I have explored before the tradeoffs between sources and topics—in other words, who one follows versus what one follows. While both are important, I believe the what is somewhat subordinate to the who. This is a deferral to experts, but it might be more accurate to say this is a selection of experts with the deferral to them to select the content.
Some time ago I posted some lists of those I dedicatedly follow, and this will be an update to and expansion of that list. But first I’d like to reiterate why determining the who is critical.
You may recall Arnold Kling’s Klingism that we decide what to believe by deciding who to believe. Obviously, I agree with this. I also think it is important that you choose the who for yourself, not letting others choose that for you, or else.
Back in the day, reading exclusively or almost exclusively the local paper was only a minorly bad idea (assuming you wanted to get a balanced perspective that made you smarter). Today it wouldn't be much better than watching local TV news, which has always been solely a method to make you stupider.
Choosing a reputable national/international paper today like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, or The Economist isn't a terrible start, but you are still being served versus selecting and choosing. (For the record, I do read a lot from those particular sources.)
Apple News is a bad version of this as it is someone else's selections among a wider universe. This is bad because its wider universe allows for more garbage and noise. Say what you will about the New York Times, et al. At least they have an ethos of standards.
"But I read the New York Times via Apple News," you protest. Perhaps you do, but the medium isn't the issue—I didn't say reading on an iPad was bad). The method is the problem.
Are you surveying the Times and selecting what you read or is Apple News sending you there via alert or other? Consider the following options for columnists to read from The Washington Post—a lesser national paper. As a rule you could:
Read only Megan McArdle and George Will, for example.
Read a randomly chosen columnist every couple of days.
Read a columnist selected by an algorithm or other external (to you) curator.
The first option maximizes expected bias and minimizes unknown bias. The last option reverses this. The middle option gives you, well, the middle.
It is not obvious that the third should be preferred to the middle. To argue the third should be preferred to the first is just replacing the first option's rule of "I choose" with "I choose who chooses". But that only works if you have good information on that chooser. I bet you don't.
A final thought along these lines: Always be reflecting on your biases (both your selections and your method of selection). Don't think you're broadening your horizons or countering biases by choosing weak versions of the opposing view. Tucker Carlson isn't a capable counter to Matt Yglesias. George Will (a Jedi Knight) isn't losing an intellectual street fight to Rachel Maddow (a Stormtrooper).
Now, on to the lists. These are not exhaustive lists of my sources, and I am just listing those sources for public policy and adjacent content (entertainment and other unrelated are excluded). They are the ones I am most dedicated to following. I don’t agree with or fully endorse or believe all that they produce.
My lists WILL NOT BE your lists. It shouldn’t be—again, choose for yourself! While there might be overlap, perhaps great overlap, you will find many reasons to chart your own course.
Reading:
AIER - in particular Michael Munger and Donald Boudreaux
Astral Codex Ten (Scott Alexander)
Bet On It (Bryan Caplan)
Bits About Money (Patrick McKenzie)
Cafe Hayek (Don Boudreaux)
Cato - Blogs and Commentary
Conversable Economist (Timothy Taylor)
Conspicuous Cognition (Dan Williams)
Construction Physics (Brian Potter)
Don’t Worry About The Vase (Zvi Mowshowitz)
Economic Forces (Brian Albrecht and Josh Hendrickson)
Economists Writing Every Day - in particular Jeremy Horpedahl
Erdmann Housing Tracker (Kevin Erdmann)
Experimental History (Adam Mastroianni)
Fake Noûs (Michael Huemer)
In My Tribe (Arnold Kling)
Known Unknowns (Allison Schrager)
Marginal Revolution (Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok)
Maximum Progress (Maxwell Tabarrok)
Moneyness (JP Koning)
Noahpinion (Noah Smith)
Of All Trades (Connor Tabarrok)
Overcoming Bias (Robin Hanson)
Silver Bulletin (Nate Silver)
Slow Boring - in particular Matthew Yglesias
Small Potatoes (Paul Bloom)
The Debt Dispatch (Romina Boccia)
The Grumpy Economist (John Cochrane)
The Honest Broker (Roger Pielke, Jr.)
The Prism (Gurwinder)
The Pursuit of Happiness (Scott Sumner)
The Watch (Radley Balko)
Listening/Watching (most of these have YouTube versions as well):
Cato Audio Podcast link | Website
Cato Daily Podcast Podcast link | Website
Cato Event Podcast Podcast link | Website
Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11) Podcast link | Website
Conversations with Tyler Podcast link | Website
CSPI Podcast Podcast link | Website
Dad Saves America Podcast link | Website
Dwarkesh Podcast Podcast link | Website
EconTalk Podcast link | Website
GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution Podcast link | Website
Hayek Program Podcast Podcast link | Website
Honestly with Bari Weiss Podcast link | Website
Just Asking Questions Podcast link | Website
Law Talk With Epstein, Yoo & Senik Podcast link | Website
Macro Musings with David Beckworth Podcast link | Website
Making Sense with Sam Harris Podcast link | Website
More or Less: Behind the Stats Podcast link | Website
People I (Mostly) Admire Podcast link | Website
Qualified Opinions Podcast link | Website
Reason Video Podcast link | Website
The Answer Is Transaction Costs Podcast link | Website
The Ben & Marc Show Podcast link | Website
The Best of Reason Magazine Podcast link | Website
The Capitalism and Freedom in the Twenty-First Century Podcast link | Website
The Curious Task Podcast link | Website
The Fifth Column Podcast link | Website
The Great Antidote Podcast link | Website
The Human Progress Podcast Podcast link | Website
The Libertarian Podcast link | Website
The Marginal Revolution Podcast Podcast link | Website
The Michael Shermer Show Podcast link | Website
The Political Orphanage Podcast link | Website
The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie Podcast link | Website
The Reason Roundtable Podcast link | Website
The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg Podcast link | Website
The Soho Forum Debates Podcast link | Website
Undertone Podcast link | Website
Unintended Consequences Podcast link | Website
Upstream; with Erik Torenberg Podcast link | Website
Why We Can't Have Nice Things Podcast link | Website