Guides · Updated November 2, 2026
Free alternatives to The Washington Post for political news
The Washington Post limits free reading and asks for a subscription. Political news, though, is one of the best-covered topics on the free web: public broadcasters, Capitol Hill outlets and the TV networks all report on Washington every day.
Reading a few of these side by side also gives you a broader range of perspectives than any single paper.
Washington and Congress
The Hill
Washington political news covering Congress, the White House and campaigns, free to read. See The Hill headlines on NoWall News
Politico
Politics and policy news. The website is free; a separate paid 'Pro' service is sold to policy professionals. See Politico headlines on NoWall News
Semafor
A global news outlet launched in 2022 whose stories separate the facts from the reporter's analysis. See Semafor headlines on NoWall News
Public broadcasters
NPR
America's public radio network. National, world, politics and culture reporting, paid for by member stations, sponsors and listener donations, so nothing on npr.org is paywalled. See NPR headlines on NoWall News
PBS NewsHour
Public television's nightly news program. Full episodes, segments and written stories are free, with long interviews and calm explainers. See PBS NewsHour headlines on NoWall News
Network news
CBS News
A US network news site; articles are free and supported by ads. See CBS News headlines on NoWall News
NBC News
A US network news site; articles are free and supported by ads. See NBC News headlines on NoWall News
ABC News
A US network news site; articles are free and supported by ads. See ABC News headlines on NoWall News
Fox News
A US network news site with a conservative audience; articles are free. See Fox News headlines on NoWall News
NewsNation
A US cable news network aimed at a politically broad audience; its site is free. See NewsNation headlines on NoWall News
Investigations
ProPublica
A nonprofit investigative newsroom. Every investigation is free to read and free for other outlets to republish. See ProPublica headlines on NoWall News
Reading paywalled papers legally for free
Many US public libraries give card holders free digital access to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal or a news reader app such as PressReader. Ask your local library or check its website; it is the legal way to read those papers without paying yourself.
See them all in one place
NoWall News collects the latest headlines from these outlets and dozens more, all free to read, refreshed every few minutes.
Questions
What is a free alternative to The Washington Post?
For Washington and Congress news, The Hill and Politico are free. NPR and PBS NewsHour cover politics in depth, and ProPublica publishes free investigations.
Is Politico free?
Politico's website is free to read. It also sells a separate paid service, Politico Pro, to policy professionals.
How can I get balanced political news free?
Read across outlets with different audiences, such as NPR, Fox News, NewsNation and The Hill. NoWall News puts them side by side on one page.