We’ve all been there: Someone asks you if you’ve read the article “everyone is talking about.” You, in fact, have no idea what they are talking about. The 2026 media landscape is so fragmented, diffuse, and filled with AI slop that it feels nearly impossible to sort the wheat from the chaff.
That’s why we asked a variety of well-informed people how they’re actually staying up-to-date on the state of things. Our experts hail from many worlds—food, fashion, art, design, media—but what they have in common is good taste and a discerning approach to information consumption. Below, they detail their habits, guilty pleasures, and must-subscribes.
Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine Galleries
What’s the first piece of media you tend to consume in the morning?
What publications and sources do you rely on to keep you informed about your field?
Mostly magazines, newspapers, and some apps, but also conversations and studio visits with artists, which are always an important source of insight. I also often find inspiration and new perspectives by looking beyond my own field and engaging with other disciplines. Many years ago, [science-fiction writer] Stanisław Lem advised me to read science magazines, and that has stayed with me ever since.
What media do you consume when you want an escape from work?
I always try to liberate time to read books. I also listen to podcasts and my selection moves over time. Most recently, I’ve been listening to Weird Studies.
Do you have any personal rules or rituals around media consumption?
Not to look at any screens before going to bed.
What do you think more people should read?
Poetry. I never leave the house without a poetry book. Right now, I’m reading Kim Hyesoon’s extraordinary new book, Lady No, a work of meta-poetry that was initially published anonymously on a blog in South Korea.
Betsy Morais, Editor-in-Chief of the Columbia Journalism Review
What publications and sources do you rely on to keep you informed about your field?
The Columbia Journalism Review is my number one, of course. I get the usual media newsletters. Ryan Broderick’s Garbage Day is about digital culture, which often winds up having a lot to do with media, or how people get their news. I appreciate Margaret Sullivan’s Substack, American Crisis. I’m often checking The New York Times, The Guardian, New York magazine, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and I also follow major outlets, including CNN and NBC, on Instagram, so they are there for me when I’m scrolling mindlessly. Like a lot of people, I collect reading material from friends and colleagues—those secondhand sources who know what I’ll find interesting.
What media do you consume when you want an escape from work?
I always need to be reading a novel. I watch TV (including almost every episode of Survivor). In the car I am usually listening to Sesame Street sing-alongs, which is about as far from my work as it gets.
Do you have any personal rules or rituals around media consumption?
As a matter of practice, I don’t ask AI to tell me what’s in the news. As a rule, when my family sits down for breakfast and dinner, there are no phones at the table. (My children are too young to have phones, but my daughter is old enough to have a play phone on which she pretends to scroll, which is terrifying.) I don’t look at my phone before bed. Apart from that, my husband would like to say I’m on my phone too much, but instead he asks, needling, “Anything good?” to which I’ll usually have to reply, “No.”
What do you think more people should read?
Those links that you can click through below the AI overview. Also: CJR!
Monica Lewinsky, host of the podcast Reclaiming
Do you have any personal rules or rituals around media consumption?
When I awaken in the middle of the night (which is almost nightly), I’m allowed to go on Insta but not check my email. (I get burned every time I break my own rule.)
What’s a media resource you check despite knowing better?
Whose voice do you trust most in media?
Toss up among Kara Swisher, Sherrilyn Ifill, and Anderson Cooper.
What media do you consume when you want an escape from work?
I consume Josh Johnson videos or go on a meme-sharing spree in my stories.
Tara Thomas, chef
What publications and sources do you rely on to keep you informed about your field?
I adore traveling, but I despise relying on Google or Apple Maps for recommendations. I rely on the opinions of those I trust, so Fare magazine comes in handy. It’s a print publication focused on cities around the world for travelers who adore eating. It feels like I’m sampling the city and when I eventually travel there, I have some solid, not-so-trendy locations where I know I can eat truly good food made by good people.
Estelle Lubino on Instagram has the BEST food recommendations. Following her introduced me to the Parisian food scene today. It is so important when you travel to not focus on the cuisine of the majority but on communities that have immigrated, because you can taste the entire world in one city. She has the best recommendations for French food but also the key to the diverse world within Paris. I tell her so often she needs a book—even when she travels the world, I’m adding new locations into my Apple maps in case I magically drop into Athens.
What media do you consume when you want an escape from work?
Just silly insane Instagram Reels, check out my reposts lol. I don’t repost the most insane stuff, just happy to put something silly laughs on my followers’ feeds.
Do you have any personal rules or rituals around media consumption?
My personal rule is to not believe everything that’s in the news. That’s because one of my best friends is Canadian. Occasionally, I’ll share “news” to her, and she can’t see it because it’s banned there. I really love that Canadians don’t get to consume “news” on their social media. It’s rose-colored glasses over there.
Rachel Karten, author of the newsletter Link in Bio
What’s the first piece of media you tend to consume in the morning?
