Despite the long and steady decline of traditional media, there are now more ways than ever of getting the news. This is partially thanks to social media channels. A Pew Research Center study last year found that a third of adults under 30 get their news from social networks, whether it’s Facebook or Youtube – almost the same number as those who turned to TV, and more than twice as many as those who read print or digital newspapers.
With the proliferation of vendor blogs and the line between bloggers and journalists blurring, shows the research, PR efforts have become much more involved than issuing a press release or picking up the phone to call an editorial desk. The blogosphere and ‘journalista’ beats change on the daily, particularly in the tech world. So the question is: where are today’s IT professionals and high tech executives actually getting their news? I took some time to gather insights from folks in the industry.
1. Online Publications
Online publications are still a very important source for techies. Rich Young, Marketing & Corporate Communications Manager for eGroup, says his “engineers, developers and tech nerds” read IT channel-driven publications like CRN. Shalane Layugan, Marketing Coordinator for IT consulting firm Precision IT, names popular tech sites TechCrunch and InfoWorld as popular reads, while Rick Talbot, Director at London-based technical SEO agency Totally Digital, favors tech-oriented news aggregators like Hacker News, among others, appreciating its community curation for cutting through the noise.
So we’ve done a bit of research to understand where other technically-minded people are spending their time when it comes to being up-to-date with the latest developments in the industry, not least because we, a group of reputable PR agencies, either work with these outless already (think media relations, analyst relations, content marketing campaigns, market research, sustainability comms, and more) or we are interested in collaborating with them for a variety of reasons. PR is changing, and keeping up with the latest trends, tools and research is imperative.
Please note that the list doesn’t follow a logic in terms of the order.
See the top 37 technology news sites in English
1. Ars Technica
Address: https://arstechnica.com/
Founded in 1998 (and owned by Condé Nast), this influential publication dives deep into technology, science, and culture, offering detailed reviews, investigative reporting, and expert commentary. Known for its commitment to accuracy and thoughtful analysis, Ars Technica has cultivated a loyal following among tech enthusiasts, academics, and professionals worldwide. Its unique blend of tech news and policy insights sets it apart from mainstream outlets.
What we don’t like about it: occasionally leaning into niche technical details, making content less accessible to casual readers. (Although some of us would see this as a positive.)
2. The Verge
Address: https://www.theverge.com/
Launched in 2011, this Vox Media-owned platform covers technology, science, art, and culture with a modern, visually striking approach. Renowned for its bold design (we’re not all fans of their redesign in 2024, it should be said), exclusive interviews, and in-depth storytelling, The Verge appeals to a wide audience, from gadget lovers to pop culture fans, blending tech insights with cultural relevance seamlessly.
What we don’t like about it: prioritizing style and presentation over depth, with some articles seen as lacking the technical rigor expected by professionals.
3. The Register
Address: https://www.theregister.com/
Established in 1994, this UK-based tech news site is known for its witty, no-nonsense reporting on IT, technology, and business. Owned by Situation Publishing, it attracts industry insiders with its sharp analysis and irreverent style.
What we don’t like about it: its tone, with some readers finding the humor too biting or dismissive at times, while others considering that to be in poor taste.
4. Computerworld
Address: https://www.computerworld.com/
Founded in 1967, this resource is a go-to for IT professionals seeking insights on enterprise technology and trends. Owned by Foundry (IDG Inc.), it’s respected for its focus on digital transformation. Criticism points to its sometimes limited coverage of emerging consumer tech.
5. TechCrunch
Address: https://techcrunch.com/
Founded in 2005, TechCrunch leads in startup and venture capital news, covering key movers in the tech world. Owned by Yahoo, it is occasionally criticized for prioritizing hype over objective analysis, a conclusion with which we tend to agree.
6. Engadget
Address: https://www.engadget.com/
Founded in 2004, Engadget excels at consumer tech news and product reviews, combining sleek visuals with accessible language. Owned by Yahoo again, the website is occasionally criticized for favoring popular brands in its reviews and ignoring the indie and emerging creators, including ambitious startups that are looking to challenge the status quo by taking on Big Tech.
