Rating: Five Stars
The podcast market has become increasingly saturated and it can be hard to find a news podcast that is quick, nonpartisan and is not merely a regurgitation of the day’s headlines. Membership-based news company, theSkimm recently launched a daily podcast titled “Skimm This” to offset their email newsletters. “Skimm This” is the perfect podcast for individuals who want to stay up to date on the most current events, but do not have a lot of time. As a busy college student, I find “Skimm This” to be the most beneficial podcast for me.
The “Skimm This” podcast is roughly 10 minutes long and is structured similarly to their weekday emails. But unlike most news podcasts, “Skimm This” is not just a round-up of the headlines from the day. Instead, it features three to four major events and breaks down pertinent information, provides context on the event and shares various views on the story. The company says that they offer contextualized, nonpartisan coverage. It also covers the most important national and international headlines.
According to theSkimm website, “the news is constantly changing. And in today’s world, context is clarity. Skimm This breaks down the biggest stories of the day and connects the dots on why they matter.”
The podcast is released at 5 p.m. every Monday through Friday when people are coming home from work, going to the gym, prepping for dinner, or just want to catch up on the day’s events. It is perfect for college students that want to keep up with the latest news in the world but are short on time with classwork, job and other commitments.
“Skimm This” was released on March 4 and has discussed a multitude of events including election primaries, sexual abuse in Boy Scouts of America, border vigilantes and the mass shooting in Sri Lanka. Through the short episodes, they provide listeners with well-researched information and an unbiased view which allows listeners to form their own opinion on different subjects.
TheSkimm releases a newsletter every weekday morning and it features major headlines from the previous day. The articles are brief and deliver facts in a quick and entertaining way. They break down the most important news events and integrates stories from politics, technology, culture and they even include brief profiles on subscribers at the end of each newsletter. The Daily Skimm newsletter is sent straight to subscribers’ emails each morning.
“Skimm This” is the second podcast that theSkimm has launched. In February 2018, the company launched “Skimm’d From the Couch.” This is a weekly podcast hosted by theSkimm’s co-founders and CEOs Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg. The two interview female leaders about their paths to success.
Zakin and Weisberg began theSkimm in 2012 after the presidential election. The two quit their jobs as newscasters at NBC and started their daily newsletters from their couch. Their podcast “Skimm’d From the Couch” is a return to the two hosts’ roots and is targeted toward millennial women.
As theSkimm has grown to include over seven million subscribers, they have worked to create a variety of products to find something that everyone can enjoy. They recently released a new book, created a video series and even have an app.
Listen to “Skimm This” on your favorite streaming service and sign up for their newsletter on their website, www.theskimm.com/.
