The 20 Best News Podcasts of 2026: Ranked by Real Chart Data
Updated September 2026 · Based on CastFox data covering 23 Apple Podcasts chart snapshots in 78 countries (2026-02-24 to 2026-09-04) and 5M+ indexed podcasts
The best news podcasts of 2026, by the numbers, are the 20 shows below: every one of them appeared in all 23 CastFox snapshots of the US Apple Podcasts News chart between February 24 and September 4, 2026, and the #1 show, The Daily from The New York Times, held an average US rank of 1 and charted in 77 of the 78 countries we track on the latest scrape. Most "best news podcasts 2026" lists are one editor's reading habits. This one is built from CastFox's daily chart data, so a show is here because listeners kept it in the top 100 for seven straight months, not because it broke one big story.
News is the category where format matters most, and the 2026 top 20 splits cleanly into five. Morning briefings produced by newsrooms, built to be finished before work (The Daily, Up First from NPR, The Headlines, NPR News Now, WSJ What’s News). World news and single-story explainers (Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service, Today, Explained from Vox, The Journal. from The Wall Street Journal, and the narrative journalism of Serial). Conservative commentary, which is the largest block on the chart this year (The Tucker Carlson Show, The Ben Shapiro Show, The Megyn Kelly Show, Candace, Morning Wire). Progressive political talk (Pod Save America, The MeidasTouch Podcast, IHIP News). And independent voices that position themselves against the establishment on both sides (The Bulwark Daily, Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, Pivot).
This is the September 2026 refresh of our news ranking, and it replaces a list we last updated in May. The main list rewards consistency, so it moves slowly; the "Rising this month" section below it is where the movement is, and this month it is led by shows that were outside the US top 100 in July and are inside it now. Each card shows the real cover art, the publisher or host, what the show is, why it earned its place, and who it is best for, plus the chart record behind the ranking: snapshots appeared in, average US rank, and the number of countries it charted in on the latest scrape. Click through to CastFox for the full profile with audience estimates, chart history in every country, reviews, and contact details, and you can monitor any of these shows in CastFox as the chart changes.
The 20 best news podcasts of 2026 at a glance
| # | Podcast | Hosted by | Avg US rank | Best rank | Countries charting | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Daily | The New York Times | 1 | #1 | 77 | 1,000 |
| 2 | Global News Podcast | BBC World Service | 18.4 | #12 | 77 | 259 |
| 3 | The Tucker Carlson Show | Tucker Carlson Network | 7.1 | #5 | 54 | 374 |
| 4 | Up First from NPR | NPR | 2.2 | #2 | 39 | 500 |
| 5 | Pod Save America | Pod Save America | 3 | #2 | 38 | 1,000 |
| 6 | Today, Explained | Vox | 19.5 | #13 | 55 | 1,000 |
| 7 | The Journal. | The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios | 19 | #14 | 54 | 300 |
| 8 | The Headlines | The New York Times | 17.9 | #11 | 42 | 429 |
| 9 | Candace | Candace Owens | 13.8 | #5 | 35 | 368 |
| 10 | The Bulwark Daily | The Bulwark | 7.1 | #4 | 25 | 500 |
| 11 | NPR News Now | NPR | 11.2 | #8 | 30 | 4 |
| 12 | The Megyn Kelly Show | SiriusXM | 4 | #3 | 21 | 1,000 |
| 13 | The Ben Shapiro Show | The Daily Wire | 7.3 | #5 | 18 | 1,000 |
| 14 | WSJ What’s News | The Wall Street Journal | 22.1 | #18 | 35 | 20 |
| 15 | The MeidasTouch Podcast | MeidasTouch Network | 7.4 | #3 | 17 | 1,000 |
| 16 | Pivot | New York Magazine | 17.7 | #8 | 29 | 765 |
| 17 | IHIP News | Jennifer Welch & Angie Sullivan | 13.7 | #10 | 19 | 1,000 |
| 18 | Serial | Serial Productions & The New York Times | 22.3 | #5 | 25 | 118 |
| 19 | Morning Wire | The Daily Wire | 9.9 | #7 | 8 | 1,000 |
| 20 | Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar | iHeartPodcasts | 28 | #16 | 24 | 1,000 |
Jump to a Show
- #1. The Daily
- #2. Global News Podcast
- #3. The Tucker Carlson Show
- #4. Up First from NPR
- #5. Pod Save America
- #6. Today, Explained
- #7. The Journal.
