I am one of those students who have not taken time in the past to inform myself about what is going on around the world. Out of ill-informed, under-informed, and downright uniformed, I am fall into the category of under-informed. My fault. I am not getting enough information from the news media because simply I never paid much attention to it. There is plenty of information available to me and my excuse for not absorbing it is I cannot find the time. Lately it has started to come more natural to pay attention to the news and it is only going to get easier.
There is not too much information in the media today. People do tend to feel overwhelmed with the feeling of unlimited sources, but no one ever said that they had to look at all of them. We have many options of which kind of news we want to look at and comprehend. Choosing the right one, can sometimes be the problem. As I read, watch, or listen to the news, I try to do it as critically as possible. It is important to be informed on not only what the top story is, but where the information is coming from.
With newspapers for example, you have to watch out about which paper you are going to read. Papers such as the New York Times, is known to be a liberal paper and you have to know that there will be liberal opinions residing in it. The only problem with newspapers and magazines these days is that they are not the most instant source of news. Conversely, for the elderly who have not adapted to today’s technology, newspapers continue to serve as the best possible form of information. For others, they still cannot start their day without reading the paper, and though it is not the most instant form of information, it is still legitimate.
Though magazines are not the most prompt form of news, they provide a more in depth analysis of what is going on. The articles in Time Magazine, for example provide a different perception then what you may hear on the news of read in the newspaper.
Local TV news channels are probably the most distracting. Reporters cannot go into depth on the story. Viewers are provided with the highlights of the tops news followed by commercials, which can be a big distraction.
The internet is the quickest way of getting information, but you have to pay attention to where the information is coming from. The best part of the internet is the opportunity of having various sources at the click of a button.
I have six sources right now where I get my information: CNN, BBC, The Week, Time Magazine, The Tribune, and The New York Times. I do not look at each of them every day, but these are the sources I chose to look at. I think if I did not narrow them down I would be one who feels overwhelmed with too much information. The best I can do right now, is focus on these and then broaden my endless sources of information in the future.
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As an additional uninformed media consumer, I somewhat agree that we, as consumers, can pick and choose. Yet as we examine the world of print and broadcast media, the sorting becomes a laborious task. The larger newspapers, such as The New York Times, takes me half an hour just to weed through all of the articles, ads, etc that are hidden amongst each other. Yes, there are sections of the paper designated to sports, business, etc. yet I'm not always interested in reading through each page to find the half of an article that I find interesting. AND, I am a slow reader, so the tasks of even skimming become frustrating.
ReplyDeleteBroadcast media is even worse! They strategically place the human interest stories at the very end of the hour, keeping the consumer waiting for the two seconds they spend on the story to which they gave 10 as a spoiler! Does the broadcast media gain our attention for the duration of the program, sure, on some minor level, but I wish I could just skim through it as I do with a newspaper or the internet (but I guess that is what things like TiVo are for).
How can we make the media fit our needs and interests instead of conforming to their pre-determined standards for us?
I also feel I am under-informed. This isn’t because of the lack of information it is basically my lack of effort. It’s sad to say it but I focus my news on what’s interesting to me. I often find myself looking at celebrity gossip or sports gossip. Don’t get me wrong, I do read the newspaper when it’s in front of me, even if the articles are not interesting. I also watch the local news every night. But at the point I am in now I feel like I usually read or try to find information about things that I am interested in, and only that.
ReplyDeleteOne of the reasons that I do this is because sometimes there is too much information out there and it seems like a constant struggle to find out what’s true, false, or bias about important topics. So, instead of doing research on all of those important issues, I usually find myself looking at articles about Brittney Spears or Paris Hilton. This information is probably false also, but it entertains me. Although this is quiet embarrassing, it’s what I often find myself doing.
It's so hard to decide which news agencies to rely on, but your list is a start. It's also important to recognize the difference between opinion (editorial) and new coverage, though the advent of 24/7 cable news stations has really made that a challenging exercise. I tend to be critical of local broadcast news and print publications for their thin coverage of local issues, but I also recognize the financial constraints they work under. Because of conglomeration of the media (not the Internet) we are in danger of losing more of our most important resources - the local press.
ReplyDeleteI agree and yet I am surprised. Having met you last quarter I would never have guessed that you don't pay a lot of attention to what's going on.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to get lost in all the news, narrowing down is the best thing you can do. I'd suggest reading headlines. Headlines keep you far more in tune than you'd realize, because when you know what is being talked about it gives you a much better chance of picking up details from people around you.
I know for me I read news articles everyday, unfortunately they are all based in sports, knowledge that simply isn't as important as political news. Great blog. Easy to read, informative and personal. I look forward to more.