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You're a politically savvy college student, right? You're pretty knowledgeable about current events, America's current situation, and the conflicts in several nations. You've already decided to vote in 2008 for Obama or... okay, Obama. You've become an example of Thomas Jefferson's "informed public," which is the very basis of democracy.
So, here's a quick quiz: what are John McCain's key issues? What exactly has been happening in Darfur (aside from the cop-out answer that you know people are dying) -- names, dates? What is Hezbollah? What's the difference between Sunni and Shiite, and why are they fighting?
If you gave a somewhat sheepish look to any of these questions, chances are you're like me: you get the vague basics of history and current events, but the details are a bit hazy. I know Nelson Mandela was in prison and is a good guy, but I don't know why. We need to save people in Darfur from genocide by wearing wristbands. I know my favorite candidate, but don't know all the candidates well enough to compare issues. I was asked the Shiite/Sunni question this summer, hence the reason for this article.
But hey, give me a break. I'm an engineering double major at a really hard school; you try doing my homework and see if you can manage to read the Times over coffee every morning. What's a conscientious college student to do? We don't have time to stay abreast of the news, but it's important to stay aware of the world around us to make good decisions. And on top of all that, there are now more news sources to choose from than ever before; between newspapers, radio, TV, websites, RSS, blogs, podcasts, news tickers, and the ever-present word-of-mouth, you don't know where to start.
As demonstrated above, I certainly don't have the answer. But I've developed a easy-to-swallow plan for myself to be more politically aware -- without failing my classes and ending up a very politically savvy Denny's employee. Try it if you like, and let me know how it works for you.
The Headlines -- 5-15 minutes
First, skim the headlines of newspapers; it's the single best way to get a quick idea of what's going on in the world. That's what headlines are made for. Better yet, skim the headlines of multiple newspapers; it will give us a more unbiased view and make sure we don't miss anything. My personal favorites are The New York Times, BBC News, and The Daily Star -- each from a different part of the world and with very different viewpoints. To remind myself, I put links to each on my browser so they're easily accessible. I'm generally against RSS feeds because I don't like the formats they use, but this is another good way to get your fix of headlines.
If you see a really interesting article, click it and read -- but there's usually no need to actually read to the bottom. As most of you journalism majors are well aware, information in an article is sorted from most important to least important -- so the first two paragraphs probably have more information than all the rest combined. Thus I can get almost all my news in fifteen minutes between Google Chatting with a friend or reading Questionable Content.
Podcasts -- 5 minutes
Let's say you're not into the whole reading thing. The strain on your eyes, burdens of additional thought processes, and the monotonous scanning from left to right and top to bottom are enough to make anyone give up and become a cave man. Fortunately, there's a way for even cavemen to stay on top of the news. All they need is an iPod. Lots of newspapers and TV/radio news stations have daily podcasts that keep you up to date while you're on the run. Trade Ben Gibbard for Carl Kassel on your way to class and you'll always be in the know. And remember, podcasts work with any mp3 player, not just the inimitable iPod.
It can be hard finding a news podcast that really works for you: too many of them are long or full of unimportant stories and commercials. The best ones I've found are NPR: 7 AM ET News Summary and NY Times Front Page, each of which gives a 5 minute news summary that really hits the big news of the day. Just plug in your iPod every morning and go.
NOT Wikipedia -- 5 minutes
"But wait!" you may be saying, "you're cutting out so much information that I'll never know what's going on! What about background? I can't get in-depth information from five minutes of NPR!" And you're absolutely right. News, as a whole, is great about updating you on what's happening now; but it can't re-explain the background every time something new happens. Stories assume we've been keeping up with the news, so at first we'll need to do some catch-up.
The best way to get this background is to look it up online in an encyclopedia. My big recommendation is -- believe it or not -- DON'T use Wikipedia if you can help it. Wikipedia is wonderful for all sorts of things, but it has reached the point where there's just too much information. The Wikipedia entry on Hezbollah is 6,500 words long; Encyclopedia Britannica Online is 380. (EB has a longer, susbcription-based encyclopedia, but there's a free concise one that works great.) If you want to know about really specific details, Wikipedia will give you more than you could ever wish for; but getting basic information, names, dates, and events is much easier in EB. Using Wikipedia could take you 20 minutes to read, but EB only needs 5.
Integrated News -- 1-2 hours
The easiest, if not most informative, way to get news is as comedy. All you have to do for these is replace your regular TV watching with these shows and you'll get your usual dose of entertainment with some news thrown in. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report are hilarious shows in themselves, even without the informative aspects.
Also, one of my favorite news/comedy shows is an NPR radio show called Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! It's 45 minutes long and goes through most major news and a lot of ridiculous news. Admittedly, the major news stories are mentioned almost in passing and a lot of time is spent on more amusing and interesting tales, but it's a good show and I'd listen to it even if it didn't give me some current events. It's on at 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. every Saturday (91.5FM in Chicago), but I always just get the podcast.
Television -- 0 minutes
Lastly, turn off the TV. And that includes CNN. Watching someone else read the news means I'm using both my eyes and ears, and requires me to be staying in the same place for at least a half hour. F&%k that. It's not nearly as entertaining as the Daily Show, not as fast as the newspaper, and filled with local interest stories about bake sales and cute pets.
Now, you may be one of those people that does homework while basking in the warm glow of Anderson Cooper; but I always seem to take twice as long to do my work and end up watching a Simpsons rerun before tearing myself away. If you simply can't avoid it, try watching news while eating lunch or dinner, so you're not taking up extra time in the day.
So, that's my plan. That is how I'm going to try and become the erudite man that would make Jefferson proud. Remember, being an informed citizen isn't just your duty; it's also a great way to look smart at parties and get women.
Let Tom know if his plan works for you at tom.cohlmia@gmail.com
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