JournalismFree
Write a curated link newsletter edition
Paste this edition's links and a note on each, and get a digest where every article is read, summarized, credited, and kept apart from your take.
River writes a curated newsletter edition from the links you collect. It opens and reads each article before summarizing it, credits the outlet that published it, and keeps your own take clearly separate from what the article says. You get an intro, a summary for each link, and subject line options.
This page is for link digests: roundups of other people's reporting. If your newsletter is built from your own notes and writing, River's newsletter edition writer for notes and drafts is the better fit.
It is for journalists and analysts who run weekly roundups, industry newsletter writers, and anyone curating reading for an audience.
What makes a link digest worth opening
The best roundups save readers time and add judgement. Each item says what the piece found, why it matters to this audience, and, where useful, what the curator thinks of it. Readers come back for the selection and the perspective, not for rewritten headlines.
Accuracy depends on reading the article. A summary written from a headline often gets the finding wrong, overstates it, or misses the caveat that matters. If a link is paywalled or will not load, the honest move is to say so rather than guess at its contents.
Credit matters too. Name the outlet and, where possible, the reporter, and link to the original. Keep summaries short so readers still have a reason to click through, and mark opinion as opinion so readers can tell your view from the article's findings.
How it works
Paste your links
Add the links, with a note on each if you have a view.
River reads each one
Every article is opened and read; unreadable ones are listed.
Get the edition
An intro, a summary per link, and subject lines.
Polish in chat
Ask for a shorter edition or a different order.
What you get
- Each link opened and read before it is summarized
- The outlet credited for every item, with the original link kept
- Your take labelled separately from what the article actually says
- An intro in your newsletter's voice, plus subject line and preview text options
- Links that could not be read listed, rather than summarized from the headline
Common questions
What if a link is behind a paywall?
River will tell you it could not read the article rather than summarizing it from the headline. You can paste the text you have access to, or write that item yourself. Guessing at an article's findings is how roundups spread errors.
Will it copy the articles?
No. Each summary is short and in plain words, credits the outlet, and links to the original, so readers click through for the full piece. Quotes from articles are kept brief and marked as quotes.
Can it match my newsletter's voice?
Yes. Paste a past edition in the second box and River follows its tone, length and habits for the intro and the item summaries.
How is this different from the other newsletter writer?
This page is for roundups of other people's articles. River's newsletter edition writer for notes and drafts turns your own notes, ideas or half-written draft into a full edition.
Write a curated link newsletter edition
Describe what you need, add any files you have, and your workspace opens with the work already underway.