7. Tom’s Hardware
Address: https://www.tomshardware.com/
Founded in 1996, it specializes in PC building, hardware reviews, and performance benchmarks. Owned by Future, it’s sometimes criticized for catering primarily to enthusiasts rather than general users, although this criticism is probably a bit old now, because it seems to us that their content can very much be considered mainstream nowadays.
8. WIRED
Address: https://www.wired.com/
Founded in 1993, the venerable WIRED offers cutting-edge coverage of technology, science, and culture. Owned by Condé Nast (like Ars Technica), it’s sometimes criticized for generalist approaches that lack technical depth. We think it offers a fairly balanced view on the topics it covers, it is widely trusted by the public, and we love their design.
9. ReadWrite
Address: https://readwrite.com/
Founded in 2003, ReadWrite focuses on IoT, AI, and emerging tech for businesses and professionals. As you can tell, the outlet can be an excellent place to get the brand names of your emerging tech customers in front of the right audience. Owned by Wearable World, it’s occasionally criticized for slower updates compared to other tech outlets.
10. The Next Web (TNW)
Address: https://thenextweb.com/
Founded in 2006 in Netherlands, TNW blends global tech and entrepreneurial news with European insights. Owned by Financial Times (which is owned by the Japanese-based Nikkei), it’s sometimes criticized for prioritizing trends over detailed, incisive reporting. We deem it a good tool for clever PR campaigns, but not the most popular.
11. Android Police
Address: https://www.androidpolice.com/
Founded in 2010, it’s considered a leading source for Android news, reviews, and tips. Like TNW, the site is owned by Valnet and, we assume, adheres to similar publishig rules and editorial principles, albeit with some degree of freedom in terms of topic choice and editorial decision-making. As it says on the tin, it’s almost exclusively geared toward users interested in phones, gadgets and hardware based on Android. Worth keeping in mind that Android is rather popular with the IoT crowds, which makes the OS-related news site very useful to PR specialists with clients in this vertical.
12. MacRumors
Address: https://www.macrumors.com/
Founded in 2000, the website specializes in Apple-related leaks, rumors, and reviews. Though looking a bit dated, it’s probably the most popular Apple-oriented site at the moment, which should be of interest to any business operating in the iOS ecosystem. Notably, this is one of the few independent and popular outlets out there.
13. 404 Media
Address: https://www.404media.co/
A new player in the industry (founded in 2023), the platform focuses on investigative tech journalism with a fresh perspective. Independent, its biggest limitation is the smaller volume of content compared to older and bigger outlets. Unlike some of the larger competitors in the space, who tried various monetization tactics, 404 Media started to put their content behind a paywall soon after its emergence. It’s also relevant the fact that they’ve partenered with Wired mag to co-publish two of their articles per month on the Wired website. We hope this works out for them, we love their approach to content so far.
14. MakeUseOf (MUO)
Address: https://www.makeuseof.com/
Founded in 2007, it’s a hub for tech tutorials, how-tos, and tips aimed at everyday users. Starting more or less as a resource blog, it grew into a serious news website with an experienced editorial team that adheres to a good set of editorial principles. It’s owned by Valnet and it’s sometimes criticized for prioritizing quantity over in-depth and well-researched content.
15. Techmeme
Address: https://techmeme.com/
Founded in 2005, it curates real-time tech news from across the web. Independent but algorithm-driven, it’s criticized for lacking original reporting and heavy reliance on external sources.
16. TechRadar
Address: https://www.techradar.com/
Founded in 2008, TechRadar offers tech reviews, buying guides, and news for consumers. Owned by Future, it’s sometimes criticized for favoring affiliate-linked products in its recommendations.
17. CNET
Address: https://www.cnet.com/
Founded in 1994, CNET is a trusted source for consumer tech news, reviews, and tips. Owned by Red Ventures, it faces criticism for perceived over-commercialization in its content, as well as for removing thousands of older articles from its site in an attempt to improve its SEO rankings in Google. We saw that last part as nothing short of tragedy. News sites should never remove older articles for such ridiculous reasons; should they be forced to do so for valid reasons, like being unable to cotinue to host it, the content should first be handed over to archivists for preservation, under a CC0 license. Don’t even get us started with the MTV wiping out decades of news content from the internet. That should not be legally possible without ensuring that the content is first preserved for future generations.
