Social distancing is hard. So is staying up to date with COVID-19 updates without filling your brain with constant bad news and anxiety-provoking articles or press conferences. This has been a topic of discussion among the EverCrew in the past week as we navigate this new normal and try to stay positive during social distancing. Especially now, there seems to be an overwhelming amount of information and news available at our fingertips and it is emotionally exhausting to try to keep up with it all! We’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled content to share some tips on staying informed (and sane) the next few weeks. Here are some of the EverCrew’s favorite news sources to help stay current:
- Laura Austin, Creative Director – Newsy
Laura’s favorite news source is Newsy. They specialize in short, quick-hit videos on important news topics and keep opinions out of the conversation. Best part? Newsy is available on cable, Roku devices, Chromecast, Apple TV, Fire TV, YouTube TV, Hulu, and more.
- Mike Nagel, Manager of Customer and Product Marketing – NYT Daily Briefing
Mike is a fan of the New York Times’ Morning Briefing. The NYT compiles the biggest stories you need to know each morning and gives you everything you need to know. If you have more time to do some reading, they also add some of the day’s smaller stories as well as recipes, lifestyle stories, and television and book reviews.
The NYT also offers The Daily podcast, featuring short (20 – 25 minute) episodes outlining the most pressing news items of the day, posted early each morning. It’s a great way to stay updated while taking a walk, folding laundry, or doing other chores.
For more industry-relevant news, Mike suggests EAB and the Chronicle of Higher Education — both have been pumping out relevant content for higher ed fundraisers in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
- PJ Gray, Principal iOS Engineer – RSS Reader/Apple News
No surprise that our resident iOS engineer uses the Apple News app. PJ also uses an RSS reader for his own news sources, but relies on Apple News for major stories. For those of us using iPhones, iPads, or other Apple products, Apple News is a great aggregator. You can even follow specific topics and channels to customize your experience. For example, I personally follow Boston-area news, 2020 election coverage, COVID-19 coverage, business news, and the “top stories” category to stay up to date. PJ also suggests fact-checking any news you see on social media with a quick Google search to make sure you’re getting the most accurate news possible.
- Derek Drockelman, Enterprise Account Executive – Feedly
Derek uses Feedly to aggregate all his favorite news sources into one place. Feedly lets users choose the topics they want to follow and the sources they’d like to get to get their news from. Over time, Feedly helps prevent information overload by using AI to prioritize the articles it displays, removing duplicate or repetitive news, muting irrelevant information, and more.
Erik jokingly cited The Onion as his favorite news source. While we’re all aware that The Onion is a satirical publication, it’s a great way to get some comic relief during these unprecedented times.
Our favorite advice of all is to try to limit your news consumption to when you’re seeking it out. It’s important to stay current on all that is happening, but avoiding social media and turning the news channels off for a bit has helped us to relax a little during this crazy time. We’ve been trying to take some time to play outside with the kids, try a new recipe, work on a puzzle, or read a favorite book so that we’re not constantly overwhelmed with the news.
We’re lucky to have our pick of the EverCrew’s favorite news sources, but please only take COVID-19 advice and precautions as recommended by the CDC and official government sources including your state and local government.
At the end of the day, worrying about our news sources is a very fortunate problem to have. “Social distancing” might mean something very different to our neighbors and friends than simply “working from home.” Many hourly workers or people in the service industry are out of work and countless parents have been affected by school closures.
If you are able, please use this time to check-in (virtually or over the phone) with any elderly or immunocompromised friends, relatives, or neighbors you have. See if there’s anything they need at the grocery store or pharmacy. Donate to your local food pantry (fellow MA residents, we love Project Bread and the Greater Boston Food Bank) or other organizations supporting your community. Stay healthy!
We hope you enjoyed this list of the EverCrew’s favorite news sources. Are you looking for more support and guidance during this time of crisis? We’ve pulled together a library of resources to help you navigate this new normal. Check it out.