The news, decanted
Introducing The Decanter, a curated mix of the week’s top news, what we missed, and what’s worth keeping an eye on.
Decanters are typically used to serve wine, letting sediments settle at the bottom while exposing the wine to air, softening the tannins, and allowing the aromas to open up. Serving wine in one is also pretty cool, and it impresses your guests by a) showing you know what a decanter is and b) by owning one (which I don't).
I think the same applies to the news. We live in a state of constant information overload: before we finish processing one headline, another, often seemingly even bigger, hits us. It leaves most of us, myself included, too overwhelmed to engage. No matter the news site, channel, or station, we keep encountering the same headlines over and over again, featuring the same actors in similar roles and playing out the same scenes. Each headline sounds too much like the one before: "So-and-so made this outrageous declaration." "X and Y can't seem to find common ground." Is there actually anything new in the news? And in our laser focus on the current cycle, we often lose sight of what's coming and how to prepare for it. I can’t help but wonder: is there a better way to engage with the news? Is there news we’re missing? How do we keep an eye on what’s next?
That’s where the decanter analogy comes in. Let’s pour the news in a decanter and let it breathe. Here’s how this will work. Every Sunday morning, I’ll post an article that contains:
A synthesis and analysis of three major news pieces that everyone’s talking about.
Two stories that didn’t get enough coverage but are relevant and might spark your next conversation.
One event to look forward to in the coming week: what the press, the markets, and readers around the world will be following, and so should you.
Bonus track: a brief commentary on something I watched, read, heard, or witnessed that caught my attention.
Why should you read this?
A balanced commentary on the news. I have too much respect for journalists to call myself one, so I’ll be a commentator. I believe in simplifying, yet I also think that in this day and age, we’ve fallen into the trap of oversimplification. There’s more nuance behind the headlines than they let on, but trying to capture every nuance can be overwhelming. I’m not an expert on every topic, but I’ll do my best to offer thorough commentary and refer you to specialized media for deeper dives. If there’s something I don’t know, I’ll tell you and point you to the experts.
Brief. I enjoy long-form articles and hours of news broadcasts, but not everyone does. Reading just the headlines sometimes isn’t enough. I believe in a happy medium: no more than 250 words per news piece with the most essential facts that you can read with your Sunday morning coffee.
I do the research. I spend tens of hours a week following, reading, watching, and listening to the news across a wide range of media: from print to TV, radio, digital, and in multiple languages. I’ll always reference my sources so you can dive deeper if you wish.
Who am I to do this?
I’ve been following the news (some might say obsessively) since I was a teenager, with a particular interest in international affairs and their ripple effects across societies. I worked briefly as a journalist in college, a world I never stopped finding fascinating, before moving into business, mainly consulting for multiple organizations. First, I did macroeconomic research, helping companies understand how local and foreign events impacted variables like GDP, interest rates, and consumer confidence. More recently, I’ve been helping companies adapt to major disruptions and stay ahead in their strategy and operations. I’ve also had brief stints in investing and tech.
For less formal credentials, I’m currently based in San Francisco. I When I’m not following the news, I enjoy running (like a lot of other 30-year-olds these days), playing vinyls, and trying out a recipe from NYT Cooking.
Ever since I left journalism, I’ve wanted to find my way back, and I think this might be a good place to start. This is a personal endeavor, and any views expressed here are solely my own and do not reflect those of my current or former employers, or any institution I’ve been affiliated with.
Of course, not every wine is suitable for a decanter. Sparkling wine, for example, should never go in one. Similarly, if you’re chasing every breaking headline, you won’t find them here. I’ll be posting weekly, featuring only six stories. And if you’re after in-depth analysis, you won’t find that here either, though I will reference publications that offer it. This newsletter is brief and covers what I believe are the essential things you and I should know.
So here’s what you can expect from this space and me. I hope you found it compelling enough to subscribe. Coming up next Sunday: the first post with an actual weekly wrap-up of the news. Until then, cheers.