- #8. The Headlines
- #9. Candace
- #10. The Bulwark Daily
- #11. NPR News Now
- #12. The Megyn Kelly Show
- #13. The Ben Shapiro Show
- #14. WSJ What’s News
- #15. The MeidasTouch Podcast
- #16. Pivot
- #17. IHIP News
- #18. Serial
- #19. Morning Wire
- #20. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar
Rising this month · How we ranked these · How to pick the right show · FAQ
The 20 Best News Podcasts to Listen To in 2026
Daily Morning Briefings
#1. The Daily
Hosted by The New York Times
About this show: The New York Times' flagship daily show, hosted by Michael Barbaro, Rachel Abrams, and Natalie Kitroeff: one of the biggest stories of the day, told by Times journalists, in about twenty minutes, six days a week, ready by 6 a.m.
Why it made the list in 2026: The most consistent show in the category and the widest-reaching: it held the US #1 position in every snapshot of the tracking window and charted in nearly every country CastFox follows. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 1, best #1, charting in 77 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Anyone who wants one reported story a day rather than a list of headlines.
#4. Up First from NPR
Hosted by NPR
About this show: NPR's morning briefing: the three biggest stories of the day with reporting and analysis from NPR News in 10 minutes, weekdays at 6:30 a.m. ET with Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin, and A Martinez, plus a Saturday edition and a longer Sunday Story.
Why it made the list in 2026: The second most consistent US show on the chart by average rank, and the shortest show in the top five; its score is held back only by a narrower international footprint than the Times and the BBC. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 2.2, best #2, charting in 39 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: People who want the day's essentials finished before the coffee is.
#8. The Headlines
Hosted by The New York Times
About this show: The New York Times' short weekday-morning rundown of the day's top stories, with insight and analysis from Times reporters around the world, made by the team behind The Daily.
Why it made the list in 2026: A US top-20 regular that has held its position through every snapshot, with a strong international footprint for a headlines show. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 17.9, best #11, charting in 42 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Times readers who want the front page read to them, with room for The Daily afterward.
#11. NPR News Now
Hosted by NPR
About this show: NPR's five-minute newscast: the latest news, updated hourly, with a sponsor-free version available through NPR News Now+.
Why it made the list in 2026: The most compact show on the list and a US top-15 regular; it earns its place on frequency and consistency rather than depth. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 11.2, best #8, charting in 30 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Anyone who wants to be caught up in the time it takes to boil a kettle.
#14. WSJ What’s News
Hosted by The Wall Street Journal
About this show: The Wall Street Journal's twice-daily briefing on the biggest news of the day, from business and finance to the global and political developments that move markets, plus a Saturday markets wrap and a Sunday deep dive.
Why it made the list in 2026: The most internationally distributed short business briefing on the chart, with a country count that beats most of the US commentary shows. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 22.1, best #18, charting in 35 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Professionals who want the market-moving news before the open and after the close.
World News, Explainers, and Narrative Journalism
#2. Global News Podcast
Hosted by BBC World Service
About this show: The BBC World Service's breaking-news show: the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world, covering politics, economics, climate, business, technology, and health, twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus bonus episodes for urgent stories.
Why it made the list in 2026: The only show on the list that matches The Daily's international reach, and the top world-news show by a wide margin; its US rank is lower than its global standing because it is not a US-centric program. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 18.4, best #12, charting in 77 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Listeners who want the world, not just Washington, and are happy with a twice-daily rhythm.
