I’ve always held a lot of pride in my ability to keep up with current news and events going on around the world, but ever since I started college, I’ve noticed it’s much harder to keep up with day to day news. When I’m not able to listen to NPR in my car every day, it’s harder to connect with current events. So, I turned to a new type of way to receive my news media: podcasts.
I’ve made it a daily habit to turn on a news podcast of the day whenever I’m walking or biking to class. I open the podcast app and listen to one of the many episodes from each series I have subscribed to. The time range changes from episode to episode, but is usually around 15 to 20 minutes. “The Daily” made by the New York Times is among one of my favorites because it gives an in-depth explanation of different current events. Another is “Planet Money” which is a podcast made by NPR whose purpose is to be a creative and entertaining way to understand economics. If you would rather hear about a myriad of different things around the world, I would recommend the BBC World Service’s “The Documentary Podcast”.
Podcasts don’t just have to be used for current events, though. You can subscribe to Khan Academy on any podcast platform and listen to it to review information before a test. Or, if you’re interested in mysteries, “Serial” tells a true story through investigative journalism that always keeps the listener on the edge of their seat. If you’re a big fan of music, “Popcast” reports different opinions on current music and gives lots of information about different songs, albums, and artists.
I personally love podcasts because it fills empty time with interesting stories and teaches me new things about the world. As a college student, a lot of time can be wasted on things that aren’t exactly productive, but listening to podcasts makes my time feel much more worthwhile if I’m not working on something else. It’s important that you enjoy the podcast, should you choose to listen to one, because it really has the potential to make small, boring intervals of time so much more entertaining and fulfilling. Happy listening!