18. OMG! Ubuntu
Address: https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/
Founded in 2009, it’s a popular site for Linux and Ubuntu enthusiasts, featuring news and tutorials. Independent, it’s sometimes criticized for its niche focus limiting appeal to broader audiences. On the other hand, the author’s knowledge of the topic is reassuring and, if you’re using a Ubuntu-based Linux distribuition, you will end up on this site sooner or later.
19. BleepingComputer
Address: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/
Founded in 2004, this is a reliable source for cybersecurity news, malware analysis, and fixes. In addition, BleepingComputer is independently-owned and is one of the few industry sites that maintains a forum board, which is notable in our view.
20. GeekWire
Address: https://www.geekwire.com/
Founded in 2011, it focuses on the Pacific Northwest’s tech landscape, including startups, IoT, and innovation. It’s an independent media outlet potentially too focused on the regional news and events, limiting its global appeal.
21. ComputerWeekly
Address: https://www.computerweekly.com/
Founded in 1966, it’s a leading resource for enterprise IT news and business tech trends. Owned by TechTarget, the site has put some effort into the redesign of the site; while we love the push for more transparency (or E-E-A-T, as SEO people would call it), we can’t say that we like the new layout that much. A matter of taste perhaps.
22. ZDNet
Address: https://www.zdnet.com/
Founded in 1991, ZDNet serves IT professionals with business tech news, reviews, and advice. The website is owned by Red Ventures. It’s criticized for overly broad topic coverage that can dilute focus and for showing little restraint in publishing advertorials and affiliate-driven content. However, it can be a very useful platform for the savvy digital marketer.
23. PCMag
Address: https://www.pcmag.com/
Founded in 1982, PCMag is considered a veteran in the technology and consumer electronics space; it delivers expert reviews and buying guides for software and hardware. Owned by Ziff Davis, it’s criticized for relying heavily on affiliate-linked content. This seems to be a pattern at Ziff Davis. Maybe it’s a good thing, depending on the optics.
24. PCWorld
Address: https://www.pcworld.com/
Founded in 1983, it’s a top source for PC hardware, software, and industry tips. Owned by IDG Communications, it’s sometimes criticized for declining focus on original reporting.
25. SciTechDaily
Address: https://scitechdaily.com/
Founded in 1998, SciTechDaily delivers concise news on science and tech advancements. Independent, it’s criticized for relying heavily on press releases over original analysis. On the other hand, press releases are a key tool under a PR-ist’s belt, so let’s not bicker about it.
26. T3
Address: https://www.t3.com/
Founded in 1996, T3 provides sleek tech reviews, lifestyle gadgets, and buying guides. Owned by Future, it’s sometimes criticized for prioritizing style over substance. If you visit the site today, you’ll quickly understand what we mean (Bekham’s whiskers are of no real interest to anyone, Lizzie).
27. Lifehacker
Address: https://lifehacker.com/
Founded in 2005, it’s a top resource for productivity, tech hacks, and practical tips. Owned by Ziff Davis, like quite a few other popular names in this list, it’s often criticized for its clickbait-style content in recent years. But popular is popular and we don’t recommend avoiding this platform. Keep in mind though that the audience is maily B2C.
28. Digital Trends
Address: https://www.digitaltrends.com/
Founded in 2006, it’s a comprehensive guide to consumer tech, lifestyle gadgets, and reviews. Independent, it’s often criticized for being overly broad, lacking in-depth tech analysis.
29. Mashable
Address: https://mashable.com/
Founded in 2005, Mashable blends tech news with pop culture and entertainment. Owned by Ziff Davis, it’s sometimes criticized for prioritizing viral content over in-depth tech coverage. Again, this seems to be a pattern in the tech media industry, which is a bit of a shame in our opinion, as there’s clearly interest from readers for fact-based tech journalism, whether it’s B2C or B2B, and whether it’s product / service reviews or tech politics.