#6. Today, Explained
Hosted by Vox
About this show: Vox's daily news explainer, hosted by Sean Rameswaram and Noel King, which takes the most important story of the day and walks through it in one episode. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Why it made the list in 2026: The top explainer-format show on the chart and one of the most internationally distributed US shows, with top-100 positions in more countries than any US commentary program on the list. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 19.5, best #13, charting in 55 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Listeners who already know the headline and want to understand why it happened.
#7. The Journal.
Hosted by The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios
About this show: The Wall Street Journal's daily show about money, business, and power, hosted by Ryan Knutson and Jessica Mendoza, co-produced with Spotify Studios.
Why it made the list in 2026: The strongest business-news show in the category, with a country count that rivals Today, Explained and a place in every snapshot of the tracking window. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 19, best #14, charting in 54 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Anyone whose news diet starts with markets and companies rather than politics.
#18. Serial
Hosted by Serial Productions & The New York Times
About this show: The narrative journalism series from Serial Productions and The New York Times, which reshaped audio storytelling and now releases new seasons and companion shows such as The Preventionist.
Why it made the list in 2026: The only seasonal show to appear in every snapshot of a chart otherwise owned by daily programs, with a best US rank of 5 during the window. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 22.3, best #5, charting in 25 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Listeners who want one deeply reported story told over a season rather than daily updates.
Conservative Commentary
#3. The Tucker Carlson Show
Hosted by Tucker Carlson Network
About this show: Tucker Carlson's daily show from the Tucker Carlson Network, which describes itself as a beacon of free speech and honest reporting and frames its job as telling the truth every day, no matter what.
Why it made the list in 2026: The highest-ranked commentary show in the category and the one with the broadest international footprint among opinion programs, with a US top-ten average across the whole window. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 7.1, best #5, charting in 54 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Conservative listeners who want long interviews and a host who is openly hostile to mainstream media.
#9. Candace
Hosted by Candace Owens
About this show: Candace Owens' solo show, described in a single line: this time it's just Candace, free and unfiltered. Owens is a conservative commentator, author, and activist.
Why it made the list in 2026: One of the fastest-rising conservative shows in this window, reaching a best US rank of 5 and charting in dozens of countries despite a solo, single-voice format. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 13.8, best #5, charting in 35 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Listeners who follow Owens specifically and want her take without a co-host or a network filter.
#12. The Megyn Kelly Show
Hosted by SiriusXM
About this show: Megyn Kelly's daily show from SiriusXM: open, provocative conversations with political, legal, and cultural figures, pitched as no BS, no agenda, and no fear.
Why it made the list in 2026: The best average US rank of any conservative show in the category, sitting just outside the US top three on average across the tracking window. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 4, best #3, charting in 21 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Listeners who want long interviews with newsmakers from a host with a television background.
#13. The Ben Shapiro Show
Hosted by The Daily Wire
About this show: The Daily Wire's fast-moving daily program, hosted by Ben Shapiro, which covers the day's news in a conservative, principled fashion and airs Monday through Friday.
Why it made the list in 2026: A US top-ten average and a place in every snapshot; one of the longest-running conservative shows to hold that position in 2026. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 7.3, best #5, charting in 18 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Conservatives who want rapid-fire daily news analysis rather than long interviews.
#19. Morning Wire
Hosted by The Daily Wire
About this show: The Daily Wire's morning news show, presented by editor-in-chief John Bickley with co-host Georgia Howe: daily coverage of politics, culture, education, sports, and more, pitched as the facts first for people who distrust mainstream media.
Why it made the list in 2026: The highest-ranked conservative morning briefing, with a US top-ten average across the window, though its audience is almost entirely domestic. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 9.9, best #7, charting in 8 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Conservatives who want a short daily briefing rather than a commentary show.
Progressive Political Talk
#5. Pod Save America
Hosted by Pod Save America
About this show: A political talk show from four former Obama staffers, Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer, and Tommy Vietor, who mix humor with analysis of American politics informed by their time in the White House.
Why it made the list in 2026: The highest-ranked progressive show in the category and a US top-three regular across every snapshot, which puts it ahead of every conservative show on average US rank. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 3, best #2, charting in 38 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Democrats and left-leaning listeners who want strategy talk from people who have run campaigns.
