How should a person stay informed in an era where information can be overwhelming?
As a journalism major, my homework is often reading and reflecting on articles. While I'm fortunate enough to have enough time to read a variety of materials, I understand that other people (college students in particular) don't have that luxury. That's why I think it's important to find news in a format that works for you - on Twitter, via daily email newsletter, or even YouTube videos.
Choosing your sources
I try to read around 2-3 magazines a week (my favorites are TIME, Bloomberg Business and National Geographic!) that I get for free in my University's library. I presume that other Universities do this too, so make sure to look. If you aren't a student, apps like ISSU and Texture offer digital copies of magazines on tablets or through the web.
Well-known publications The Guardian, The New York Times and the Washington Post offer daily newsletters via email that cover the most important topics from the previous day that will prepare you for the day ahead. Best part? It's free. Plus a quick skim only takes a few minutes, and it will allow you to participate in those adult conversations about current events you always were left out of as a kid. Millennial-minded publications like https://mic.com and https://www.cloverletter.com offer fun, daily newsletters as well.
For a while, Facebook was a fine place to get your news. It still is, if you follow a variety of publications and ignore pretty much any news your friends share unless it's from a mainstream or reputable source. When I mean variety, it could be anything from Vanity Fair, your local media outlets, CNN Rolling Stone, Science Weekly, etc. Just because a lot of people like or share a page, doesn't mean it's legitimate. Digital media literacy is and will continue to be a wildly important skill.
Here's a video about media criticism, and it argues that people should be more conscious about how and what they're absorbing from videos, tv and online articles.
In a Nov. 2016 article, FactCheck.org laid out precise steps for determining fake news. Precautions include checking the article's date, discerning fake news from satire, and even checking your own biases. You'd be surprised at how many people share Clickhole and Reductress articles without realizing their mistake.
As a journalism major, my homework is often reading and reflecting on articles. While I'm fortunate enough to have enough time to read a variety of materials, I understand that other people (college students in particular) don't have that luxury. That's why I think it's important to find news in a format that works for you - on Twitter, via daily email newsletter, or even YouTube videos.
Choosing your sources
I try to read around 2-3 magazines a week (my favorites are TIME, Bloomberg Business and National Geographic!) that I get for free in my University's library. I presume that other Universities do this too, so make sure to look. If you aren't a student, apps like ISSU and Texture offer digital copies of magazines on tablets or through the web.
Well-known publications The Guardian, The New York Times and the Washington Post offer daily newsletters via email that cover the most important topics from the previous day that will prepare you for the day ahead. Best part? It's free. Plus a quick skim only takes a few minutes, and it will allow you to participate in those adult conversations about current events you always were left out of as a kid. Millennial-minded publications like https://mic.com and https://www.cloverletter.com offer fun, daily newsletters as well.
For a while, Facebook was a fine place to get your news. It still is, if you follow a variety of publications and ignore pretty much any news your friends share unless it's from a mainstream or reputable source. When I mean variety, it could be anything from Vanity Fair, your local media outlets, CNN Rolling Stone, Science Weekly, etc. Just because a lot of people like or share a page, doesn't mean it's legitimate. Digital media literacy is and will continue to be a wildly important skill.
Here's a video about media criticism, and it argues that people should be more conscious about how and what they're absorbing from videos, tv and online articles.
In a Nov. 2016 article, FactCheck.org laid out precise steps for determining fake news. Precautions include checking the article's date, discerning fake news from satire, and even checking your own biases. You'd be surprised at how many people share Clickhole and Reductress articles without realizing their mistake.
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