In the social media realm, companies use algorithms to curate our feeds, but we don’t always want an algorithm to choose what we see. Even if you’ve liked a source or followed on social media, you may not be seeing it and lately we’re hearing that some content is being blocked or muted by the Meta algorithms.
If you like a content creator, be proactive about supporting them. Go to their source for information, subscribe to support their work, and sustain your support for as long as you can.
Neighbors For Change has compiled a variety of our favorite trustworthy sources for news, information, and commentary about current events. We feel these resources offer value, but please do your own research as well to ensure they’re a good match for you.
Independent journalists
Visit Marisa Kabas’ The Handbasket for “100% independent journalism.” She’s a crackerjack investigative reporter whose work has been referenced, quoted, and blogged about by outlets such as The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, and Columbia Journalism Review. Follow her on Bluesky.
Erin Reed is an independent journalist who covers “News and discussion on trans legislation and life” in her Substack, “Erin in the Morning.” Follow her on Bluesky.
Brian Tyler Cohen delivers accessible political news in an entertaining way. Watch him on YouTube.
PodSaveAmerica is a short podcast about big news. Listen to their podcast.
On supporting Democracy
Robert Reich, a Berkeley professor and former Secretary of Labor for President Bill Clinton, co-founded Inequality Media “To inform and engage the public about inequality and imbalance of power.” Watch his “explainer” videos, subscribe to his newsletter, and follow him on Bluesky.
For deep analytical dives, Liberal Currents “offers discussion, elucidation, and defense of liberal principles and institutions.” Subscribe for free or become a patron.
The MeidasTouch Podcast “combines brotherly love, comedy, news coverage, and deep discussions about supporting our democracy.” Watch it on YouTube.
Historians and experts on authoritarianism
In Letters from an American, Boston College professor Heather Cox Richardson pens “A newsletter about the history behind today’s politics.” Follow her on Bluesky.
Investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr is best known for exposing the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal. This former journalist of The Guardian and The Observer now writes a Substack newsletter titled How to Survive the Broligarchy. Watch her TED talks.
Authoritarianism expert Ruth-Ben Ghiat publishes Lucid, “A newsletter for big-picture thinking about autocracy and threats to democracy around the world.” Follow her on Bluesky.
Scholar Sarah Kendzior is an expert in dictatorships and authoritarian regimes. Her credits include writing for New York Daily News and Al Jazeera. Subscribe to Sarah Kendzior’s Newsletter and follow her on Bluesky.
Republicans defending democracy
Olivia Troye is a former Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor to the Vice President Mike Pence. In Troye’s Substack Olivia of Troye Unfiltered, her goal is to “cut through the noise designed to distract us.”
Since 2016, political strategist Sarah Longwell has been pushing back against Donald Trump and other Republicans. Now she’s part of The Bulwark “to provide analysis and reporting in defense of America’s liberal democracy.” Subscribe to The Bulwark newsletter or watch it on YouTube.
Steve Schmidt is a political strategist (and former-Republican-turned-Democrat) who worked on the campaigns of George W. Bush, Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar, and Senator John McCain. Subscribe to his Substack, The Warning With Steve Schmidt.
Mainstream journalists who turned independent
Former Chief White House Correspondent Jim Acosta believes in freedom of the press so much that he resigned from his longtime career as a broadcast journalist at CNN. He’s now the host of The Jim Acosta Show on Substack.
April Ryan is “the only Black female reporter covering urban issues from the White House – a position she has held for over 28 years” Currently, Ryan is the Washington D.C. Bureau Chief for The Grio, an outlet for Black news, lifestyle, and opinion.
New York Times columnist Ezra Klein hosts The Ezra Klein Show podcast, offering “Theories and frameworks that help you see the world a little bit differently — and a little more clearly.”
Mehdi Hasan is a British American broadcaster who formed Zeteo, “a new media organization that seeks to answer the questions that really matter, while always striving for the truth.” Subscribe to Zeteo’s newsletter and follow Mehdi Hasan on Bluesky.
Lawyer and political commentator Katie Phang is a former MSNBC television host with experience in legal analysis. She launched a Substack called Law and Order.
Television journalist and former CNN host Don Lemon launched The Don Lemon Show on Substack. Watch him on YouTube, where he covers “topics spanning everything from social issues and race to current events and the fight for democracy.”
Founded by former The Washington Post reporters Jennifer Rubin and Norm Eisen, The Contrarian offers “unflinching journalism in defense of democracy.”
The Environment
Alt National Parks is for people who believe science is real and should be used to inform the public. Follow Alt National Parks on Bluesky or other social media platforms.
one5c is a newsletter focusing on the meaningful changes everyday folks can make to help save the world from climate emergency. Subscribe to their newsletter.
The Medical Field
Want to stay informed about health threats like measles, bird flu, or Covid-19? Your Local Epidemiologist provides “a direct line of ‘translated’ public health science to you.”
If you long for the glory days of the Centers for Disease Control and the Federal Drug Administration, follow Alt CDC & FDA 2025 on Facebook.
National security and legal topics
Anna Bower is the Senior Editor of Lawfare, “a non-profit multimedia publication dedicated to ‘Hard National Security Choices.’” Follow her on Bluesky.
Attorney and independent journalist Aaron Parnas offers commentary on U.S. politics and legal topics. Subscribe to his Substack or watch him on TikTok.
The Status Kuo by Jay Kuo provides “accessible political and legal analysis with a dose of humor.” Subscribe to his Substack.
Local Coverage
RVA’s got issues is a podcast that covers “the big issues defining life in Greater Richmond” with host Rich Meagher.
The Virginia Pressroom podcast, hosted by Michael Pope, “brings listeners the latest insights and analysis on Virginia’s most important stories directly from the journalists covering them.”
For all things on protests and resistance, visit 50501Virginia and follow them on social media.
The Henrico Citizen is an online publication/newsletter dedicated to Henrico County and has a reporter focused on education. They have better coverage of School Board and Board of Supervisors than you will find in the Richmond Times Dispatch or other larger publications.
The Henrico Democrats, home of the Henrico County Democratic Committee, “is dedicated to electing Democrats in Henrico County, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and nationwide.” Subscribe to their newsletter.
Rebuild Local News could use your support to further its mission “to increase the number of reporters covering schools, city hall, businesses, and other facets of community life.” To help, donate to Rebuild Local News.
Take Action
- Make the shift from social media news where an algorithm controls what you see.
- Support local and independent journalists by subscribing to their content.
