The only thing moving faster than the news cycle these days is the pace of change in the news business, or so it seems. There’s so much happening in and to the journalism industry and so much new technology, that it’s hard to keep up. If you’re teaching journalism, giving up is not an option. What to do? Subscribe!
The renaissance of email newsletters has been a boon to anyone who wants to stay on top of a topic, including journalism. While we mourn the decision by MediaLab to stop publishing its weekly newsletter, lots of others are still in circulation and free for the taking. Here are a few of our favorites, plus links to lists compiled by others.
Poynter’s Media Wire. Delivered to your inbox every weekday morning, this newsletter compiled by David Beard is a must-read. It provides quick takes on journalism-related stories, links to suggested reading and to other useful pieces on Poynter.org.
NiemanLab’s Daily Digest. Sure, you could just visit the NiemanLab website every day, but would you? And even if you did, you wouldn’t get as much as this afternoon email provides. It shares what’s new on the site plus top stories about journalism from other sources. And if a daily newsletter is too much, there’s a weekly option.
Reliable Sources. Produced by CNN’s Brian Stelter and others on the media team, this wide-ranging daily update covers media and its intersection with “politics, business, technology, pop culture, and entertainment.” It’s often way too long to fit in a Gmail inbox but always worth scanning.
IRE’s Quick Hits. This newsletter from Investigative Reporters and Editors comes out every other week and shares “reporting tips, interviews with journalists and information on upcoming events.”
Poynter’s Try This! Ren LaForme writes this weekly newsletter packed with “bite-sized news, tutorials and ideas about the best digital tools for journalism.” There’s always something useful here; beware of being sucked into the “I have to try this now” vortex.
API’s Need to Know. The daily update from American Press Institute promises and delivers “insights, tools and research to advance journalism.” It takes a couple of steps to sign up but it’s worth the effort.
RJI’s Futures Lab. From the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri, this weekly newsletter is actually a summary of RJI’s weekly video on journalism innovation. If you have time to watch the video, great. But if not, this is the next best thing. There’s also a weekly email featuring links to “news and commentary of interest to journalism innovators and entrepreneurs.”
Fair warning: These newsletters often share some of the same links to interesting stuff online but each has its own unique content and tone. You could try them one at a time or sign up for them all and unsubscribe if you don’t find one useful.
We’d love to know what other newsletters you find useful. Please share your favorites in the comments.
