This week our wonderful EUSA intern Victoria reflects on the news and why she thinks more people need to read it.
While in my one of my classes recently, we were looking at the front pages of different London newspapers. My professor calmly asked who the lady on one of the covers was and I instantly replied, “Angela Merkel.” She congratulated me, while my fellow students looked at me, bewildered. Congratulations for knowing the Chancellor of Germany? Should it be congratulations or should it have been a “you – better – have – known – that – so – you – know – why – the – world- is – the – way – it – is” moment?
There are lots of reasons people don’t read the news: newspapers cost money, there are too many words, it’s boring, it’s for old people, the paper never seems to fold back the right way – the list goes on and on. I am not claiming to be the current events “whiz-kid” either. I couldn’t tell you the difference between Shiites and Sunnis or why on earth China’s pollution is through the roof, but I do know there IS a difference between Shiites and Sunnis and that there IS pollution in China.
One doesn’t have to commit to knowing everything, but even a quick glimpse at the BBC’s twitter can make you more aware than you were two seconds prior.
Here’s a secret hint: http://www.thedailybeast.com/. What is it? A cheat sheet to the news. You heard me right – there’s a way to cheat at being “smart.” They have a little paragraph about the top news stories happening that day, and the site updates regularly. However, I will admit there is a slight lean towards American news because they’re an American company…… #americaninternproblems.
So maybe after your thirteenth BuzzFeed survey of the day, try to pause and read a few blurbs on the news. And guess what? After you take a glimpse at the events happening in the world, there’s no rule saying you can’t go back and take seven more of those addictive quizzes.