Welcome to News Not Noise, Liberated!
Discover more from News Not Noise
Welcome to News Not Noise, Liberated!
You can now find us free of algorithms, shadow bans, and cringeworthy selfies.
Hello from a part of the digital universe where they actually like news! Yes we’ve moved to a platform that lets you get information when you want it. No viral memes required, no shadow bans to contend with. And we can go in-depth when a story requires it. (I know! Exciting when it does. #Nerd)
We can do so much more here, in a streamlined way. And we promise to deliver on the News Not Noise mission.
Want to know how we got here?
If you watch the news, you won’t be shocked to learn that it’s designed to compete for your anxiety.
TV news executives decided that the only way to get and hold an audience —and therefore turn a conglomerate-sized-profit — is by framing everything in terms of conflict, outrage and negativity.
In short, fear sells.
And sells. And sells some more.
The Problem: News that centers and stokes conflict stresses you out, shuts down learning and triggers a fear/defense response that leads to polarization. Over time this can drive cynicism, apathy and disengagement. All of this counters the very reason the free press is protected in the US: to ensure we have an informed electorate that actively participates in our democracy.
My Epiphany: I spent 17 years working in TV news, and by the end of that time I had learned an important lesson. The TV news model is really good at generating money — and a feeling of powerlessness. A large part of the audience wants something else.
The Alternative: So in 2018, I founded News Not Noise to cover the news differently. I launched on Instagram, making videos and posting stories that broke down major events with context and clarity while identifying the noise you can just ignore. The experiment grew and grew and then took off. We’re a super-engaged community of like-valued people. If you’re not there already you can find us on Instagram @JessicaYellin.
New Home: Now we’re moving our newsletter and merging it with our Patreon audience on Substack. Don’t worry, we’ll still be on Instagram, but on Substack you’ll get way more.
The News Not Noise Letter provides more context. More sources. More clarity. (It also offers less punditry, less fearmongering, and most importantly, less noise than other sources.)
The News Not Noise Promise:
We help you separate the news you need from the outrage you can ignore.
We explain the information that matters, clearly and in context.
We define insider jargon and bring you insight from experts, not pundits.
We spotlight solutions and causes for hope. We share stories that inspire awe. And we never demand your emotional energy to stir empty indignation.
We aspire to be your most trusted source of information about consequential issues of the day.
We deliver this information in a way that leaves you feeling calm, confident, and empowered to act.
Why Should You Trust Me?
Here’s the part I’m supposed to say. (I keep hearing: Hype yourself! Say who you are! Sell your experience! I don’t know. Self-promotion is not my strong suit. But the resume is real.) I’m an Emmy, Peabody, and Gracie Award-winning political correspondent. I was Chief White House Correspondent for CNN during the Obama administration and covered Congress and national elections for CNN before that. From 2004-2007 I covered the Bush White House at ABC News, primarily for Good Morning America. And I worked at MSNBC during its more conservative days – anyone else remember when it was called “America’s News Channel” and had a big American flag for its logo? Just me? In the year 2000, I was a local news reporter for WTVT-13 in Tampa, and I covered the nail-biting 2000 recount from Tallahassee. I got my start in TV news at CFN-13 in Orlando where I was a one-man-band reporter, meaning I shot and edited my own video in addition to reporting the story every day. My writing has been published in The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times, and my first novel, Savage News, is available now (guess what it’s about).
Here’s the real reason I ask for your trust: I care about delivering information, not a panic attack. I want to help you understand and process the news so you can make informed and empowered decisions. And I want to do it in a way that leaves you feeling centered — not triggered. That’s why I prioritize bringing you News That Doesn’t Suck, to remind us all that there are signs of progress and promise everyday.
I’m asking for you to become a paid subscriber now, because with the support of enough people like you, we can provide more information from more experts and grow News Not Noise.
If that’s not enough for you to subscribe, I have an insanely cute dog named Bruno who makes regular cameos in the News Not Noise Letter. The first rule of News Not Noise: we do talk about Bruno.
