Up First from NPR - Podcast Rankings and reviews

Perfect for my short commute to work! Listening daily keeps me informed, which is great because I don’t naturally interact with the news much otherwise. It’s fairly unbiased, entertaining, and brief. The hosts are direct but personable and the stories generally do reflect what seems to be top of mind in the American news cycle. If you want a deep dive into the grittier news stories of the world, this isn’t it. This podcast does what’s it’s meant to, which is provide some valuable context behind the biggest headlines of the day. Simple as that!

Up First is clear, concise, and informative. I used to listen to The Daily by the NYT, but I always came away feeling uninformed by the conservative and transphobic takes they spewed. I appreciate that Up First has some levity at times, it feels less stuffy than some other news podcasts. This is a petty aside but I hate the forced dramatic cadence of Michael Bubaro and other NYT hosts. This podcast flows and the hosts don't seem to consider it their personal stage. Most of all, the news is well researched and includes LOCAL JOURNALISTS! Thank you NPR for accompanying my morning joe.

Super helpful and informative summing up of all the important news stories of every day. I can’t fill my brain with stressful news all the time but I like to keep up with what’s important and Up First helps me do that.

This is still the most reliable morning news brief. When I don’t have time to listen to all of Morning Edition, I can always find the top stories here, and in less than 15 minutes! Have been so moved particularly by the hosts reporting from Israel and the West Bank. Glad NPR is putting resources into this kind of coverage.

I have listened to this show for years but have noticed over the past several months that they seem to be trying to add in a lot more humor/levity/shaping of the hosts' personalities. And I get that on many podcasts, this is absolutely what connects listeners to hosts and enriches the listener experience. But on a 12 minute headline news podcast, it often feels incredibly out of place and frequently pretty insensitive. To go from an odd 40 second open where the hosts are singing and cackling about needing coffee and engaging in giggly banter that maybe is fun for the hosts but really isn’t funny to an outside listener to suddenly diving into news of genocide and crumbling democracies feels clunky at best. On today's episode, a correspondent delivered a line about how Russia has "thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at us that could reduce the U.S. to a pile of ash" with laughter and intonation as if he was delivering a line in a standup routine. I’m shocked at what producers are allowing to go out to the masses on such a big and respected platform. I don't doubt that the journalistic integrity behind NPR is as strong as it always has been, but delivery has changed so much recently and has added a level of distaste and mistrust in how I receive the news from Up First. Today's episode was my last. I'll be sticking with The Seven, What a Day, and The Daily moving forward, all highly recommended!

I just listened to your story about the death of Elijah McLean in Aurora Colorado. In your reporting, you said that the police were called because Elijah McLean looked sketchy. You left out the fact that it was a summer evening and he was wearing a ski mask. why did you leave that part out your reporting kind of makes it seem like the person who called the police thought she was sketchy simply because he was black. I thought you did a good job reporting all of the other facts but you missed an important one.