Most of us hate checking the news at the moment. Twitter can feel like an endless scroll of coronavirus news and news apps seem to be constantly popping up with notifications about tragic events.
Despite all the doom and gloom, it’s still pretty important to keep up with what’s been going on in the world. This is especially true if you’re studying a course which requires you to keep up with current events, such as Politics or Economics.
There are plenty of ways to get information about current events, so don’t stick to just one. Getting your news from lots of different sources can help to stop it feeling like a chore (and give you a much more rounded view of what’s been going on).
Try these nine ways to keep up with current events as a student.
Find a happy source of news
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Not all news has to be depressing. There are plenty of online newspapers and Instagram accounts out there that are dedicated to highlighting happy news.
Of course, it’s always important to get a well-rounded view of current events, so these websites shouldn’t be your main source of news. However, positive news outlets are always guaranteed to put a smile on your face if you need a bit of cheering up.
They often feature heart-warming stories and articles about positive developments happening in the world and ‘what went right this week’ – which is what we all need right now!
Here are a few of our favorite positive news outlets:
- The Happy Newspaper: an online newspaper reporting on positive changes in the world and inspiring people (They also have an Instagram account)
- The Good News Network: a news website that selects happy news stories from around the world.
- Positive News: a newspaper dedicated to reporting what’s going right in the world.
- Happy News: a news website bringing you up-to-the-minute news, designed to lift spirits and inspire
- The Good News Movement: a journalist-run Instagram account for good news only.
Listen to current events themed podcasts
Yes, we’d all prefer to listen to fun podcasts like My Favorite Murder, but current events podcasts can be an excellent way to keep up to date with the news if you’re short on time.
The main benefit of podcasts is that you can listen on the go. This means you can take a listen to a quick podcast on a walk between lectures and come back super informed about current events.
So where can you find these news podcasts? Most podcast-streaming platforms will have a ‘news’ section where you can view the most popular current events podcasts.
Here, you’ll find daily or weekly news podcasts that give you a quick update of everything that’s happening in the news at the moment. These podcasts only take 20 minutes or so to listen to each day – a small commitment to keeping yourself informed.
Download the traditional news apps
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Traditional news apps are one of the most efficient ways to keep yourself up to date with current events.
The best part is that most of the time you won’t even have to open the apps to keep up with important news. Many news apps will now send you breaking news notifications whenever there’s an important story and will outline the main points.
Use social media
Although lots of people already get their news from Twitter, following journalists on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook can be a great way to hear about current events from a different perspective.
Twitter is a great way to actively participate in debate surrounding current events, which will help you understand and consider different viewpoints of a topic.
Instagram accounts which summarize and simplify the news are also a great way to quickly and easily stay informed with what’s going on. For example, Simple Politics post a few bullet points on their Instagram account each day about what’s going on in politics in the UK.
Find an unbiased source of news
Finding a relatively unbiased news outlet to get information about current events is a good idea. In the UK, the BBC is an impartial source of news. In the US, a Business Insider survey found that PBS News and the Associated Press were widely viewed as the least biased sources of news.
Alternatively using a news aggregator site like Pocket or The Morning News, will help you gather a variety of news reports from different websites in one place, allowing you to see the different angles taken by news outlets side by side so you can compare.
Find a more opinionated source of news to keep things interesting
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Opinionated sources of news are a great supplement to traditional news outlets. Once you know the facts on main story, reading blogs, opinion sections of magazines and opinion sectors of newspapers can really help to develop your views on a subject and keep it interesting.
Subscribe to Google alerts
If you’re interested in a specific subject, setting up Google alerts for that subject will mean you receive an email when Google finds new results for that topic.
This will be especially useful when you’re trying to find up-to-date, relevant information for your course or when you’re writing an essay.
Ask your Amazon Alexa, Microsoft home or other device to give you the news.
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If you’re lucky enough to own one of these devices, you might not know that asking ‘Alexa, what’s the news today?’ will get your device to read out today’s news in your country. This requires little to no effort and is an easy way to stay informed.
Email news briefings
On most news outlets there’s an option for you to sign up for a daily briefing to be sent to your inbox every morning outlining the main stories of the day.
Reading the newsletter will keep you up to date on the most important current events of the day.
The briefings are – as they say in the name – brief, so usually they won’t take long to read. Perfect for when you’re busy.
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