The Block

The Block is the neutral news source we've been using as the spine of this course. Bookmark the front page. Check it daily. The Block's news desk is good at separating "this happened" from "this is what people are saying about what happened." Their explainer articles (which we've used throughout the IMPCT Institute readings) are the best free encyclopedia of the crypto space. The professional research tier is paid but worth it for serious participants.

The Block's structural position. Most crypto news sources are captured in some direction — either by industry interests (the various crypto-native publications that depend on industry advertising and access), by maximalist framings (publications that treat crypto as obviously the future), or by dismissive critique (mainstream finance publications that treat crypto as obviously irrelevant). The Block has historically occupied a relatively neutral middle position — covering the news as news, with the institutional context of mainstream financial journalism but the crypto-specific knowledge that mainstream outlets typically lack.

The news desk. Daily coverage of the major crypto events — protocol developments, regulatory actions, market events, institutional announcements. The signal-to-noise ratio is high relative to social-media-first coverage. The articles are fact-based, sourced, and avoid the maximalist editorial framing that dominates much of crypto media.

The explainers. The Block's "Learn" section is one of the best free educational resources for understanding crypto concepts, protocols, products, and history. The articles are designed for readers who want substantive explanation without either dumbing-down or jargon overload. Many of the readings throughout this course pointed to specific Block explainers as foundational background.

The research tier. The Block Pro is the paid research subscription — substantially deeper than the free content, with industry data, analyst reports, and institutional-grade analysis. For most readers the free content is plenty. For working analysts and institutional participants the paid tier is competitive with other crypto-native research services.

The practical recommendation. Bookmark theblock.co. Check the front page daily as part of your information diet — 5-10 minutes per day catches most of the major crypto news. Use the Learn section as a reference when you encounter unfamiliar concepts or want to verify your understanding of something specific. Consider the Pro tier if you're working professionally in the space.

The broader media landscape for crypto. Beyond The Block, the other crypto media outlets worth knowing about (in approximate order of usefulness for serious participants):

Bloomberg's crypto coverage. The Bloomberg crypto desk has expanded substantially over the past several years. Matt Levine's Money Stuff (covered elsewhere in this reading list) is the highlight, but the broader Bloomberg crypto coverage is increasingly competitive with crypto-native publications.

Decrypt. Crypto-native publication with a focus on consumer-facing crypto news. Less institutional than The Block but useful for broader category coverage.

CoinDesk. The original crypto news publication. Has had editorial conflicts and ownership changes that affected coverage quality at various points, but remains a major source for industry news.

The Defiant. Newsletter-focused publication with strong DeFi coverage.

Wu Blockchain. The dominant Chinese-language crypto news source, with English-language reporting that often surfaces stories from the Asian market that aren't covered well in Western press.

Bankless. Podcast and newsletter focused on DeFi and crypto-native culture. More opinion-driven than The Block but useful for the crypto-native perspective.

A handful of substack writers (Cobie, Lyn Alden, Hasu, others covered in earlier readings).

The combined diet of The Block daily for news + Money Stuff for finance analysis + Cobie/Lyn Alden for independent voices + the on-chain dashboards for data verification covers most of what serious crypto participants consume. The Block is the right starting point for the news layer.