Where I Get My News (Post 1, Unit 2)

For about three weeks every time I turned on CNN or clicked on a news website, Michael Jackson’s face would greet me; pictures of him, pictures of his children, pictures of his doctor. Everywhere. Meanwhile, soldiers died at war, governments debated, and bills in the Senate were authored. Where were these headlines? Why were these pictures on the back page; ignored? What counts as “news” in American society is a very broad definition. But where can we go to find news that really matters? That is my mission. To find the news that matters.
Every morning, I click the Safari logo on my computer and it immediately opens up the BBC news homepage. I get a lot of my news from the BBC because it is internationally minded and gives a view of America as seen by others in the world. It gives you a chance to view the news continent by continent and also look at the subjects of Business and Science as happening around the world.
I read the New York Times whenever I can. Their articles are always in depth and the cover a very wide variety of topics in their front page. While at home, I spend an hour scouring through the front page and business section. However, since newspapers are not delivered to my dorm room, I’ve had to start reading the New York Times website. I look to see what the most emailed articles because this is a general consensus of the American public of the news that matters most today.
I am also an NPR junkie. While NPR gives traditional news and often partners with the BBC; it is also where I find the news that most people wouldn’t find important enough to write about or random news that would not quite fit anywhere else. Through NPR, I am informed about things from Chinese education standards to saving leopards in the rainforest. NPR also gives me a dash of local news and the weather; plus I can listen to it while I drive. Public radio is often overlooked in a society that wants instant gratification after one click; public radio makes you think too much.
For local news, I try and take time to read the Metro section of the Courier Journal and also flip through the Velocity and the Leo. The latter two often have quirky news about the world, specifically Louisville, that wouldn’t be published in the Courier.
Popular culture praises those who are informed and know what is happening in the news. Often this news regards what celebrity kissed who and what Britney Spear’s kids wore to the park. It is important during the internet revolution that society remembers there is more than pop culture; that real journalism and reporting is not left behind. Real pressing issues and genuine news stories are out there waiting to be found.