30. TechHive
Address: https://www.techhive.com/
Founded in 2012, it focuses on smart home devices and connected tech. Owned by Ziff Davis again, so adjust your expectations. It’s an excellent outlet for PR agencies who know to stir positive feelings in various B2C audiences with recommendation listicles, gadget reviews, consumer IoT, and how-to guides.
31. How-To Geek
Address: https://www.howtogeek.com/
Founded in 2006, it provides detailed tutorials and tech guides for everyday users – it’s 100% B2C oriented. As with others in this list, it’s owned by Valnet.
32. SlashGear
Address: https://www.slashgear.com/
Founded in 2005, SlashGear covers consumer electronics, the automotive industry, entertainment, medicine, science, gaming, and trends. It’s owned by Static Media, a media company who owns around 26 brands in various verticals and who, weirdly enough, is known for its infinite-scroll approach to page content. Sadly, it’s not the only problematic approach to content at Static Media; as a former employee noted on Reddit, “the focus is now so heavily on SEO that most articles are deathly boring rankings”, a strategy employed by Valent as well. As much as we advocate for SEO as one of the most efficient methods to increase a brand’s visibility in search results and get eyeballs on the content (and business enquiries), we cannot recommend this approach.
33. 9to5Mac
Address: https://9to5mac.com/ (and https://9to5google.com/)
Founded in 2007, it’s a top source for Apple-related news, leaks, and tips. While it can work quite well for digital marketers with the right content, users have started to complain about the quality of the content and the site itself. This could matter for us, dependign how things evolve. For what is worth, it’s an independent site and it can change the course it’s currently on.
34. MIT Technology Review
Address: https://www.technologyreview.com/
Founded in 1899, this qualifies as the oldest in our list, and it offers in-depth coverage of emerging technologies and innovation. A substantial part of its funding comes from subscriptions (as far as we know) and sponsored content partnerships. Notably, it defines its audience as “a discerning group of technology and business elite”.
35. TechSpot
Address: https://www.techspot.com/
Founded in 1998, TechSpot caters to PC builders and gamers with hardware news and reviews.
36. Hackaday
Address: https://hackaday.com/
Founded in 2004, Hackaday is a hub for makers and hackers sharing DIY tech projects. Owned by SupplyFrame.
37. Techdirt
Address: https://www.techdirt.com/
Techdirt captivates tech audiences by offering in-depth, thought-provoking analysis on the intersection of technology, innovation, and policy, tackling complex topics like digital rights, copyright, and free expression with a critical, often contrarian perspective. Its focus on societal impacts and its vibrant, engaged community of readers, who actively participate in discussions, make it a hub for meaningful dialogue. The site can be a valuable platform for reaching a highly focused and influential audience of tech professionals, entrepreneurs, and policymakers who are not only knowledgeable but deeply invested in shaping the future of technology and its regulation.
2. Twitter / BlueSky / Threads / Mastodon
As expected, social media also plays a large role in informing these organizations. Rich Young notes, “Many of [eGroup’s employees] use Twitter (now called X, and significantly less valuable after Musk purchased it and drove the best users away) as their news source too. So the virtualization guys have their virtualization expert feeds, the data services guys have their own feed they watch, etc.”
As it became clear that Twitter wasn’t going to cut it anymore for advertisers and some of the smartest audiences out there, a huge number of users from Twitter flocked to Blueksy, a somewhat new platform inspired by and modelled after Twitter but with a more decentralised approach. Notably, the platform is booming in Japan.
Threads is a Meta product meant to steal some of that marketshare from Twitter, but while it’s gained some popularity among young users and we don’t recommend writing it off as of yet, chances are that it won’t survive for too long without bringing something genuinely new to the table. Let’s see how this plays out.
Mastodon is a different kind of beast, in that it tries to approach social networking from a different angle; it’s all about decentralisation, resistance to censorship, and challenging the status quo.
3. Niche Communities
For some entrepreneurs and innovators, the more niche the outlet, the better. Alex Genadinik is Founder and CTO of Problemio.com, a developer of popular business apps for iOS, Android and Kindle. His favorite source for tech news and information is g33ktalk, a community of startup software engineers. Alex says of g33ktalk’s insider perspective: “It gives me access to what some of the top CTOs are doing and it helps me to not work in a vacuum, but keep learning about what the tech trends are and what I need to be aware of as I architect various parts of the backend of my apps.”
