With an endless daily stream of tech news, it’s impossible to consume the vast amount of videos, articles, and everything in between that’s constantly fighting for your on-screen attention.
Of course, not all tech news is created equal, so some is more deserving of your time (and bandwidth) than others.
We’ve come up with a short list containing some of the best tech news sources on the internet, split into sections to cater for exactly what you’re looking for.
The top sources for tech news on the internet
Everyone has their preferred sources and websites, but our suggestions could supplement what you already use. Each site is reputable in its own way, with fact-checked articles and professional standards applied to their topics.
We’ll start off with the best sources for general tech news, with no specific focus or niche.
General news
For general tech news, a wide net can be cast – depending on certain factors. Everything from language to the regions covered will help identify the best sources for you personally. These sources will cover general tech news, reporting or commenting on the sector’s latest developments.
BBC Technology
The BBC Technology page covers a range of topics, from mobile gaming to the latest Covid-19 developments.
Somewhat uniquely, the BBC has a charter which pledges to “do all we can to ensure controversial subjects are treated with due impartiality in our news and other output dealing with matters of public policy or political or industrial controversy”.
This is arguably why it is so frequently demonised, since true impartiality – accounting for every point of view equally – is near impossible. While not perfect, this is decent tech news that’s well-written and easily digestible.
TechCrunch
TechCrunch focuses on “reporting on the business of technology, startups, venture capital funding, and Silicon Valley.” Another respected online publication, it’s broken major tech stories over the years, and is great for deep dives into specific topics or developing news.
Ars Technica
Ars Technica has delivered IT news, reviews, and analysis since 1998. That’s an aeon in the online sphere, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that it’s seen as being among the best sources of tech news. It features some of the best writers, articles receive a lot of attention, and there aren’t many overall flaws.
AI and press releases
We’ve bundled together Artificial Intelligence (AI) with press releases, as that tends to be where the more interesting AI news is found. Of course, you should take marketing spiel with a pinch of salt, but there are gems hidden among the rough.
ScienceDaily/Phys.org
Predominantly focused on reprinting press releases from a number of companies worldwide, ScienceDaily has been around since 1995.
For the UK specifically, Phys.org is a science, research, and technology news aggregator offering briefs from press releases and news agencies.
Software/hardware
Software and hardware news are typically among the most-read tech articles, as people are always keen to learn about the latest gadgets and updates.
However, the rise of affiliate links (which give commission for the promotion of products) have compromised some publications, to a degree.
As a kid, I had a small magazine sent to my house from a local game shop. Even then, I quickly realised that it gave almost every title a five-out-of-five review score. Affiliate links work in the same way: are sites likely to trash products if they stand to make significant revenue from click-through sales of that very item?
As well as the source listed below, the BBC, TechCrunch, and Ars Technica also produce decent software/hardware news, which isn’t compromised beyond writers’ biases.
Engadget
Engadget is one of the better websites for reading reviews. However, it’s worth noting that it openly admits that:
“Engadget’s Buyer’s Guide contains affiliate links. When you click on that big ‘buy now’ button and actually buy a product from one of our affiliate partners, we earn a commission. Our editors and writers do not take part in the negotiation of those deals or the implementation of those links and our opinions and advice are not influenced by our affiliate partnerships. Engadget needs money to keep bringing you world class buying advice, but our ultimate responsibility is to you, our readers.”
This isn’t bad in and of itself, but is worth bearing in mind before clicking on that shiny buy button after reading a stellar review. If in doubt, nothing beats watching an item in action on the likes of YouTube; in my experience, smaller channels are less likely to be hawking the product.
Web development
Demand for web development news continues to grow, as does the topic’s interest and importance. As such, the latest web dev news is always interesting – but where to look to find out more?
Aggregate websites like Reddit are a good start, with a number of subreddits especially for devs and news in the sector.
Readspike aggregator
A simple tool which collates articles and news about the latest in web development, the Readspike Webdev page has a range of relevant sections to check out, depending on what you’d like to read about.
Ethics
Where better to look for ethical tech news than our range of tech-focused articles?
Alternatively, check out specific organisations to learn more about a pressing issue; most will have a blog, or will otherwise offer updates in some form.
Wired
With both US and UK print versions, Wired is great for all types of tech news. It covers a range of subjects, but also occasionally takes the time to consider ethical standpoints.
Cybersecurity
Ever more important when switching to working from home, cybersec news is always popular. Learning about the latest exploits and techniques will also help you better protect yourself while online.
Cybersec podcasts: Defensive Security, Security Weekly, etc
Podcasts with expert speakers are a great way to source the latest cybersec news.
“The Defensive Security podcast is an attempt to look at recent security news and pick out lessons we can apply to the organizations we are charged with keeping secure. This podcast is hosted by Jerry Bell (@maliciouslink) and Andrew Kalat (@lerg).”
Security Weekly, part of the CyberRisk Alliance (CRA), is another great podcast. A third option, The Security Ledger, offers “cyber security news, analysis and opinion for the internet of Things.”
Big data
Big data is always a popular subject – one I’ve discussed myself on multiple occasions. The Guardian and some of the others above will report about big data from time to time, discussing both the positives and negatives of using large data sets.
Top tech news sources: further reading
While we’ve listed a number of prominent websites which are fact-checked and professionally produced, it’s often preferable to pay attention to who is writing the article.
Some tech writers are more knowledgeable than others, or may write in a way that you particularly enjoy. If they leave a publication or website, there’s a chance that the overall quality of writing may go down a notch, so it might be worth following them to wherever they end up next.
Of course, this list is far from exhaustive, so we’d appreciate any input from you in terms of great resources for any of the topics above, be it blogs, videos, or any form of tech news.
Featured image by Markus Winkler on Unsplash
