[IfOnlyYouKnew]

Read the DPA newsticker if you really just want "Merkel said X", "Train accident in Y", etc.

Spiegel, ZEIT, sueddeutsche, Tagesschau, and FAZ are the large, reputable, online publishers. If you want to watch, tagesthemen is I believe among the best-produced daily news in both German and English language.

Spiegel (the magazine) is distinct from Spiegel Online, and is only available for paying customers. Do read through one–I'm sure there's a free trial or a pdf you can find somewhere. It's mostly medium-length and some long-form, deeply reported stories, current events none-withstanding.

All of these are essentially mainstream, politically, with FAZ tending centre-right, tagesschau going to great length to appear neutral, and the rest being centre-left, somewhere right of The Guardian, left of The Economist.

[DanielleMolloy]

Spiegel, ZEIT and Süddeutsche, especially their online editions aren't good recommendations for someone asking for news free of political agenda. During the last decade they have become very left-leaning, which is a sad development. I occasionally pick up a print copy of Zeit and Spiegel and these seem to be fine, but e.g. Der Spiegel also put Trump decapitating the Statue of Liberty on their cover (just inappropriate). I've never understood the good reputation of Süddeutsche, they are just doing very shallow reporting.

FAZ und NZZ are mostly neutral, slightly conservative (but not in the US sense). I'd recommend them.