With the crazy, fast-paced world we all live in, it seems like we can’t possibly keep up with the news and everything going on with politics, pop culture, and natural disasters.It’s hard to find the time to read the newspaper, and very few of us want to get up in time to watch the news at 5 or 7 am. Thankfully, there are so many subscription services and short podcasts to listen to and read while you’re getting ready for class to impress your professors and be more aware of current events.
1. theSkimm
The first of all of these is the ever popular Skimm. This is a free newsletter subscription service that will send the news to you in a sassy tone starting with an inspirational quote and summarizing the biggest stories in politics and the world. Created by two college students five years ago, the news service focuses on the key stories to get you ready for your day. It is aimed at busy women, so its format is simple and efficient.
Subscribe here: http://www.theskimm.com
2. The NYT Morning Briefing
The New York Times has a similar service. Organized into bulleted, bold headlines followed by one or two sentence summaries of the top stories of the morning, this newsletter is delivered to your email inbox every day. Links are provided to the full articles so you can get more details on the stories that interest you.
Subscribe here: https://www.nytimes.com/newsletters/morning-briefing
3. The BBC Two Minute news summary
If the radio is more your speed, BBC’s free two-minute audio clip offers a summary of the world’s top headlines. While it is a bit of a whirlwind and may not prepare you for a detailed discussion in your SIS research course, the links to stories mentioned, available on the website, are very helpful to give more depth to the events described aloud.
Check it out here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-17434527
4. Fox New 5 Minute Newscast
For the fans of Fox News, there is a five minute clip that covers all of the day’s top stories. These are uploaded once a day and can easily replace your 5 o’ clock news in the evening. There is a subscription-based premium service for $6 a month, but the free version only has a few ads played at the beginning of the news blast.
Check it out here: http://radio.foxnews.com/podcast/5-minute-newscast/
5. Top Headlines This Hour From ABC News
If all of this sounds to intensive and you just want to see a dashboard covering the top stories with a virtual, newspaper-like setup, ABC’s website is the place to be. It’s organized with breaking news at the top. A video plays when you open the screen and gives whatever live content is available first. Related stories are off to the side and there is a listing of the top stories of the day. Videos are interspersed which visually break up the page to the right and left. While this may not be as fast as the others, it allows you to have direct access to stories on a well-organized page.
Check it out here: http://abcnews.go.com