10 Great News Sources, PCDN Weekly Impact Newsletter, August 4, 2025

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10 Amazing News Sources for Impact Stories: Building a Healthier Media Diet for Changemakers

In a world where news can often bring you down, knowing what to find, consume, and share is indeed a crucial skill in changemaking. As someone deeply committed to advancing careers of impact and building a more equitable world, I've researched and curated 10 amazing news sources that will help you build a healthier, more constructive media diet while staying informed about positive changes happening globally.

The Challenge of Healthy Media Consumption for Changemakers

As changemakers, we face a unique challenge: staying informed without becoming overwhelmed by negativity. Research shows that the average person spends 2.5 hours daily consuming algorithm-fed content, often leading to what experts call "doomscrolling" – that endless cycle of consuming negative news that leaves us feeling powerless and anxious. This constant exposure to crisis-focused reporting can be a major driving force behind the global mental health crisis, costing employers at least $77 billion in lost productivity annually.

But here's the transformative insight: choosing what to consume (and what not to consume) is part of a healthy changemaker lifestyle. We need to be intentional about our media diet, just as we are about our physical diet.

1. Goodable - The Science-Backed Happiness Platform

Website: goodable.co

Goodable represents a revolutionary approach to news consumption, using artificial intelligence to curate positive news that's clinically proven to improve wellbeing by 25%. Founded by former CNN correspondent Muhammad Lila, who spent years reporting from war zones before realizing he wanted to help solve problems rather than just report them, Goodable reaches over 40 million people monthly with verified, mood-boosting stories from major publishers including BBC, Reuters, CNN, CBS, ABC, and NBC.

What makes Goodable unique is its scientific backing through multiple clinical trials showing it can improve happiness by 96% on one-time use and reduce anxiety and depression by 25% when used for just three minutes daily. The platform delivers content to 30,000+ physical locations, including iconic sites like the Empire State Building and Rockefeller Centre.

2. Solutions Journalism Network - Rigorous Hope with Teeth

The Solutions Journalism Network calls their approach "hope with teeth" – rigorous reporting about how people are trying to solve problems and what we can learn from their successes and failures. Founded in 2013 by veteran journalists David Bornstein, Tina Rosenberg, and Courtney Martin, SJN has trained over 15,000 journalists worldwide and engaged with over 200 news organizations.

Research demonstrates that solutions journalism elevates public discourse, making it less divisive and more constructive, allows communities to see better options, and builds agency and hope. Unlike traditional problem-focused reporting that can make citizens passive and disengaged, solutions stories make readers feel empowered – a productive emotion for civic engagement.

3. MIT Technology Review - Technology for Humanity

As the world's oldest technology magazine, founded in 1899, MIT Technology Review consistently delivers high-quality reporting on how technology impacts humanity. The publication goes beyond Silicon Valley hype to examine real benefits and risks of technological advancement, making complex topics accessible to general audiences while maintaining scientific rigor.

Their coverage includes breakthrough technologies that have real impact potential, from AI applications in remote Amazon healthcare to climate tech innovations. Recent analysis by MIT Technology Review provides unprecedented insights into AI's energy footprint and environmental implications, helping readers understand both the promise and challenges of technological progress.

4. Global Voices - Amplifying Underrepresented Perspectives

Global Voices operates as an international community of over 1,400 writers, bloggers, and digital activists who translate and report on citizen media worldwide, with particular focus on non-Western and underrepresented voices. Founded by Ethan Zuckerman and Rebecca MacKinnon at Harvard's Berkman Center, the organization became an independent nonprofit in 2008.

The platform's mission centers on enabling "bridge bloggers" who can make connections between languages and cultures, advocating for freedom of expression, and protecting the rights of citizen journalists. Global Voices provides crucial perspectives often missing from mainstream international media, helping readers understand global issues from local viewpoints.

5. The Guardian's The Upside - Constructive Journalism Stream

Website: theguardian.com (search for "The Upside")

The Guardian's constructive journalism initiative, The Upside, represents solutions-focused reporting that "seeks out answers, solutions, movements and initiatives to address the biggest problems besetting the world." Editor Mark Rice-Oxley launched this stream in 2018 after discovering that solutions stories attracted 10% more readers and nearly one in 10 people shared positive news on social media.

The project focuses on five key areas: environment, science and technology, public health, gender equality, and community leadership. What distinguishes The Upside is its commitment to finding innovative but replicable approaches worldwide, so successful local solutions can be implemented by other communities.

6. +972 Magazine - Independent Israeli-Palestinian Journalism

Website: 972mag.com

This groundbreaking binational publication provides in-depth reporting "from the ground in Israel-Palestine" with a commitment to equity, justice, and freedom of information. Named after the shared telephone code between Israelis and Palestinians, +972 Magazine offers crucial perspectives often missing from mainstream coverage.