I live in Los Angeles, so I wake up feeling behind. That means I’m scrolling my inbox while still in bed. I really enjoy the daily newsletter from L.A. Material. During the mayoral primaries they looked up every candidate’s Yelp reviews and built a map of over 100 ratings. It’s always delightful and informative.
What media do you consume when you want an escape from work?
I love the Instagram show Errands. It’s exactly what it sounds like. A camera crew follows someone around as they go run an errand. It’s very anti-algorithm in a way that’s inspiring to me. The Ivy Wolk episode is an instant classic.
What publications and sources do you rely on to keep you informed about your field?
I write about social media marketing, but most of my favorite sources are decidedly not about that. Mainly because I think too many brands look at the same references and follow the same trends. You have to get yourself out of that loop. I like Docs to Watch, shaad magazine, anything Kyla Scanlon says, the food videos from MAMA, and Emily Keegin’s Instagram Stories.
Do you have any personal rules or rituals around media consumption?
I consume blue light right up until I go to sleep. I swear it helps. The current rotation is Instagram, Reddit, and then I’ll end on The New York Times app. My eyelids usually get heavy right around the new section that looks like TikTok.
Myles Loftin, photographer and artist
What’s the first piece of media you tend to consume in the morning?
Twitter has become my primary news source, so I usually go there first thing in the morning to get my daily download of information.
What publications and sources do you rely on to keep you informed about your field?
Emily Keegin has one of my favorite Instagram accounts. She’s a photo editor and she does all these amazing dissections of images in pop culture. I also really enjoy The Messy Truth podcast with Gem Fletcher, and Recho Omondi’s The Cutting Room Floor is easily my favorite fashion podcast.
What media do you consume when you want an escape from work?
I usually listen to podcasts. I like the feeling of being able to disassociate and listen to other people speak at length about a particular topic.
Do you have any personal rules or rituals around media consumption?
I try to avoid spreading misinformation by digging a little deeper into the media I consume, more particularly media that could be considered controversial or negative. There’s a lot of intentionally spread misinformation these days. Especially on Twitter.
Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art
What’s the first piece of media you tend to consume in the morning?
The New York Times (online) or The Economist‘s World in Brief newsletter. And NY1 news.
What publications and sources do you rely on to keep you informed about your field?
Newsletters: It’s Nice That, Dezeen, designboom, Frame, Icon, Surface, Wallpaper*, e-Flux Architecture, The Information, Wired, MIT Tech Review, Bloomberg City, The Slowdown.
On paper at the office: Pin-Up, Domus, Apartmento, and many others.
Instagram (I use it for design, fashion, art, and cute animals): @dazedfashion, @thevanillaissue, @businessoffashion, individual designers, and many others. And CULTURED, bien sûr!
What media do you consume when you want an escape from work?
There is no escaping because design seeps into everything! The real escapes perhaps are The Marginalian, or Hilton Als’s IG posts, and long-form essays in my fave politics and economics magazines. And sometimes, gossipy snippets through Apple News. But in truth, if I want to escape, I watch TV series and movies.
What are your most-visited news sites?
Not really sites but apps on my phone: NYT, Economist, BBC, Guardian, New Yorker, The Atlantic, New York magazine. Through Apple News I also get the WSJ—and many others that I do not really follow.
How many newsletters, magazines, newspapers, etc. do you pay to subscribe to? What are they?
On paper: NYT, Economist, New York magazine. My husband subscribes to Monocle and a few others. Larry (hubby) every now and then goes to Casa Magazines and comes back with dozens of mysterious publications.
Online (personally, not through MoMA): Wired, MIT Tech Review, New York Review of Books, The Guardian (occasionally). There might be more but I cannot remember.
Whose voice do you trust most in media?
Not one. Many. Most—not all—NYT and New Yorker bylines, The Economist as a whole, many legacy media like the BBC, AFP, etc., and then many individuals: Elizabeth Kolbert, Nicholas Kristof, Tressie McMillan Cottom, Maggie Haberman, again Hilton, Kyle Chayka… Too many! I revere journalism, always respect passion, truly appreciate a concise and good turn of phrase, and do not expect truth—although I do expect honesty. I am proud to always maintain wariness and healthy skepticism, I never take any words for granted. Now that you make me think about it, I really miss Paul Krugman—I have to subscribe to his Substack.
Sam Fragoso, host of the podcast Talk Easy
What’s the first piece of media you tend to consume in the morning?
Yesterday’s Fresh Air, The Brian Lehrer Show (via the WNYC app), or an interview with a future guest I’m preparing for (it’s usually this option).
What media do you consume when you want an escape from work?
The Bill Simmons Podcast. Especially with the respective football and basketball seasons upon us. This recommendation was not sponsored by ChatGPT.
How many newsletters, magazines, newspapers, etc. do you pay to subscribe to? What are they?
