In a time when young people are constantly inundated with the latest trends and news from the Internet, sometimes this endless access to information that our devices give us seems like more of a burden than a privilege. Between the endless expectations from school or work that we navigate throughout the day and the time we spend scrolling through our for-you pages to “decompress,” it feels like there is no time to catch up on what’s going on in the news. Worse, though, no one wants to catch up on the news. And I get it. The Pope died. The price of eggs is high. And the Gulf of Mexico is now apparently the Gulf of America. It’s some grim stuff. And it’s hard to escape all the grim stuff on the news, because… well, that’s kinda what the news is for, right? To bunch up all the grim stuff of the day and offer it up for your viewing pleasure.
So, sure, I get that it’s tough.
But (and hear me out, now), it’s really important to still pay attention to the grim stuff. Because when you pay attention to the news, not only does it make you more aware of the world around you, but it also helps you. For example:
- You see on the news that the president of the United States has decided to raise tariffs on all foreign exports.
- You (initially) become very concerned over how this will impact the economy. Maybe you chose to pull out of a few stocks and/or start buying certain foreign products in bulk.
- You also decide to save some of your money in case the impact of these tariffs becomes larger than you anticipate (it never hurts to have some rainy day cash).
- You continue to follow the news on these tariffs, and see that the president has now decided to lower (?) the tariffs for some countries, but increase (?) them for others. This leaves you confused, but you certainly feel less panicked, and now you have the extra money you saved and the products you bought.
Now, this is by no means a foolproof example–it certainly lacks nuance. Still, it demonstrates how the things that happen locally, nationally, and internationally impact our lives (if you’re interested in this, I suggest reading this article about how the Russia-Ukraine War has affected gas prices in the U.S.), and furthermore, it demonstrates how critical it is for people like you and me to pay attention to it. Especially as young people coming into adulthood, establishing the habit of being familiar with current events and news is incredibly important.
But, as we’ve been over, it’s tough!
So, as someone whose livelihood depends on current events (I’m an international affairs and public relations major hoping to go into international journalism so I’m literally begging you to interact with the news), let me offer you a few tips (make sure to click on the arrow next to each tip for more details!) on how to stay well-informed without having a mental breakdown.
Turn on a news podcast whenever you want!
Listening to your news is hands-down the best way to get it, and I’m not talking about cable television here. It is so easy to throw on a podcast during your morning commute to work/school, or even as you go about your house doing chores or cooking. News podcasts span various times, but my go-to has been (and always will be) NPR’s Up First. This podcast comes out early every morning and gives you three headlines for your day in about 15 minutes. I, personally, have a parasocial relationship with the hosts (Steve Inskeep, Michelle Martin, Aye Martinez, and Leila Fadel), which is not something I say lightly. They do a wonderful job of asking the right questions and displaying the real-life implications of the news. They also occasionally have corny banter at the beginning of every episode, and I love it.
Honorable Podcast mentions include: NPR News Now (national news, 5 minutes); Morning Brew Daily (economic-focused news, 30 minutes); The Daily (intensive dive into one story, 30 minutes)
Get the headlines with news alerts!
If you feel like you can’t get your news all at once, I would highly recommend getting it in small doses with news alerts. All you have to do is go to basically any news publication’s website and sign up to get breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email. Different news outlets push alerts at various frequencies though, so here’s a quick guide to set you off in the right direction:
- Not very frequent: NPR (will send you news alerts about primarily political news)
- Semi-frequent: The New York Times (will send you news alerts about things they recommend or actual news alerts)
- Frequent: AP (will send you alerts about anything from sports to celebrity deaths to political news)
Another great thing about news alerts is that it keeps you in the know about major headlines, but it’s up to you to decide if you want to dig deeper into them.
Skim a summary of everything you need to know in a newsletter!
your news delivered straight into you inbox every morning with a newsletter. Newsletters are much akin to news alerts, but are much longer and a bit more involved. To be completely honest, newsletters are great when you have the time to sit down and read them but it’s also super easy to start ignoring them. And when you do, they will start to clutter up your mailbox. Still, I think it’s a very helpful way to get the news. Besides, you can receive different kinds of newsletters at different frequencies (daily, weekly, etc.) on different topics (political, economics, pop culture, etc.), and they include fun pictures/designs to keep you engaged.
You can certainly subscribe to the newsletters from the outlets I recommended for news alerts, but I would also suggest looking into The Skimm and Axios. The Skimm is a daily newsletter that always draws on fun pop culture references while delivering the news. Axios, however, is a bit of a lesser known news outlet that covers stories that you’ll see in mainstream media, but also the ones you won’t.
Follow news outlets on social media!
I truly cannot recommend following a few news outlets on social media enough, and this is genuinely the easiest tip I have on here. News is so easy to see once you put it in your feed! If you’re spending hours on social media anyway (and maybe seeing random news posts from unreliable and unaccredited sources), a post in your feed from The Atlantic, Washington Post, or literally any other news outlet will give you the headlines in a visually appealing way. Plus, the frequency of news sites posts on social media is very high, so the likelihood of you seeing at least a fraction of the content they put out every day is very high.
Do an old-fashioned daily news scroll!
And last, but most certainly not least, just look it up and read it yourself. To be honest, we could all be doing this a bit more. But, hey, we’ve got other things to check out online (myself included). Seriously, though. You can certainly take 5 minutes to look at the headlines posted on the websites of at least 5 different news outlets. You don’t even have to read the articles that go with the headlines all the way through. Just look up any news outlet that you enjoy, and skim!
Consuming the news sometimes feels hard, but we have to remember that it’s more important than ever to stay up-to-date with what’s going on. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that misinformation and disinformation are real dangers online, and huge threats to our generation as well as all the generations that will follow. We need to start learning media skills and literacy now, so it doesn’t come back to hurt us later.
But, hey! At least now you have these amazing tips to help you navigate the increasingly scary information space! You’re welcome.
In all seriousness, though, I do want to say that it’s ok to get overwhelmed by what you hear on the news. It happens to me more often than I’d like to admit (I find myself having one-sided arguments with Steve Inskeep a little too much for my liking). But despite how awful whatever I hear or see about the news may be, I am always grateful to know and understand, rather than remain in the dark.
For this particular post, we thought it would be best to introduce our wonderful guest writer, Mary Wahn, after you had a chance to read this important piece. We met Mary while studying abroad at Oxford University last fall. We all clicked quickly and spent several nights in the library chatting, traveled to Castle Combe together, and shared fabulous meals. Mary is genuine, loyal, brilliant, and one of the most incredible friends. We constantly feel challenged to be more knowledgeable, generous, and loving humans around her because she embodies all of these qualities. In a time when many people dread the news headlines, we wanted to put out a piece that emphasizes the importance of staying informed. And we couldn’t think anyone better to write it than Mary because, honestly, we’ve learned so much from her about this topic over the past year. Learn more about our amazing friend below!
About the Guest!
Mary Wahn is a student at the University of Georgia studying international affairs and public relations. From a young age, Mary has always been interested in global events, and throughout her college career, she has gained insight into a wide variety of other international issues, ranging from nuclear non-proliferation to food security. Today, Mary is most passionate about journalism and access to information, specifically as a pillar of democracy. Mary currently works at The Carter Center in its Rule of Law Program, where she assists with access to justice, access to information, and gender equality initiatives and programming across West Africa.