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When was the last time you read the news? Sometimes it can feel like the news is just doom and gloom, and it can be hard to get motivation to read it. However, reading the news is something that should be done often. But why should we college students read the news when our brains are already stuffed with reading assignments? First, because we can improve our society if we read and learn about the direction it is going. Second, because we must always work for the truth to be told and to reduce the spread of misinformation.

Years ago, I had a newspaper delivery route; it was my first job. The job required me to go into the hotels of downtown Chicago, delivering news to the hotels’ occupants. But my delivery stops were much more than just a job; they were a small glimpse into the city’s culture. Driving through Michigan Avenue, the main artery of downtown Chicago, I saw many different groups of people leaving sports bars yelling about the latest triumph of the baseball or football team, or groups of people staying in the city for some conference. As I went into hotel lobbies, I would hear the chatter of the conference's most interesting topics. 

Similarly, reading the news through your favorite medium can give you a glimpse into the current state of society. I believe reading the news can kickstart our curiosity to further explore the interesting ideas posed in the columns by professional journalists. 

These writers, who operate under an ethics code, aim to write objectively about the economy, politics and culture of our society. As college students, we are learning to become scrupulous readers, and we can use this skill to break down and understand the rhetoric of industry leaders: where they stand on the topics of AI, voter rights and other important issues. We can ask ourselves, “What are the consequences of their message?” Then, we can follow up and respond, in the classroom, workplace and anywhere we have to, with the desire to make our voices heard and improve our society. It is easier with a physical newspaper because you focus on what you have on the page; in contrast, using apps on your phone can cause you to get distracted by advertisements or get sidetracked on other topics. The news hits differently when you have the physical newspaper in your hands, with the smell of the ink and the recycled paper enhancing your reading experience.

When I asked my family about their favorite source to get the news, they told me they just pick up their phone and open a social media or streaming media application that serves them news content. I also use this method, but there is a risk of spreading misinformation on the internet. 

As renowned journalist mentioned, “I’ve got way more readers now than I ever had before in my career because of the new technologies. You can reach millions of eyeballs with remarkable ease nowadays, and the question is, what do you do with it?” 

This bigger audience can be risky, because as Page , “people who don’t want to get vaccinated and believe all kinds of myths, can communicate instantly with each other." In the big network of social media, authoritative news sources can get lost in the vast sea of influencers who are not professional journalists. 

The way I see it, reading the news allows us to keep up with important events happening in our communities and country, and helps us develop critical reading skills to improve our society. I understand that sometimes not all journalists want this, but hopefully all are aiming to cultivate the same principle that , a journalist for PBS News Hour, follows: “To tell the truth. And to tell the truth even if it makes people uncomfortable." 

Keeping up with the news as college students can feel daunting, since we have a lot on our plates. The reason to do it is to read and learn about the direction society is going, and because we must always work for the truth to be told and reduce the spread of misinformation.