Because of our Talk Easy prep, we subscribe to lots. The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Matt Belloni and Puck, The Daily at Criterion (David Hudson is tireless), anything written by Alison Roman, and The New York Review of Books (which I think is still being sent to various past addresses).
Do you have any personal rules or rituals around media consumption?
I’ve removed push notifications from The New York Times because how is Milo Yiannopoulos being deported to the U.K. push-worthy?
Tim Blanks, fashion journalist
What’s the first piece of media you tend to consume in the morning?
Matthew Belloni on Puck. At first, I didn’t have a clue who he was talking about but I’m a fast learner, and now I crave his sly eviscerations of “Zaz” and his surreal ilk.
What media do you consume when you want an escape from work?
Auction catalogues.
What are your most-visited news sites?
I am a cliche, so: The Guardian, FT, NYT.
How many newsletters, magazines, newspapers, etc. do you pay to subscribe to? What are they?
Once more with feeling. I am a cliche: The Guardian, The Observer on Sunday, The Atlantic, New York Times, New York, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Haaretz. And I love my Saturday morning trek to the local newsagent when I’m at home in Ibiza to buy the FT Weekend. Funny thing: I’ve lived in the U.K. for centuries, but it’s still mostly U.S. media that I consume.
Do you have any personal rules or rituals around media consumption?
I wish. Like everything else in my life, my relationship with media is ruled by a lack of discipline.
What do you think more people should read?
Finely tuned, irresistibly reasoned outrage: Jermaine Fowler’s Substack The Humanity Archive, Timothy Snyder’s Substack Thinking about…, John Pavlovitz’s Substack The Beautiful Mess, and Don Winslow in every manifestation.
Whose voice do you trust most in media?
Marina Hyde (for coruscating laughs), Matthew Schneier (for food), Rafael Behr (for U.K. politics), Owen Gleiberman and Danny Leigh (for movies), Jonathan Liew (for sports), and David Wallace-Wells (for apocalypsism).
Sarah Lewis, Founder of Vision & Justice
What’s the first piece of media you tend to consume in the morning?
I start every morning meditating, then creating, and that dictates what news I consume first. Often, it’s a newsletter by Sherrilyn Ifill, Heather Cox Richardson, and a few others. It may then be something off of social media, and next I’ll head to The Atlantic, The New York Times, Boston Globe for anything Jeneé Osterheldt is doing, and more: CULTURED, Hyperallergic, and then art journals through the library. Lately, working on “If Emmett Till Lived” [an exhibition Lewis organized at the Museum of Contemporary Photography] has made Chicago and Mississippi feel like home, so also the Chicago Tribune and Mississippi Today for anything Jerry Mitchell reports on. At the gym, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox are always on over the treadmills, so then I’ll watch to see and hear what others might be focusing on culturally.
What media do you consume when you want an escape from work?
I’m not trying to escape from work. I’m happy to be here. So, I try to check out what keeps me inspired. I love trying out anything where I can feel an artist throwing their entire body weight into a work of art—a film, such as Ava DuVernay’s Origin. Anything work or poetry by Tracy K. Smith or writing by Imani Perry, Marlon James, or Nicholas Boggs.
What do I love? Media I know I won’t write about. I loved seeing Wagner Moura’s A Trial when I was in Edinburgh a few weeks ago. Driving more while living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has made me appreciate podcasts. But I need recommendations and like to hear from my friends and peers what piques their interests. Anything Oprah, Keke Palmer, Sam Fragoso, Sophia Bush, Don Lemon, I’m in. Anything Neil deGrasse Tyson is doing too. I want to be an astrophysicist in another life. So much of what we call wisdom is confirmed by the laws of quantum physics.
Do you have any personal rules or rituals around media consumption?
I only look at media at the beginning of the day, rarely after 12 p.m. Then I let the planet spin and deliver more the next day. I’m only looking at the news in the afternoon if it has broken into the day through conversation or social media. I see the news as a jolt and a responsibility to remain engaged. I feel I have a responsibility to create, not only consume, and that requires immense concentration and long chunks of uninterrupted time.
What do you think more people should read?
I think more people should read altogether. How do you persuade? How do you craft a life? How do you live? The answers that cut across time are found in reading. I’m teaching a new class at Harvard this semester called “Avoiding Failure?” The class is designed as a pass/fail, of course, for freshmen only, to cover this central question: Where will your own life be if you avoid failure? Success alone doesn’t lead to success.
Why is failure so critical for innovations and creative achievement—for individuals and societies? This seminar will let students explore the gift of failure for the riddle it is—like number zero, both a void and the start of infinite possibility. I’m assigning one of my favorite texts that I have returned to again and again, the opening of Rebecca Solnit’s A Field Guide to Getting Lost. James Baldwin’s essay, “The Creative Process” is stunning, and will be part of the course as well.
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