Self-promotion, the Diet Coke debate, and more

Hey, what’s up everyone — I’m Caroline Houck, Vox’s senior editor of news. It’s a role I’ve come to after five years at Vox, covering some of the biggest stories of those years, from the Trump impeachments and the 2020 election to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Now, I’m helping direct our news coverage, and have just launched our brand new daily newsletter: Today, Explained.

I’m psyched about it! Every Monday through Friday, I’m bringing one Vox journalist into your inbox to explain the biggest story of the day, and personally curating important news (or just interesting stories!) from around the web for you. You can sign up here.

It also means I get to be interested in anything and everything Vox covers. So here’s an eclectic roundup of some pieces of Vox journalism I’ve loved this week.

—Caroline Houck, senior editor of news

Everybody has to self-promote now. Nobody wants to.

Oh, the irony. But this piece from Rebecca Jennings was just too dang good not to include. Her exploration of selling out — and, more importantly, the ways our modern economy requires it — is so strong.

🎧 Should you quit Diet Coke?

I am not a Diet Coke addict, but one of my best friends is, and I bet a non-negligible number of you are too. Does last year’s warning about aspartame from the WHO mean it’s time to lay off the stuff? In this episode of Unexplainable, Byrd Pinkerton and Keren Landman have such a fun and super-informed exploration of that question.

Welcome to the “neomedieval era”

There’s the Israel-Hamas conflict. And Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. And then you’ve got the Houthis disrupting global shipping. Plus there are growing concerns about China invading Taiwan. If the world feels increasingly chaotic to you lately, you’re not alone. Josh Keating walks us through a new framework that could explain what’s going on. 

📹 The best hand-colored photos of the 19th century came from Japan

Take one minute and learn — and see — something cool!

The big Biden Special Counsel news, explained

Okay, okay, I’m cheating a little bit. This piece from Andrew Prokop on the Biden report was in the Today, Explained newsletter this morning. It’s what you can expect from us in really big news moments: We’ll jump into action and quickly  bring you the explainers and clarity you need ASAP. And check out Vox.com tomorrow for a meditation on the Super Bowl from Bryan Walsh, which was going to be today’s edition before bigger news interceded. What I’m saying is: Subscribe to Today, Explained. It’s all good stuff!

This email was sent to you. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.

View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.

Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.