#15. The MeidasTouch Podcast
Hosted by MeidasTouch Network
About this show: Three brothers, Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas, cover the news with brother banter and, in their own words, an unapologetic support of democracy. Ben is a lawyer, Brett an Emmy-winning video editor, and Jordy a former advertising executive.
Why it made the list in 2026: The second-highest progressive show on the list, with a best US rank of 3 and a US top-ten average across the window, although its reach outside the US is limited. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 7.4, best #3, charting in 17 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Left-leaning listeners who want a fast, combative daily read on politics.
#17. IHIP News
Hosted by Jennifer Welch & Angie Sullivan
About this show: Jennifer Welch and Angie "Pumps" Sullivan, progressive podcasters deep in a red state, share how they really feel about political news in comedic, feel-good episodes at least twice a week.
Why it made the list in 2026: The highest-ranked independent progressive show on the list and a US top-15 average across the whole window, without a network behind it. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 13.7, best #10, charting in 19 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Progressive listeners who want their politics with jokes and Southern accents.
Independent and Anti-Establishment Voices
#10. The Bulwark Daily
Hosted by The Bulwark
About this show: The daily show from The Bulwark, an independent outlet known for analysis of American politics that often presents a conservative viewpoint diverging from mainstream party lines.
Why it made the list in 2026: A US top-ten average across the whole window makes it the highest-ranked independent political show here, though its reach is mostly domestic. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 7.1, best #4, charting in 25 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Never-Trump conservatives and centrists who want a daily argument with both parties.
#16. Pivot
Hosted by New York Magazine
About this show: Journalist Kara Swisher and NYU professor Scott Galloway on the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics, every Tuesday and Friday, from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. They make predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker.
Why it made the list in 2026: The top twice-weekly show in the category and the one with the most professional audience signal in our data; it charted in every snapshot despite competing against daily programs. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 17.7, best #8, charting in 29 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: People who want tech and business news treated as the political story it has become.
#20. Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar
Hosted by iHeartPodcasts
About this show: A multi-week YouTube and podcast show hosted by Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti, distributed by iHeartPodcasts, which describes itself as fearless and anti-establishment and aims to hold the powerful to account.
Why it made the list in 2026: The only show on the list that pairs a left-leaning and a right-leaning host, and it charted in every snapshot with reach in two dozen countries. Chart record: 23 of 23 US snapshots, average US rank 28, best #16, charting in 24 countries on the latest scrape.
Best fit for: Listeners who distrust both parties and want a populist read on the news.
Rising This Month: News Podcasts Climbing the Charts (September 2026)
These are the news shows moving up fastest in CastFox rankings. We compare each show's average US chart position across the 3 most recent snapshots (2026-08-08 to 2026-09-04) with the 3 snapshots before that. A show that was outside the top 100 in the prior window is marked as new to the top 100. This section is refreshed every month; the main list above changes more slowly because it rewards consistency.
The Political Scene | The New Yorker New to the top 100
Hosted by The New Yorker. The Political Scene | The New Yorker new to the US top 100, now averaging #60.5, with a best US rank of #41 so far in 2026 and a top-100 position in 4 countries on the latest snapshot. Join The New Yorker’s writers and editors for reporting, insight, and analysis of the most pressing political issues of our time. On Mondays, David Remnick, the editor of The New Yorker, presents conversations and...
Shawn Farash LIVE New to the top 100
Hosted by Silverloch | Cumulus Podcast Network. Shawn Farash LIVE new to the US top 100, now averaging #64, with a best US rank of #36 so far in 2026 and a top-100 position in 1 country on the latest snapshot.
Real Time with Bill Maher
Hosted by HBO Podcasts. Real Time with Bill Maher moved from an average of #71 to #43.3 (up 27.7 places), with a best US rank of #19 so far in 2026 and a top-100 position in 8 countries on the latest snapshot. He's not in it for the likes. Listen to full episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher and join the post-show conversation with Bill and his guests on Overtime. New episodes air Fridays at 10PM on HBO and HBO Max.
