While I don’t like to admit it, I’ve never been a particularly well-informed person when it comes to current events.
Despite being interested in journalism, being an editor for my high school’s newspaper, and writing for Her Campus at Boston University, I’ve found myself falling short in my knowledge of current events.
However, I don’t think I’m alone in this lack of awareness of recent news.
My excuse has always been my packed schedule, a catch-all explanation for any missing habits. I also think there’s a certain exhaustion of the news, specifically with bad news. Since COVID, bad news has seemed like the only news, which has been yet another reason I’ve avoided it.
Since arriving at college, I’ve been trying to develop better adulting habits. To me, that means keeping up with current events.
Not only is consuming news an important part of being a well-informed and contributing member of society, but I’m also hoping to further develop my knowledge of different forms of journalism.
So, how have I been trying to form this habit?
Creating habits is all about learning what works for you. Finding ease and enjoyment in the habits helps make them stick.
For the past year, I’ve been a podcast fiend. I can’t get enough of Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain, and I love the ease with which I can listen while on the go. Therefore, it seemed only natural to start with the podcast medium to better integrate news consumption into my daily routine.
One of my closest friends recommended the New York Times‘s The Daily and NPR’s Up First. She listens to them while she gets ready for the day and describes it as a meditative habit that she looks forward to each morning.
After trying this for myself, I must say the same: both shows are relatively brief but deliver useful morning news about global current events.
I recommend starting with mediums and topics that interest you, be it audio, video, digital, or print content. There is news media out there for everyone.
With good journalism readily available at our fingertips, there are no longer any excuses to be uninformed.
Media doesn’t have to be consumed solely through newspapers.
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