Staying Up-to-Date about National and International News
Tune into a few traditional news sources. With the rise of the Internet, opinion-oriented and partisan news is more popular than in decades past, leading many media consumers to neglect traditional outlets of objective journalism. While opinion-oriented news sources are usually entertaining, they may slant the stories in ways which are not obviously apparent. Therefore, it’s important to find a few trusted traditional news sources to watch or read regularly. While this is by no means a complete list, a few reliable and comprehensive traditional news sources include The New York Times, CNN, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, NPR, Google News, Fox News, NBC, and The Washington Post. Be aware that every person has both conscious and unconscious biases. This can influence what stories are presented, how they’re represented, and how comprehensive the story is. If a news source is referring to anyone using derogatory language, they cannot be considered neutral. By the same token, they aren’t neutral if they’re praising a particular group. It’s okay to consume biased news, because nothing is unbiased, but it’s important to be aware of what the biases are.
Listen to news podcasts. There are many news podcasts that summarize each day’s events in 15-30 minute segments. If you’re short on time and want the highlights, subscribe to a news podcast so you can stay well-informed without spending time searching for updated current events. A few examples of news podcasts include BBC Business Daily, More or Less: Behind the Stats, The New Yorker: Comment, and 5 Live Hit List.
Subscribe to Google Alerts. A Google Alert is a customized notification service allowing you to set an alert with Google for any topic. When that topic is mentioned on the web, you’ll receive a notification from Google letting you know. Google allows up to 1,000 topics per email address, so you can set alerts for a wide range of subjects. To use Google Alerts, simply go to https://www.google.com/alerts/ and enter the search terms you want to keep track of. Choose the types of news sources you wish to receive, the frequency at which you wish to receive alerts, and the email address you wish the alerts sent to. For instance, you may wish to set up Google Alerts for a specific area, such as Washington, D.C., or a specific subject, like tornadoes. You can also set alerts for a specific person, like the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Use a news aggregator. News aggregators pull stories about similar subjects from different news sources and group them together in an email list or feed for your consumption. News aggregators are great tools ways to stay abreast of news and current events because they sample from a wide variety of sources and put all of the stories in one place, saving you the hassle. For example, if you are interested in the topic of white collar crime, a news aggregator will search numerous news sources, picking out articles about the topic and arranging them in an easily digestible format. Some of the most popular news aggregators are Flipboard, Taptu, Pulse, and Google Current. Most have a free mobile app and can be used right from your phone, so try a few out and see which ones work for you.
Find some specialized news sources to suit your needs. Partisan, opinion-based, and topical news sources all have their place on a well-informed citizen’s reading list. While one shouldn’t rely on them exclusively, they play an important part in learning how to distinguish false equivalencies, an unintentional pitfall of objectivity. Examples of reputable opinion-based news sources include Vox, Slate, National Review, Reason, and Jacobin.
Use political websites and apps to get the latest political news. Although almost all news sources tackle political events to an extent, sources that cover politics and nothing else are among the best for detail and analysis. Some good sources to turn to are RealClearPolitics, Politico, Politics1, and OpenSecrets.
Keeping up with Local News
Subscribe to the local paper. Local papers are the most trusted news source for news about local crime, social events, schools, and local government. They also cover a much broader topical area than other local news sources. Local newspapers are some of the only sources available for in-depth coverage of local politics, and local newspapers often initiate investigative reports that other types of media explore in greater depth.
Watch local broadcast TV. While local newspapers cover a wide variety of newsworthy local events, local television covers fewer events in greater depth and with more exposure. Local broadcast television stations comprise the largest portion of the local media market in most cities, and are the most trusted sources of information for local political races.
Use the radio for traffic reports and news coverage. FM radio is usually the best source of information on local traffic conditions. Radio stations get news of accidents, collisions, and road closures from police scanners, so their information is up to date. Public radio is also great for morning news reports, talk shows, investigative reporting, and specialty news programming. Not only is the traffic information current, it is also delivered in a format where it is most likely to be useful—in your car. For a listing of radio stations in your area, sorted by genre and subject matter, check out http://radio-locator.com/
Sign up for news summaries. Many news sources provide daily or weekly summaries of current events. If you don’t want to spend time digging for the most important stories, see if your preferred news source offers summaries. These condensed stories will get sent straight to your email inbox for easy access. For instance, The New York Times and The Week offer daily summaries.
Pay attention to social media for word of mouth tips about local events. “Liking” your local media outlets and governmental agencies on Facebook, and following media personalities on Twitter, can help you find out about breaking news items in your area. By maintaining a wide circle of civically and socially active friends on social media sites, you can find out about local events through word of mouth. There’s no ironclad rule that you’ll get news before anyone else if you follow local anchors on Twitter. However, Twitter feeds are often updated with brief descriptions of breaking news events even before the full story is written.
Keep an eye out for blogs focusing on local issues. As internet-based media continues to take up more and more of the total media landscape, it is becoming steadily more common to see personal and semi-commercial blogs that talk substantively about local issues. The larger your town is, the more likely it is you’ll have a variety to choose from. Search for local blogs at blogdigger.com. Check and see if there’s a Patch site for your area. Patch.com is a hybrid between a news aggregator, blog, and social media site. While Patch’s coverage doesn’t extend to all 50 states, if it covers your state, it can be a great resource for local news stories.
Interpreting the News
Fact-check news sources and partisan claims. The volume of media available to consumers is greater than ever before, and more of it comes from sources that are highly partisan. Those developments make it more difficult to know if the information you’re getting is accurate, so you’ll need to fact-check the claims you hear from news sources, politicians, and other media. There are a number of good fact checking websites available. Try FactCheck.org, PolitiFact.com, ProCon.org, and Snopes.com.
Find a mix of local, national, and global news coverage. If you only consume news at one level, it will skew your perception of the world. It can make you magnify small problems and minimize large problems. Take special care to follow the news locally, nationally, and internationally in order to get a balanced picture of the world. For example, sources like NPR, the New York Times, and any of the broadcast networks are primarily focused on national affairs. Al-Jazeera, PRI, and Reuters are all good sources for international coverage.
Investigate issues of special concern to you. Once you feel like you’ve got a handle on finding high-quality news sources, make an effort to develop your expertise on an issue of special concern to you. It will enhance your credibility on that particular issue, but developing the expertise in one issue teaches you lessons you can apply to other fields. For example, if campaigns and elections are your thing, then regularly read sources like Politico, fivethirtyeight.com, and the Cook Political Report. If foreign policy and diplomacy is more your style, check out Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs, two trusted sources of information on policy.
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