Reading the news is one of the most important things you can do as a COM major. Whether it’s local news, campus news, national news or beyond… as a communications major you are expected to know about breaking news before other people.
For some, reading the news comes naturally. For others, it’s a bit more of a chore. Here are some easy ways to stay educated, current and relevant in the news cycle:
1. Twitter.
I use it strictly as a news source. Start following the news shows you watch, radio shows you listen to, journalists you admire, government officials, sports teams, fellow journalism students, etc. In the morning I always check Twitter for 15 mins. Sometimes tweets lead me to videos, sometimes to articles or sometimes I just read the headlines. Either way, Twitter is an easy way to get connected and know what’s going on in the world.
(Also try TweetDeck, you can separate your news tweets from your social tweets. This makes reading the news more efficient as your favorite comedians or Madison from down the hall won’t be in the way while you’re trying to read.)
2. News Apps
I personally like AP Mobile (Associated Press) and the New York Times App. You can get notifications for any breaking news. Sometimes I’ll get the alert before the story appears on television or radio. Super nifty.
3. Student Subscriptions
As a student, you get a discount for a lot of publications (Boston Globe, New York Times, etc.) Definitely use these discounts while you still can! Also, in the second floor of COM by the elevator… there are papers (USA Today, New York Times, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, etc.) that are up for grabs! Free news is the best news.
4. Podcasts
A lot of radio stations have podcasts that outline what the major news stories of the day were. Only takes a few minutes of your time to get updated.
5. Buzzfeed
Buzzfeed does have a News section. Usually isn’t as in depth as other news sources, but it keeps it brief and usually has some fun feature stories you wouldn’t see in other places. Buzzfeed also has news quizzes – to check if you are in the know of what happened each week. A good tool to evaluate how well you’re keeping up.
Hopefully you found this helpful!
