Reddit for News: Top 9 Subreddits You Should Follow! 📰🔥
As a seasoned Reddit user, I find this platform much more than just a place to browse aimlessly. It's an incredible place to learn new things, be entertained (almightyinteresting yr/nosleep, perhaps? 😄), and also stay informed about what's happening around the world.
Follow Relevant Subreddits, Not Just the Common Ones
I think of subreddits as online communities (small or sometimes large!) dedicated to specific topics or interests. Some are fun, others more serious. Here are the ones I use to stay up-to-date on the news. You can join them to see more content on your Reddit homepage (to join a subreddit, just go to the subreddit page and click "Join"). 🎉
Now we have r/news and r/worldnews, which are well known, but there are many more:
r/UpliftingNews: In a world dominated by negative and sensationalist news, it's good to remember that positive news sources exist! r/UpliftingNews describes itself as a place to read and share inspiring and uplifting news. 🌈
r/GeoPolitics: Are you interested in what's happening in other countries and how geography influences politics and international relations? This subreddit analyzes local events in the context of the global landscape; it's a mix of geopolitical discussions, news, and opinions.
r/TrueReddit: I like this one because the posting and commenting guidelines are a bit stricter. It focuses on sharing "high-quality" articles, and only "High-quality" comments are allowed. Quality is measured by user upvotes and downvotes. 🔝
r/Science: Curious about new and upcoming scientific research? Not all of the scientific studies that come to this subreddit are particularly interesting (some are, dare I say it, obvious and make you wonder, “Was such a study necessary?”) this?”). Topics include recent advances in astronomy, social sciences, biology, medicine, physics, and more. 🧪
r/nottheonion: While not strictly a news subreddit, it features true stories so bizarre they seem satirical, which often leads to very entertaining discussions. I admit it took me a while to realize that the news there is, in fact, royal. 😂
r/GoodNews: Similar to ar/UpliftingNews, this subreddit focuses on sharing good news from around the world, as well as personal stories, making it a refreshing alternative to traditional news sources. 🌍
r/OutOfTheLoop: While it's not just a news subreddit, it serves as a space where users can ask questions about current events they don't understand or aren't familiar with, receiving explanations from the community. In other words, it can help you stay up-to-date on things you might have otherwise missed.
Create a Custom Feed on Reddit
This is one of my favorite Reddit tricks. Custom feeds allow users to curate and organize content from multiple subreddits into a single, personalized feed.
Log into your Reddit account in a web browser and navigate to the left panel of the page. Click “Create Custom Feeds” under Custom Feeds.
Give your custom feed a name and description, and specify whether you want it to be private or public. I personally prefer private, and then click "Submit."
Click “Add Communities” to add relevant subreddits to your custom feed:
A search bar will open, and you can start typing in all the subreddit names you want to add to your custom feed:
Once you're done, your custom feed will automatically populate with content from only the specific subreddits you added. And you can always find it in the left sidebar of the Reddit website or app.
Sort by New for Default View
This is a quick tip, but it can be easily overlooked. Reddit's default search option on every subreddit is to sort by default. I recommend sorting by "New" if you don't already, so you don't miss out on new posts. posts from the subreddits that interest you.
I also prefer to do this with comments, as by viewing newer comments, I can see a wider variety of opinions and content than perhaps has not yet been influenced by votes for or againstThis also allows me to see fresher content on subreddits that may be busier.
To do this, first log into your Reddit account and go to Settings:
Under the Advanced section, you'll see "Default Comment Order." Click on this and change it to "New."
Don't forget to save your changes. Once saved, this will change the way comments are sorted to show the newest ones first.
Don't Forget to Enable Notifications for Subreddits
I would recommend doing this only for subreddits you're very interested in, to avoid receiving too many notifications. However, it can be a low-effort way to see what's happening without having to open the Reddit app.
To do this, go to the subreddit you want to receive notifications from and click the little bell icon next to it. Personally, I prefer to stick to "Unsubscribes" on very active subreddits so I don't get bombarded. 🔔
In the mobile app, you'll need to click on the three-dot menu, and then you'll see the bell icon when the options appear:
From here, you can turn off notifications for that specific subreddit, receive alerts about popular posts (choose "Unpopular"), or receive daily alerts for new posts (choose "Frequent"). If you're receiving too many Reddit notifications, you can turn them off. You can also block specific subreddits to avoid seeing content from them. 🚫
Give Local Subreddits a Chance
Don't forget to join your local subreddits. Even if you live in the middle of nowhere or maybe your local subreddit isn't very active, it may become so someday. These online communities can be a great resource for local news, events, and issues. Simply search for your city in Reddit's search bar, and relevant communities will appear under "communities." 🌆
Plus, you might even be surprised by an interesting or helpful post that pops up from time to time. For example, on my local subreddit, I found a great recommendation for a haircut place I wouldn't have found otherwise (it barely existed on Google!). ✂️
Using Reddit to stay on top of the news allows me to access a diverse variety of perspectives and real-time updates. By curating my feeds with relevant subreddits, I can efficiently filter out the noise and focus on the stories that matter most to me. With that in mind, Reddit will always be the place to find content you won't find anywhere else, even the weird stuff. It might even end up being your primary social media app! 🎈
