We live in a bubble. Think about it. The only news we hear about took place in The Hub, on Abrego, or maybe in the bathroom at Gio’s. Not only am I unaware of what movies are playing or what musical artists are popular, but I am always so far behind on world, national, and even California news. Maybe this is because we no longer get newspapers delivered to our doorsteps, or maybe it’s because Buzzfeed has so many fun quizzes to take, but as the year comes to an end, I realized that those soon-to-be-graduates entering the outside world unaware of current events outside Huffington Post might be startled by reality.
My suggestion is making a few of the following unbiased websites bookmarked tabs on your laptop, and reading AT LEAST the headlining stories each morning. Yes, this sounds time-consuming, but in reality it should take you about 20 minutes, and eventually you may even develop genuine interest for them!
Al Jazeera, an international publication owned by the government of Qatar, is accessible in multiple countries around the world and is renowned for avoiding cencorship, presenting diverse viewpoints, and covering extensive world news events with peerless efficiency.
Alternet, the hipster of the news scene, works to promote citizen action through a compilation of original stories and “amplifies the best of hundreds of other news sources” according to their mission statement. Also, it is easy to navigate through depending on what type of news you are looking for.
NewYorkTimes: Well this one is just a classic, and the top corner of their website says it all: “All the News That’s Fit to Print”. It’s been around for over 150 years, so get with the program if you haven’t already!
The Independent: This one is based in the UK. So hip, right? No, I think “posh” is the right word. They are known here for not endorsing any political parties and inlcuding an extensive range of world news.
LATimes: We all live in California, at least right now, so we should know a bit about what’s happening, and the Los Angeles Times is the highest rated California news source, according to AllYouCanRead.com, another pretty nice source of news.
Finally, if you want to be that one at the office with the weird facts no one else has heard yet, check out this one: Fark.com
I hate being so serious so I’ll end this with a joke.
How was the Roman Empire cut in half? With a pair of Caesars.
If you don’t get it, read the news from a long time ago.