There will be some sharing of others with wet noses as well.
How It Works:
You can subscribe at a few different levels:
Monthly Subscription $9.99/month or Annual Subscription $99.00/year.
Super Supporter is for those are able to provide support at a higher level. This allows you to set a one-time price of your choosing.
Free Subscription. You will receive at least one newsletter a week and all the free content.
Some of you received a notice from Substack announcing you’ve received a complimentary subscription. We didn’t select that language and I’m sorry if it was misleading. It means you are onboarded as a free subscriber. Bear with us as we adjust to this new platform. I’m confident it will allow us to do much more!
New and Improved: We will continue to offer the newsletters you’ve come to expect. They cover the biggest news and often point out the noise. Yes, that means Elon Musk, SBF and occasionally Taylor Swift. On Friday, we bring you News That Doesn’t Suck: stories that inspire awe, curiosity and laughter. Monday’s newsletter will be free. Our additional newsletters will be available in full only to paid subscribers.
We will also experiment with offering more content to our paying subscribers. We want that “more” to be something that matters to you. Do you want monthly Zooms? Live chats with an expert? Would you like to help decide future growth for NNN or what disinformation we break down and counter?
Why Pay Us? This is a good way to let you get more content and support our work. (It’s been a long time coming. Thank you to the Patreon audience. You’ve kept us going until now. We ask you to sign up for our work here instead.) The support you provide helps us pay for researchers and graphic designers. It also helps us stay present on Instagram every day — fighting disinformation and informing folks who aren’t getting fact-based information from other sources. Your support makes a huge difference.
Some of our goals in the year ahead:
Grow News Not Noise with your support. That means more content and more experts, more community members and a bigger team.
Develop new strategies to report the news in ways that reduce anxiety and keep you calm.
Offer resources to help you navigate difficult conversations.
Build the community features so many of you have requested.
And experiment with new offerings off Instagram – including video and audio – here.
To our continuing subscribers, thank you for your support to date and for hanging with us all this time. Now there will be more of us! We would not have built this amazing community without your endless engagement, encouragement, and sharing. We can’t wait to keep building with you here.
Welcome to News Not Noise, Liberated!
HI!! Thank you for this lovely note. And for your voice, always! Hope to see you here tons.
Hi and thank you for this thoughtful note. One of the liberating things about being independent is I can now be open about some of my strongly held views. And while I work to represent the news without spin as much as possible, on this issue I am openly in favor of reproductive rights. I believe the right to bodily autonomy is a human right and speaking for that is a moral imperative. That said, I have friends and associates who do not share this view and I appreciate a respectful dialogue. While we do not see eye to eye on this issue, I suspect there are many other topics on which we share common values and goals for our communities and country. I value the opportunity to stay engaged, despite our disagreement.
I suspect my answer will not be satisfactory to you because we simply disagree....
There are a few reasons I decided Judge Rice's history didn't merit exploration but Judge Kacsmaryk's: - Judge K issued an extraordinary and unprecedented ruling. Judge R did not. Judge L gives standing where one can't legally justify standing without ideological motives. Jude R did not. Judge K uses inflammatory political language in his decision. Judge R is pretty much in the mainstream of familiar dialogue on this topic in his ruling. In my view, Judge K imakes legal contortions to justify an outcome. Judge R did not. I did recognize in the text that Judge Rice was an Obama appointee. But his ruling was in the mainstream of legal opinion and consistent with precedent and history. So it didn't cause me to ask, huh what would prompt a judge to do such a thing? Let's look take a closer look.
I think one cannot understand Judge K's ruling is to understand his come-from.
We're in a strange new place. The 5th circuit ruled one thing today. The Washington State AG told the feds -- that doesn't apply to the 17 states and DC which were implicated in our ruling. So I suspect this dialogue will continue for some time.
I appreciate the opportunity to engage and thanks for your time and support.
Jessica