I used to read quite a bit of news, sometimes I still try, but tbh every news site feels so hostile I have a hard time trusting it's a decent source.
I prefer tech, science(space, physics, robotics), gaming, programming, philosophy, music, computing, and just about any article that could teach me about new things, even if they aren't current! I want to learn.
The big no and really the only thing I'm totally averse to is politics. I get some things I like can cross into it, but certain political headlines can ruin my mood all day. I find when I follow political news I become an angry individual. Covid was when I stopped consuming news, because I was so stressed and angry at the world that my mental health was gone.
What I'm really looking for is thoroughly researched statement of facts, and I'm cool with there being some frosting on the cake. I just don't want someome who tells me what google is doing is the greatest thing ever because I'll have less cookie popups without telling me why I won't have them. I would prefer a source with unbiased opinions, but I know that isn't realistic, we all have them. Any one who can write an article and question themselves is a plus. I don't care if their site is a nightmare, I'll manage it with other means.
I honestly get most of my news here or from podcasts(99pi would be an ideal example of what I'd want in article form) and sometimes I would like a different source than Lemmy.
One last preference, I would prefer no drama. I don't want to know what x youtuber said to y and why they were "slammed" or why A company is putting B company out of business.
If you have a specific way of following your preferred outlet, outside of just doing it in browser, what do you do? It would be awesome to have a feed of news that I maintain myself.
Trust me, I understand I'm looking for a unicorn. Don't try and fit everything with your suggestions because the reason I'm here is that I want multiple decent sources.
Tldr: looking for a decent source(s) of non-political news, I don't mind some hyperbole but would prefer that the author can recognize their biases. Also let me know if you use atypical methods to read your news, such as a custom feed.
E: Thanks for all of the suggestions! I'll be looking into them all as I can.
Ground News is far from perfect, but it's the sweet spot for me. It shows you headlines of the same story as reported by different outlets and tells you where on the left-right spectrum the outlets sit. It also shows a spread of what percent of reports on the story are left, center, and right. My biggest issue with it is that it tends to label some centrist or unbiased outlets as left. CNN is more center-right now and AP is pretty much as unbiased as it gets, but they're both labeled left.
There's a paid tier that really narrows shit down, but I'm liking the free tier just fine. I feel informed but not inundated, aware but not overwhelmed. I launch the app usually 2-3 times per day and just spend maybe 2-3 minutes scrolling and reading each time. That's plenty for me. I do miss the comments at r/politics sometimes because people would call out shitty sources or elaborate further or engage in meaningful discussion.