About two centuries ago, the German writer Goethe suggested that his readers undertake a little experiment. If they would save up all their newspapers for a few months, he said, and try reading them all at once, it would be apparent “how much time is wasted on this kind of literature.” That advice may have made good sense in his era, when news traveled, and occurred, very slowly. But is it just as valid today, when the world can be changed drastically in the blink of an eye?

I’ve circled back to this question from time to time ever since I first read Goethe’s maxim when I was a teenager, and on occasion have tried following it rather strictly. Most recently I’ve pondered it again after reading The Art of Thinking Clearly by Rolf Dobelli, which examines 99 (count them, ninety-nine) common logical fallacies that are exploited by media manipulators and political demagogues. Even though you’re probably already familiar with many of these fallacies (a great many of them have been analyzed or at least mentioned on the present blog) it’s still worth reading Dobelli’s informative and insightful take on them.

After he has wrapped up discussing these fallacies, and near the end of the book, he hits readers with the advice that they really shouldn’t even follow the news at all. It’s not hard to see why he makes such a recommendation. Certainly, too many of us are too obsessed with keeping up on current events and with gorging on a diet of news and social media. There’s even a trendy neologism for such activity: doomscrolling. This not only leads us to being misled, but also contributes to a feeling of gloom and despair. Back in the good old days, it was possible to open up a newspaper or news site and see the Orange Man’s name or photo only once or twice. Now, it can be a dozen times or more. Every. Single. Day. Are we really masochistic enough to put ourselves through that, day in and day out?

But is it really the answer to just stay in the dark about what’s going on in the world? After all, it isn’t really true that “what you don’t know can’t hurt you”. And these days, there are some very bad actors out there who are constantly doing very bad things that certainly can hurt you if you don’t take action to stop them.

Well, Dobelli isn’t really advocating living in a bubble. He just recommends using your friends as “filters”. Which is to say he suggest that if something happens that is worth perusing, you’ll hear about it from people around you, and then you can follow up by reading about it if you want to. But for all his focus on thinking clearly, he’s overlooking a couple of glaringly obvious flaws with this plan. For one thing your friends, even the best of friends, may not be the most reliable or suitable filters for your particular tastes and interests. Additionally, this system assumes that your friends have their fingers on the pulse of the times more than you do. If all your friends also followed Dobelli’s exhortation, then none of you would never know anything.

There are more reliable filters you can use than Frank the bartender. Here are some suggestions, listed in (approximate) order of degree of detailed engagement with the media news cycle, from least to most.

Positive News and The Progress Network

One complaint that you’ve no doubt heard all your life is that nobody ever reports any good news, even though there surely is plenty of it happening. That isn’t, and has never been literally true, but it’s certainly the case that disturbing news has a lot more legs than reassuring news. There are certain media outlets, such as Positive News and The Progress Network, that strive to give their followers a more positive outlook on life, and keep them informed about the good things that happen in the world — and there are more such occurrences than most people realize. Positive News is based in the U.K., so some of its stories are rather Brit-centric, but still it’s worthwhile reading and viewing for global citizens.

Comedians

My wife never watches or reads the news at all, and yet she manages to stay abreast of the salient developments in national events. This is largely because she’s a big fan of Stephen Colbert, and watches his program religiously. Many comedians make good filters, because (a) they tell jokes about topical topics, and (b) the best of them base their humor on astute observations and insights. Colbert is an especially good choice, both because of the shrewdness of his commentary and the comprehensiveness of the news items he addresses. Others that have risen to this level include Jon Stewart and Trevor Noah. (Bill Maher shines brightly at times, but at other times he really jumps the shark — and lands deep in the deliberately muddied waters of bothsidesism and other contrived narratives.)

1440 Daily Digest

If you’d like a Cliff’s Notes edition of the daily news, and/ or if you’d like to have your news served up with as little bias and spin as humanly possible, then 1440 is just the ticket. Every day, it will deliver you an email with bite-size summaries of the top news developments, with links for further reading. The items referenced include not only the usual hell-in-a-handbasket fare, but many warm fuzzy stories that help restore your faith in humanity. All presented with zero editorializing.

Media watchdogs

One thing I peruse religiously every day is Media Matters for America. Not only do I consider it important to monitor media ineptitude, indifference and malfeasance, but doing so often alerts me to stories that warrant following up on. Which is the function of a filter. And Media Matters is surely the most thorough and meticulous of the media watchdog sites. Of course, there are also conservative media watchdogs, but they watch the media to see how well they promote the right-wing worldview, rather than for how truthful and accurate they are. In other words, they simply perpetuate the narratives of disinformation that a media watchdog should be combating.

Right-Wing Watch

A project of People for the American Way, the activist organization founded by pioneering TV producer Norman Lear, Right-Wing Watch reports on the most extreme, most bizarre, most unbelievably evil and insane words and actions of the right-wing fringe (which these days is no longer on the fringe). Every couple of days it will issue its “Right-Wing Roundup” and “Bonus Tracks”, with links to the best of the worst. Often worth reading for entertainment value if nothing else.

Electoral-Vote.com

As its name suggests, Electoral-Vote keeps tabs on upcoming elections, with particular emphasis on the presidential race. But in addition, it offers a compendium of the day’s (mostly political) news with some succinct, but very potent and thoughtful analysis. On weekends, there is a compilation of reader commentaries and questions, with the administrators’ responses; both questions and answers are extremely well informed and thought-provoking. Also of interest are the regular features “This Week in Schadenfreude” and “This Week in Freundenfreude”.

The Bulwark

Like Media Matters, The Bulwark was founded by former Republican pundits. But unlike David Brock, the folks at The Bulwark still seem to consider themselves conservatives in the true sense of the word. Which is why they are aghast at the current Republican Party, and are dedicated to thwarting its machinations. They produce some very informed, incisive and eloquent commentary; some of the more detailed articles are (like all too much good journalism) concealed behind a paywall, but you can read a great deal for free — quite enough, no doubt, if you’re using the site as a filter. Most of the news here is political, but The Bulwark covers other noteworthy topics too; it even has a film and entertainment reviewer.

If you follow one or more of these filters (and perhaps another or two not listed here), you’ll stay informed without being constantly on edge. You’ll avoid falling into the state of resigned disengagement that the promoters of disinformation are hoping for. You’ll stay ready to perform the civic duty that the world really really needs from you right now.