The best news outlets, according to hackers
16 news outlets were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The two most recommended news outlets with the badge. Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Fast, lightweight, static pages
People recommend this text-only NPR news site because its pages load instantly, stay lightweight, and show the news with no clutter, endless scrolling, or dynamic elements.
Interesting, rewarding articles
Free data-driven visual essays that readers find interesting and rewarding, with a steady following of repeat fans and no recorded criticism.
All 16 news outlets, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CNN Lite | 34 | 54 | 39% | 12 | — | — |
| 2 | The Guardian | 33 | 44 | 43% | 12 | — | — |
| 3 | Ars Technica | 32 | 62 | 34% | 9 | 16 yrs6 owners | — |
| 4 | text.npr.org | 23 | 1 | 96% | 8 | — | Approved |
| 5 | Forty.News | 19 | 7 | 73% | 2 | — | — |
| 6 | Al Jazeera | 17 | 13 | 57% | 7 | — | — |
| 7 | The Verge | 16 | 26 | 38% | 7 | 1 yr3 owners | — |
| 8 | The Pudding | 10 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Tied 9 | Electrek | 8 | 37 | 18% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Drop Site News | 8 | 2 | 80% | 5 | — | — |
| 11 | France24 | 7 | 1 | 88% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 12 | PBS NewsHour | 6 | 1 | 86% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 12 | WhatHappened | 6 | 2 | 75% | 1 | — | — |
| Tied 14 | Breaking Points | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 14 | RT news site | 5 | 4 | 56% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 14 | Wikipedia Current Events Portal | 5 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same news outlet in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to news outlets that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.