I recently wrote an article about my favorite podcasts. You can find it here. But recently, I’ve been tailoring the podcasts I listen to to help myself stay on top of what’s happening in the world. Podcasts are accessible and you can listen to them while going on a walk, cleaning your room, or during your morning commute. They’re an affordable and easy way to stay informed.
With an historic election coming up, a month-long national reckoning for Black lives, and a multitude of other important current events, it can be hard to keep track of what you need to know. Sometimes there so many contradicting headlines that it’s hard to tell what’s true. Deciding which articles you want to read and which journals, magazines, and newspapers you want to follow can be daunting. That’s why I’ve put together this list of my favorite podcasts to stay up to date. These cover everything related to the news and politics.
The Daily- The New York Times
I included The Daily in my first podcast roundup because it’s a great place to start. Each episode is only about 20-30 minutes long, and it’s released in the morning five days a week. Hosted by Michael Barbaro, it usually focuses on one major story per episode. Two of the episodes from this summer that I think are especially important and relevant are “The Systems That Protect the Police” (released on June 2) and “The President, the Postal Service and the Election” (released on August 19).
The Weeds- Vox
The Weeds is probably my favorite political podcast. It’s hosted by Matthew Yglesias who is joined by other Vox reporters such as Ezra Klein, Dara Lind, and Jane Coaston. They release episodes every Tuesday and Friday. As the name suggests, they dive into “the weeds” of important national issues. The podcast goes very in-depth into the details and nuances of politics and policy. It’s great for someone like me, a political science major, who’s very interested in the nitty-gritty of politics. You will get a lot of information from each episode, each of which are usually closer to an hour in length.
The Rachel Maddow Show- Rachel Maddow, MSNBC
This podcast is a taped version of the Rachel Maddow Show. The show airs on MSNBC every weeknight at 9 PM eastern time. The episodes are the audio from the TV show. That’s awesome because my schedule is crazy and inconsistent and I usually can’t tune into the TV at the same time every day. This allows me to listen to the news from one of my favorite reporters even if I can’t watch it live. Rachel Maddow is witty, rigorous, and has a sarcastic sense of humor. She explains complex issues in a way that anyone watching can understand and informs the public about the current state of political affairs.
As with any category of media, the options for podcasts that cover politics and the news are endless. These three, however, provide a wonderful start if you want to start getting more informed. Whether you want a quick daily update, a dive into the details, or a big-picture synopsis, these three podcasts will help you understand the most important issues of our time.
