Briefest FAQs
What are you trying to achieve?
Briefest is designed to be simple and slow.
Why might someone want it that way? Perhaps they struggle with anything more, but don't want to be completely cut off from the world. Or, this format might make it easier to reflect on the world. This video (not created by us) articulates the position well.
We believe a new, simple approach is needed. There are a lot of news digests, but they always nudge a reader towards more: links to other articles; longer pieces that drift into opinion, advertising and lifestyle; items that are dubiously news. Few have clear criteria for inclusion.
The news is often seen as synonymous with information, so it is filled with spurious precision; facts and figures which can be diffuclt for some to process without missing the point. When a Ruritanian town is flooded, it is elevated to a town of “10,000 people in the north-east of the mountainous tomato-growing region of the Ruribas oblast”, none of it addressing the issue, little of it useful, and distracting to the core event.
This looks really easy!
Try it! What you see here hides a lot of searching, selecting, redrafting, and editing by the Briefest team. We're not just throwing together a quick list of whatever comes to mind. Behind the scenes, we maintain and adhere to multiple policies for selection and formatting.
Aren't others doing this?
There are other sites which produce weekly news summaries. What we feel is unique is the lack of incentives to get trapped in a spiral of information, and Briefest's rigorous selection process, for reader confidence.
What if I want to find out more about a story?
All our stories are so prominently reported that official sources and further information can easily be found with search engines or traditional news sites.
Who are you, and where are you based?
We are based in Great Britain. Briefest is primarily intended for others here. We have no other connections with media or news, mainstream or alternative. We earn our crust working normal jobs, unrelated to journalism or publishing. To the best of our abilities, we don't have particular axes to grind, and try to avoid bias or prejudice.
Why do you publish on a Sunday?
In Britain, Sundays are traditionally a day for reflection. It's a day the shops are closed (or close early) and the pace calms down a little.
We are aware that for some people Friday or Saturday would be more appropriate days. We are looking into how to accommodate this for those folk, at least in our email newsletter. This isn't an impossible ask, as fewer events occur at weekends, but some certainly do. Having items appear in different summaries for different people, while maintaining length and balance, and not ending up in a terrible muddle are technical challenges which we will work through in the near future.
Do you use AI?
No.
We have actively chosen not to use AI. We consider this an important part of our offering. Having a human in the loop finding and writing stories has greatly helped with the more difficult and crucial task of developing policy mindfully.