The Opinions
Hosted by The New York Times Opinion. The Opinions moved from an average of #75.3 to #48 (up 27.3 places), with a best US rank of #27 so far in 2026 and a top-100 position in 6 countries on the latest snapshot. You've heard the news, here's what to make of it.
The Chuck ToddCast New to the top 100
Hosted by iHeartPodcasts. The Chuck ToddCast new to the US top 100, now averaging #75.5, with a best US rank of #69 so far in 2026 and a top-100 position in 2 countries on the latest snapshot.
How We Ranked These: CastFox Methodology
CastFox scrapes the Apple Podcasts charts every day in 78 countries and stores every position in the top 200 of every genre. For this list we took the 23 2026 snapshots of the US News chart between 2026-02-24 and 2026-09-04, and scored every show that appeared in the top 100 of any of them.
- Consistency (50% of the score): the number of snapshots in which the show appeared in the US top 100. Every show on this list scored 23 out of 23, which is the filter that removes one-week spikes.
- Average US rank (30%): the mean of the show's US chart positions across those snapshots. Lower is better.
- Global reach (20%): the number of tracked countries in which the show was in the genre top 100 on the most recent snapshot. This is what separates a show with a large US following from a show with a global one.
There are no paid placements and no editorial overrides. A few shows on this list would not be our personal picks; they are here because the chart data put them here, and we would rather show you what people are actually listening to than what we think they should be. Chart position is not the same as audience size, so treat the ranking as a measure of sustained popularity rather than a download count. For a deeper look at what chart data can and cannot tell you, read how podcast audience demographics are calculated.
How to Pick the Right News Podcast for You
What are the best daily news podcasts to start your day?
Pick by how much time you have before you leave the house. The Daily is the highest-ranked show in the category and runs about twenty minutes a day, six days a week, ready by 6 a.m. Eastern. Up First from NPR covers the three biggest stories of the day in 10 minutes, published weekdays at 6:30 a.m. ET, and was the second most consistent show on the chart by average US rank. The Headlines, from the team behind The Daily, is the short weekday-morning option for readers who want the Times without a single-story deep dive. If your mornings are about money, WSJ What’s News catches you up twice a day on weekdays. All five briefings in this group appeared in every one of the 23 snapshots.
What are the best news podcasts for unbiased coverage?
No show is free of a point of view, but the shows in this list built by newsrooms rather than by individual commentators are the closest fit: The Daily and The Headlines (The New York Times), Up First and NPR News Now (NPR), Global News Podcast (BBC World Service, which describes its mission as impartial news), WSJ What’s News and The Journal. (The Wall Street Journal), and Today, Explained (Vox). They are reported, not argued. The other half of the chart is commentary, and the shows there say so in their own descriptions. A practical approach is to take one reported briefing as your baseline and then, if you want opinion, listen to one show from the conservative group and one from the progressive group and notice where they disagree.
What are the best political news podcasts 2026 has on the chart?
Political talk is more than half of the top 20 this year, and it is evenly split. On the right, The Tucker Carlson Show has the widest international reach of any commentary show (54 countries on the latest scrape) and The Megyn Kelly Show has the best average US rank of the group at 4. On the left, Pod Save America, hosted by four former Obama staffers, held an average US rank of 3 across all 23 snapshots, and The MeidasTouch Podcast reached a best rank of 3. Between them sit The Bulwark Daily, an independent outlet that describes itself as diverging from mainstream party lines, and Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, which calls itself anti-establishment. If you only want reporting on politics rather than argument, Up First, The Daily, and Today, Explained cover the same stories without a side.
What are the best news podcasts under 20 minutes?
