Firefox’s built in “Enhanced Tracking Protection” already does a lot of this work for you, especially if you select “strict mode.” Go ahead and try this extension if you prefer. But remember to be selective with the extensions you add to your browser in general, as they also present an opportunity to introduce vulnerabilities.
Tildes fits that description. The posts are text-only or links to websites. No memes.
I use that site in addition to Lemmy, not as a replacement but a supplement. It’s just a different flavor of discussion.
It’s invite-only but I can give you an invitation code if you’re interested. Take a look, see if you like it, and send me a private message if you want an invitation.
The middle ground is to put a defined limit on news consumption, like 5 minutes per day. That’s enough to stay aware of major events but not so much that you’d necessarily get wrapped up in excessive worrying about irrelevant items. NPR, the BBC, and probably others, offer 5-minute audio news briefs updated hourly. These are available to stream on demand like a podcast. I wouldn’t recommend listening hourly but the point is they’re up to date at any single time in the day, which you might choose as your daily news blast. Then just tune out, literally and figuratively.
There’s also the European Commission (as in the EU), and the Fedora Project (as in Fedora Linux).
As you suggested, I suspect it’s the rare combination of additional extensions that’s contributing to your uniqueness in a fingerprinting sense.