Thursday, June 13, 2013

Extra! Extra!

I'll be the first to admit, I'm a bit of a news junkie. I have every news app under the sun and I'm constantly getting updates. I will also be the first to admit that when life gets busy, keeping up with current events is one of the first things to fall to the wayside. The whirlwind information age we live in can make it even harder to keep up, and separate the good information from the bad. I want to share some of my favorite news sources as well as how I keep informed.


Lets start with the big three: The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. These are three classics that are sill completely relevant today. The advent of online content makes it much easier to keep up with multiple news sources. I much prefer reading actual newspapers but on a college student budget, that is not always in the cards. Trust me I still dream of the day when I can afford to have these three show up on my doorstep everyday...this dream also includes an extra three hours too read them all. 

I'm also a politics junkie. I find the inner workings of Washington riveting, am I the only one? If your into politics like I am Politico is a must read! It gives a full account of everything thats going on in Washington. In my opinion, it is one of the best ways to learn about our government. Ok, so not everyone is as excited as I am about politics. Its still important to be informed about what is going on in politics. For those of you who what the most important stories Real Clear Politics and Real Clear Markets are for you. These sites choose the top stories on politics and the economy from around the news world and compile them into a list for your reading pleasure. Seriously, this is news for the extremely lazy. 

I'm sure pretty much everyone is familiar with The Huffington Post, the incredibly relevant, online news source. It also has a notoriously liberal spin. Thats all well and good, but you should always try and get both sides of any story. Thats where The Daily Caller comes in, this source is a similar online approach but it was created to appeal to the conservative viewpoint. Despite not agreeing with their ideology, this is still a great source. They find really unique story angles and offer good information. Ok, fine, you win, another reason I love this site is that it was created by one of my all time favorite news personalities, Tucker Carlson. You may be thinking 'what nerd has a favorite newscaster?' Well my answer to that is, have you seen him!? 

Swoon. 

Its also important to get an international perspective, I have found thats the best way to get unbiased reporting on whats going on in America. I love BBC and Le Monde. You can get the English edition of Le Monde here, but I always try and muddle through in French because I keep telling myself that 10 years of French has to be good for something! 

Finally NPR. My absolute favorite. I listen to the Morning Edition at some point every day (you can access the full show from their website or NPR app). I also love NPR while driving. Not only do you get good news, but they play fun music too. Its a great way to discover new music! 

So how do I keep up with all of this? Confession. I don't. It would be impossible. The best you can do is make an effort. A great place to start is by downloading their apps if you have a smartphone, make sure you set it so you get notifications. Whenever you are sitting around on your phone, read a few articles instead of facebook. Another strategy is to follow them on twitter, they post short updates usually with a link to the full story. News in 140 characters or less. Really, just set aside some time every day to read up on whats happening in our world.

Still need some motivation to follow the news? Watch The Newsroom on HBO, it is literally one of the best shows I have ever seen. 


How do you keep up with current events? I'm always looking for new ways to stay informed. 

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