I got off social media many years ago and it was a great decision. Don’t miss those platforms at all. Not only was it good for my mental health, but it saved me a ton of time. That said, I do probably spend a bit too much time on YouTube. Nevertheless, there are a ton of great channels on YT that I get a lot out of. I thought I’d share 5 of them, mostly on the information side of things. These are all channels that I can have on in the kitchen and listen to, while not feeling like I need to ‘watch’ the video.

In no particular order….

  1. Caolan Robertson: This young dude is an amazing example of independent journalism. He has been camped out in Ukraine since the war started (he isn’t Ukrainian) and offers fantastic reporting on the war with Russia. If you want to know what is happening there, this channel is mandatory.

  2. The Warning with Steve Schmidt: Schmidt is a former Republican campaign pro who helped start The Lincoln Project. He has gone independent and offers a view of American politics very close to my own. He knows his history and doesn’t pull any punches.

  3. Amanpour & Company: This is a PBS show hosted by journalist Christiane Amanpour. They do substantive interviews with major newsmakers and smart pundits. They go deep, are very informative, and have enough respect for their audience not to try and gaslight them.

  4. C-SPAN: I know, I know….borrrrrring! But hey, I teach AP Governmet so this channel has a ton of content that is relevant to my job. One thing that is nice about this channel is that you can watch what transpires in Washington without it being filtered though the (usually conservative corporate) media. I also love their focus on non-fiction books and writing.

  5. Nugs: I listen to a lot of music on YouTube and this is one of my favorite channels. Tons of different bands are featured. However, my favorite type of video are their free opening Goose set live streams. Honk!