurb: In light of recent news (Trump bombing Iran) and the general state of the news industry / media consumption habits post-social media, I wanted to share some outlets, podcasts, and people churning out reliable, pro-democracy news. I plan on updating this list later next week, before I share on other socials.
My top sources/podcasts
ProPublica: award-winning, independent, nonprofit newsroom whose mission is "to expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust by government, business, and other institutions, using the moral force of investigative journalism to spur reform through the sustained spotlighting of wrongdoing." https://www.propublica.org/
Mother Jones: a nonprofit newsroom founded in 1976 and produced by the Center for Investigative Reporting. Supported by readers like you. And if you love print, consider subscribing to their magazine! https://www.motherjones.com/
Democracy Now!: Pro-democracy news within and beyond our borders. The 1-hr radio show has been airing since 1996, and is packed with high quality reporting, investigative journalism, and interviews. Hosted by Amy Goodman, Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh and funded by viewers like you, available wherever you get your podcasts and on their website. https://www.democracynow.org/
Citations Needed: Develop your media literacy skills with this podcast "about the intersection of politics, power, and PR," hosted by Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson. CN blends history, humor, and data to call out the media for relying on and regurgitating false and destructive narratives, tropes, and stereotypes. https://citationsneeded.libsyn.com/
AP News: Newswire service used by newspapers across the world. Solid, factual reporting. The most “neutral” news outlet there, for better or worse. https://apnews.com/
Other good news outlets and media companies
Zeteo News: Founded by British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan after MSNBC cancelled his show, the Mehdi Hasan Show at the start of the Gaza genocide. Zeteo is "where independent and unfiltered journalism is making its comeback." High profile contributors and columnists, including Greta Thunberg and Bassem Youssef, who co-hosts Zeteo's podcast We're Not Kidding. Substack, youtube, podcasts, and more: https://zeteo.com/
Defector Media: A sports blog and media company behind some of your favorite podcasts. Employee owned and operated! https://defector.com/
Al Jazeera: First independent news channel in the Arab world. In-depth journalism focusing on regional and international affairs that “[puts] the human being directly at the centre of the news agenda.” https://www.aljazeera.com/
The Nation: The Nation is a magazine founded by abolitionists in 1865. It believes "independent journalism has the capacity to bring about a more democratic and equitable world." https://www.thenation.com
Other sources by genre
Investigative Journalism/Government Oversight
BellingCat: an "independent investigative collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists," which primarily focuses on digital-based research. They also do OSINT training workshops! https://www.bellingcat.com/
The Intercept: The Intercept, founded 2014, "[sees] journalism as an instrument of civic action." They produce great investigative journalism, and are currently focusing on Politics, Justice, the War on Gaza, Technology, Immigration, and Chilling Dissent. “The Intercept Briefing” podcast is very good as well. One small note – their founder is a weirdo, but he's not connected to the publication at this point. https://theintercept.com/
Center for Investigative Journalism/Veza: Veza is the Center for Collaborative Investigative Journalism (CCIJ)’s publication, showcasing investigative journalism, data science, and visual storytelling across the globe. https://veza.news/
CPI or Centro de Periodismo Investigativo: Spanish-language news focusing on Puerto-Rican perspectives. This center "Recognizes that a fundamental requirement for a true democracy is that the citizenry is well-informed and that there are independent entities with the capacity to monitor the powers that operate in society, whether public or private."
https://periodismoinvestigativo.com/
Climate/Environment
Inside Climate News: ICN is “the oldest and largest dedicated climate newsroom in the nation.” Nonprofit, nonpartisan reporting with a focus on environmental injustice. Some of my favorite investigative reporting about climate! https://insideclimatenews.org/
Canary Media: An independent, nonprofit newsroom covering the clean energy transition and climate crisis. Solid newsletters. https://www.canarymedia.com/about
Grist: A nonprofit, independent media organization reporting about the climate crisis and equitable climate solutions. Great reporting about the Trump administration. https://grist.org/
Floodlight: Independent, nonprofit newsroom focusing on the corporations and political interests stalling climate action. https://floodlightnews.org/
Tech/Politics/Culture
404 media: A "journalist-founded digital media company exploring the ways technology is shaping–and is shaped by–our world". Great reporting on tech, AI, and the many influencers and oligarchs shaping our media and political attitudes. https://www.404media.co/
Wired (specifically the politics section): Wired is a bi-monthly magazine that's been churning out fantastic articles about DOGE, Musk, and the tech oligarchs and online influencers influencing US politics and culture. https://www.wired.com/
The Present Age by Parker Molloy: Criticism, culture, and politics newsletter run by ex-MMFA researcher Parker Malloy. Effective and digestible media analysis and diligent fact checking. https://www.readtpa.com/
The Verge: Vox-owned publication focusing on tech and AI. Some good reporting about fringe online culture and politics. https://www.theverge.com/
Extremism and the Right
Media Matters for America: MMFA watches Fox news (and CNN, MSNBC, your brother's favorite podcast, etc.) so you don’t have to. They're a progressive media watchdog tracking and correcting conservative dis/misinformation across social media, broadcast, and cable. They produce high quality data studies, qualitative research, and analysis across the political spectrum. https://www.mediamatters.org/
