“Ukraine? Wait—what about that whole thing that went down in Syria? Are we still talking about that or is it not a thing anymore?” If you’re anything like me, you don’t have the time to dedicate hours of your day to staying updated on the latest happenings around the globe. And, even if you did, you would much rather be watching E! instead of CNN. Girl, I hear you. But the Kardashians do not an “A” in International Relations make.
Knowledge of current events is an essential requirement for being a global citizen. If we want to be connected with one another, we need to be in the know. As students of the University of Notre Dame, we are held to a higher standard than we may have been in high school. That is to say, we are expected to be aware and engaged. There really isn’t an excuse for not knowing what Crimea is or why everybody keeps talking about Malaysian Airlines. Even if we don’t fully understand what is on the news, we should care about it. From the classroom to the boardroom, on a first date even, it’s better to be over-informed than totally clueless.
These days, there is an overwhelming array of choices for us to pick from in regards to how we want to consume the news: radio stations, television networks, webpages, Twitter—even newspapers if you’re still into that kind of thing. Like I said, I’d rather be watching E! Network. So, when it comes down to it, I want my news quick and dirty: international enlightenment in a matter of minutes that won’t put me to sleep. Impossible, you say? Think again.
Cue: theSkimm. Started by two twenty-something women, Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin (shown in the first picture), who describe news not only as their career, but as their passion, theSkimm is a free, online newsletter that fills in its subscribers on what they need to know in less time than it takes to brew that first cup of coffee. All you need to do is to sign up on their website, and each morning you will wake up to a hilariously worded yet thankfully succinct email from theSkimm informing you of what’s going on at home and overseas.
The writers are intelligent and refreshingly witty. Take, for example, theSkimm from March 21: “Yesterday, the US and Russia had a sanction-off. It was as productive as it sounds…[Russia] ripped its shirt off and sanctioned the US right back. Roarrr. Russia banned 9 US officials…” (Source) The format is clear and concise, the writing is clever, and the information is necessary and objective.
TheSkimm is perfectly suited for busy students and/or professionals, especially millennial women. In the words of its founders, “theSkimm is more than just a newsletter. We are a survival guide. With daily fresh editorial content, we seek to give you what you need to know and why you need to know it, so that you can walk into that date, meeting, job interview, family dinner, or girls’ night out with confidence.” (Source)