Other worthwhile communities include Reddit (r/sysadmin, r/hardwarehacking, r/electronics, r/selfhosted, r/homelab, r/technology, r/tech, r/Computing, r/startups etc.) and Hacker News.
4. Newspapers
Regardless of the disruptions in the publishing industry, it seems the traditional newspaper still has its place. Tom Price, SVP at Bernard Group Communications, says he begins each day with the Wall Street Journal. “Regardless of your IT or CXO tech-related position,” he explains, “you must be aware of business and financial events that can impact your company’s success.”
From the PR agency’s perspective, you can never learn about too many news sources. In other words, don’t become too attached to your media databases and press contact lists – there will always be more to add (and subtract).
Top news sites with a dedicated Tech News department
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology
- https://www.vox.com/technology
- https://time.com/section/tech/
- https://www.nytimes.com/section/technology
- https://www.businessinsider.com/tech
- https://www.inquisitr.com/science-tech
- https://www.reuters.com/technology/
- https://www.cnbc.com/technology/
- https://edition.cnn.com/business/tech
- https://www.theguardian.com/technology
- https://www.independent.co.uk/tech
- https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/
- https://indianexpress.com/section/technology/
- https://news.sky.com/science-climate-tech
- https://globalnews.ca/tech/
- https://www.usnews.com/news/technology
- https://www.euronews.com/next/tech-news
- https://apnews.com/technology
- https://abcnews.go.com/Technology
- https://www.newscientist.com/subject/technology/
- https://www.usnews.com/topics/subjects/technology
- https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news
- https://www.ft.com/technology-sector
- https://www.firstpost.com/tech/
- https://spectrum.ieee.org/
- https://www.vice.com/en/category/tech/
- https://theintercept.com/technology/
- https://www.propublica.org/topics/technology
5. News aggregtors
News aggregators appeal to technical audiences because they provide a streamlined experience that saves time and effort. They curate and consolidate articles from diverse sources based on a variety of rules or interests, making it easy to explore multiple perspectives on the same story. With features like real-time updates, the ability to post comments for each shared article, and employment of intelligent filters, aggregators can help users stay informed about topics that matter to them without wading through irrelevant content and poorly-written advertorials and SEO-driven content. Additionally, they often summarize key points and their users share links to bypass paywalls, offering cost-effective access to a broader range of information than individual news sites can provide.
Please see below a shortlist of such news aggregators for the technically-minded people.
Top news aggregators for technical people
Hacker News
Address: https://news.ycombinator.com/
This platform has slowly but surely become the unofficial meeting place for entrepreneurs, business hackers, startups looking for funding or testing the waters, aspiring and established technical engineers and developers, and basically everything tech-related. While its controversed co-founder could do well to take a step back from expressing his opinions in public, argue some, the platform itself appears to thrive and continue to attract all the interesting voices in tech, either via the comments section or through the platform’s news-sharing feature. No matter how you choose to look at it, it can be a valuable tool under a PR-ist belt.
Daily Rotation
Address: https://www.dailyrotation.com/
This is a headlines-only type of aggregator focused on tech which allows choices of sites to be regularly presented as well as for users to submit news feeds. It’s not as directly useful to PR people as other platforms where communities can form and grow (it’s all in the interactions like comments, isn’t it?), but it’s a useful resource nonetheless. We’ve used it to discover relevant 3rd party sites.
Lobsters
Address: https://lobste.rs/
Techmeme
Address: https://www.techmeme.com/
Dev
Address: https://dev.to/
Slashdot
Address: https://slashdot.org/
HackerNoon
Address: https://hackernoon.com/
Product Hunt
Address: https://www.producthunt.com/
Indie Hackers
Addresss: https://www.indiehackers.com/
DZone
Address: https://dzone.com/
TechURLS
Address: https://techurls.com/
TechStreet Now
Address: https://www.thetechstreetnow.com/
This post was first published by Doug Flora on March Communications’ blog PR Nonsense. It was last updated by the GlobalCom team on .