Qanon Anonymous: An entertaining podcast about the many extremists and conspiracies influencing us podcasts and culture, including but not limited to qanon, like: What's with the rise of anti-trans bigotry? Why are people drinking raw milk? Why is RFK jr like that? https://www.qanonanonymous.com/
The Flashpoint by Eoin Higgins: Eoin Higgins is an author whose work has appeared in The Intercept, New York Times, and other outlets. He recently published "Owned," a book about tech billionaires, the media, and the right. The Flashpoint is his substack, which he wants to keep as free as possible. https://eoinhiggins.substack.com/
Criminal Justice/Incarceration
The Marshall Project: A “nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system.” Releases reports about the prison-industrial complex. https://www.themarshallproject.org
Prison Journalism Project: News from incarcerated individuals, including first-person reporting and interviews. https://prisonjournalismproject.org/category/news/
News for/about marginalized groups
Re.Wire news: Nonprofit, national media organization exclusively dedicated to reporting on reproductive and sexual health, rights, and justice. https://rewirenewsgroup.com/about-us/
Abortion Everyday by Jessica Valenti: Jessica Valenti runs this popular reproductive freedom/justice substack. Read Abortion Everyday for a better grasp on how lawmakers are restricting reproductive rights and how people are fighting back at the local, state, and national level. Good social media analysis as well! https://jessica.substack.com/
Jewish Currents: a magazine "committed to the rich tradition of thought, activism, and culture of the Jewish left." Politics, culture, and more. https://jewishcurrents.org/
ICT news: An independent, nonprofit news enterprise focusing on “stories that make Indigenous peoples come alive.” Lots of newswire stories. https://ictnews.org/
Capital B News: Nonprofit newsroom focused on the biggest stories of Black America– including environmental justice, rural, and criminal justice issues. Founded by former VOX DVP and Mother Jones editor Lauren Wiliams. https://capitalbnews.org/
Other
Spencer Ackerman’s Forever Wars: Ackerman produces twice-weekly reporting, critiques, essays, and the explorations of relevant history about the War on Terror and its many consequences. Recent articles focusing on ICE’s expansion, Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, and Iran. https://www.forever-wars.com/
People
Some people to follow, in addition to the people mentioned above, in no particular order:
Hasan Piker: May as well kick this off with the most well-known progressive activist and Twitch streamer. Most accounts under @/ hasanabi or @ HasanTheHun. https://www.twitch.tv/hasanabi
Nikki McCann-Ramirez: Former MMFA Tucker Carlson watcher turned Rolling Stone politics reporter. Also hosts the American Friction podcast about US politics. for social media, check https://linktr.ee/Nikkimcr
Brian Merchant: Writer, reporter, and author behind the newsletter BLOOD IN THE MACHINE, which focuses on AI, Silicon Valley, Labor, and Power. Website here https://brianmerchant.org/, newsletter https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/ .
Jamelle Bouie: NYT opinion columnist, focusing on history/politics, who you may have seen on TikTok. @/jamellebouie on tiktok, @/ bouienyt on twitch, and @/jbouie on bluesky. more on https://jamellebouie.net/
Jordan Uhl: Independent news, politics, and analysis-- including for TikTok/Reels. Uhl's worked with The Intercept, MoveOn, and more. Uhl also hosts The Intercept Briefing, the Intercepts podcast! Social media links here: https://solo.to/jordanuhl
Justin Baragona: Senior reporter at the Independent who has worked with Zeteo News and The Daily Beast. @/justinbaragona on most socials.
Ken Klippenstein: Journalist who worked at The Intercept, now publishes a substack about national security state and politics. @/kenklippenstein or @/kenklipp on most social media.
Prem Thakker: Zeteo journalist, great reporting on immigration, gaza, and crackdowns on dissent in America. find his socials here: https://linktr.ee/premthakker
Ta-Nehisi Coates: Journalist and author of "Between the World and Me" and "The Message". more here: https://ta-nehisicoates.com/
Amanda Moore: a freelance journalist who went undercover on the right. Writing can be found on substack at https://www.turtlediaries.net/ . more here https://linktr.ee/noturtlesoup17
Hannah Gais: Extremism researcher currently working for the SPLC. Free newsletter at “Posts from the Underground.” Find her at @/hannahgais or on https://postsfromunderground.ghost.io/
Talia Jane: Indie reporter covering protests & social movements. Find her at @/TaliaOTG or https://taliajane.com/
Ari Drennan: Research director for MMFA's LGBTQ program. @/AriDrennen on most socials. Also runs a substack: https://aridrennen.substack.com/
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***note: I chose news based on how reliable and biased I view these outlets or podcasts after 5+ years professionally watching and researching the news and politics. I chose outlets that are generally reliable, unbiased, or had a pro-democracy bias. Podcasts were given more leeway since most podcasts are entertainment AND news.
By reliable, I considered whether reports are factual and whether the writing was high quality (Generally free from typos/grammatical errors, not written by AI, etc). I also considered outlets' reputation among journalists (Have they had any scandals? If yes, how did they take accountability for said scandal? Have they won awards? Which awards? Do reputable journalists recommend them? ). For bias, I considered whether outlets have a tendency to a) editorialize reports and b) privilege anti-democratic perspectives. I also considered global and historical context. While "ranking" sites like allsides or ground news may say x outlet is very left wing, how would a comparable democracy view this outlet.