Four shows on the list are built around a short runtime. NPR News Now is the shortest: the latest news in five minutes, updated hourly. Up First from NPR is 10 minutes, weekdays at 6:30 a.m. ET. WSJ What’s News promises to catch you up in minutes, twice a day on weekdays, with a markets wrap on Saturday and a Sunday deep dive. The Daily runs about twenty minutes, so it sits right at the line. The Headlines, from the same New York Times team, is the short-form companion to The Daily and publishes every weekday morning. Global News Podcast from the BBC also comes out twice a day on weekdays, so an episode covers half a day of news rather than a full one.
What are the best world news podcasts?
Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service is the clear leader: it is the #2 show on the entire list, it appeared in every US snapshot, and it charted in 77 of the 78 countries CastFox tracks, the same reach as The Daily. It covers politics, economics, climate, business, technology, and health from around the world, twice a day on weekdays and daily on weekends, with bonus episodes for breaking stories. Among the US newsroom shows, The Daily draws on Times correspondents worldwide and The Headlines carries analysis from Times reporters around the world, while WSJ What’s News focuses on the global and political developments that move markets. For a wider set of international shows, the CastFox News hub lists the top chart in each of the 78 countries.
Want the next 180 news podcasts?
This list is the top 20. The CastFox News chart page shows the top 50 updated daily, and PodcastGPT can find shows on any specific topic across 5M+ podcasts.
See the daily top 50 → Search by topic →Frequently Asked Questions About the Best News Podcasts
What is the best news podcast in 2026?
By CastFox's chart-consistency score, The Daily from The New York Times is the best news podcast of 2026: it appeared in all 23 US News chart snapshots between February and September 2026 with an average US rank of 1 and top-100 positions in 77 of the 78 countries CastFox tracks. Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service is second, with the same 77-country reach and an average US rank of 18.4, and The Tucker Carlson Show is third with an average US rank of 7.1 and 54 countries.
What is the most popular news podcast in 2026?
The Daily. It held the #1 position on the US Apple Podcasts News chart in every one of the 23 snapshots CastFox took between February 24 and September 4, 2026, which no other show in any group on this list matched. Up First from NPR is the closest challenger in the US with an average rank of 2.2, and Pod Save America is next at 3. Internationally, Global News Podcast matches The Daily's reach at 77 countries. CastFox measures chart position rather than downloads, so "most popular" here means the show listeners most consistently keep at the top of the chart.
How is this list ranked?
Each show's score combines three things from CastFox's daily Apple Podcasts chart data: how many of the 23 2026 US News chart snapshots it appeared in the top 100 of (50% of the score), its average US rank across those appearances (30%), and how many of 78 tracked countries it charted in on the latest scrape (20%). No paid placements, no editorial overrides, and no adjustment for politics: conservative and progressive shows are ranked by the same formula. The Rising this month section uses a different measure: the change in average US rank between the three latest snapshots and the three before them.
Which news podcasts are growing fastest in 2026?
The fastest climbers in the Rising this month section are shows that were outside the US News top 100 in July and inside it in the three most recent snapshots: The Political Scene from The New Yorker, Shawn Farash LIVE, and The Chuck ToddCast are all new to the top 100. Among shows that were already charting, Real Time with Bill Maher moved from an average of #71 to #43.3, The Opinions climbed from #75.3 to #48, and Radio Atlantic and On the Media each gained more than 20 places. Weekly magazine-style shows are gaining on the daily briefings this month.
Is Serial really a news podcast?
Apple's News chart says yes: Serial appeared in all 23 US snapshots and reached a best rank of 5, even though it publishes in seasons rather than daily and its most recent episode in our data is from March 2026. It is on this list because the data put it here. We describe it as what it is, narrative journalism from Serial Productions and The New York Times, and it is the one show here you can listen to weeks after release without it going stale.
How do I find news podcasts about a specific topic or get booked on one?
Use PodcastGPT Podcast Finder and describe what you want in plain English ("daily podcasts about the economy" or "news shows that cover state politics"). It searches 5M+ shows by topic rather than by category name. If you are a journalist, an analyst, or a publicist looking for bookings, CastFox Guest Finder matches you to active, guest-booking news and politics shows with verified host contacts, and the complete guesting playbook covers the pitch.