In 2025, +972 Magazine received the Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism from the Nieman Fellows, who praised the nonprofit for its "relentless and courageous efforts to document the human cost of war and occupation." The publication's binational team proves that journalists can build bridges even in highly polarized environments.

7. PCDN AI for Impact Newsletter - AI Insights for Social Change

Website: pcdn.global

The PCDN AI for Impact Newsletter connects global changemakers with the latest AI developments, ethical considerations, and career opportunities in the impact sector. Each edition features 15-20 global impact job opportunities alongside analysis of how AI is reshaping international relations, energy use, and social change work.

This newsletter translates complex AI developments into actionable insights for social change professionals, covering everything from AI's role in peacebuilding to its environmental implications. It's designed specifically for impact professionals who need to understand AI's potential for positive change while being aware of ethical concerns.

8. Rest of World - Tech Stories Beyond Silicon Valley

Rest of World champions on-the-ground reporting of technology stories from places far beyond Silicon Valley, focusing on Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Founded in 2020 by Sophie Schmidt and launched as a nonprofit, the publication employs 30+ staff globally with correspondents in Berlin, Hong Kong, Bangalore, and other international locations.

The platform covers how technology impacts emerging consumer markets outside the developed West, from Indonesia's nickel boom feeding China's EV industry to how Chinese EV manufacturers conquered global markets with aggressive pricing and localization. Rest of World's reporting reveals how technology affects communities often overlooked by mainstream tech media.

9. Positive News - Constructive Journalism Pioneer

Website: positive.news

Positive News, founded in 1993, was the world's first media organization dedicated to quality, independent reporting about what's going right. This UK-based quarterly magazine and digital platform features informative, inspiring articles about social and environmental progress, with high-impact photography and beautiful visual design.

What makes Positive News unique is its cooperative ownership structure – it became the first media cooperative globally to offer community shares through crowdfunding in 2015. The publication is also certified carbon neutral, aligning its operations with its environmental coverage.

10. NPR - Community-Focused Public Media

Website: npr.org

NPR's Collaborative Journalism Network represents an innovative approach to strengthening local journalism through collaboration among member stations. With 2,900 journalists at over 200 member station newsrooms plus 570 reporters and editors at NPR, this network has unparalleled on-the-ground reach – more than 95% of Americans live within range of a public radio signal.

Bonus Resources for Impact-Focused Media Consumption

Google News with Strategic Searches: news.google.com - Use targeted searches for impact stories with terms like "solutions," "breakthrough," "innovation for good," or "community success." Google News links people to publishers' websites more than 24 billion times monthly, making it a powerful tool for discovering diverse journalism when used strategically.

Nice News: nicenews.com - Positive journalism platform focusing on uplifting stories from Australia and beyond, offering an alternative to traditional negative news cycles.

Building Healthier Media Habits as Changemakers

Research consistently shows that developing healthy media consumption habits is crucial for mental health and civic engagement. Here are evidence-based strategies for changemakers:

Curate Intentionally: Choose sources that inform and inspire, not just outrage. Studies show that constructive journalism makes readers feel more empowered and likely to take action.

Diversify Perspectives: Seek voices from different regions, backgrounds, and viewpoints. Platforms like Global Voices and Rest of World specifically amplify underrepresented perspectives.

Balance Problems with Solutions: For every problem story you consume, actively seek a solutions story. This helps combat the negativity bias that can lead to learned helplessness.

Set Digital Boundaries: Limit doomscrolling and establish regular digital detox periods. Parents' digital media habits are nearly 10 times more influential on teen problematic internet use than screen time limits.

Join the Conversation on Bluesky

As we build healthier media ecosystems, platforms matter too. Bluesky, the decentralized social media platform, offers a refreshing alternative with over 23.2 million users and growing. Unlike traditional social media, Bluesky's decentralized structure gives users more control over their experience, with custom feeds, advanced content moderation tools, and starter packs for discovering relevant accounts.

Follow PCDN on Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/pcdnetwork.bsky.social for a more constructive social media experience focused on impact and positive change + consider setting up your own Bluesky account for free.

The Path Forward: Media as a Tool for Change

Choosing what to consume and share is indeed a crucial skill in changemaking. As Dr. Craig Zelizer emphasizes, "opportunity should be as equally distributed as talent" – and that includes the opportunity to access information that empowers rather than disempowers.

Remember: what we consume shapes how we think, and how we think shapes the world we create. These resources provide the foundation for a healthier, more empowering relationship with news and information – one that serves both personal wellbeing and global progress.

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