Trying to keep up with the news with little time to spare? With the rise of social media, YouTube, and 24hr news networks, it may seem like you are always behind the curve. With every notification, it seems like you are missing out on more and more. It’s not just that there is more access to news than ever before, but more is being documented. At times, this can seem overwhelming and hard to grasp.
However, that doesn’t have to be the case. Simple tricks and tools can help you stay up to date with current events, and stay factually literate. Doing the causal reading throughout the day and maximizing your time restraints can help you be aware of most topics. Here 4 key ways to keep up with the news with little time on your hands.
- Stop getting your news just from social media
- Sign up for your local news newsletter
- Listen to a podcast or early morning news show
- Sign up for subscriptions services like Apple News
Stop getting your news just from social media
Social media can be both a blessing and a curse. Oftentimes, the news will be editorialized when someone shares a piece of content. Not only that, but people often share stories from unreliable sites with a heavy bias.
Consider this advice from Andrew Blotky on Medium about consuming news on social media:
“If you do want to read news on social media, avoid anything that comes from a .org or .biz website, which usually indicates it comes from a think tank which has a distinct persuasive bias.”
To save yourself some time, avoid consuming your news through social media platforms altogether. As humans, we are often more interested in the reactions to the headline than the actual report. Vice reported on this phenomenon on the social media platform Reddit, in which a study concluded that around 70% of Redditors voted on posts they haven’t even clicked on.
In short, social media is not the best way to consume news and doesn’t give you the full picture. It won’t help you keep up with the news with little time.
Sign up for your local news newsletter
Your local news is going to report on news that directly affects you. While you may not be able to sit down for the local nightly broadcast, that doesn’t mean you can’t stay informed. Subscribing to a daily or weekly newsletter is perfect for staying up to date with current topics. Signing up for a local newsletter will help you understand who is reporting the local news in your area. You’ll gain a greater understanding of how the news is reported and what local politics are going to affect you.
Most local news stations also host a podcast that covers specific topics. Subscribe to them and you’ll receive good reporting in succinct time frames.
Local news can also bring you local activities to do such as the best places to go tubing or activities to do in a pandemic.
Listen to a podcast or early morning news show
Podcasts are a great way to keep up with the news with little time. There are many podcasts delivering the news, even by large publishers. One of the great things about podcasts is that you can find niche news outlets.
Want to learn more about artificial intelligence? There is a podcast about that.
Want to learn more about history? There is a podcast for that.
Want to learn more about almost any topic? This is probably a podcast for that.
That’s not all, though. News organizations like NPR often produce podcasts that cover the top headlines of the day in around 15 minutes or less. While not as in-depth as some podcasts, this will keep you up to date on current events, even with a quick commute.
Podcasts are also a great way to consume news when you are doing any housework. Try catching up on the news any time you are doing the dishes or mowing the lawn.
Sign up for subscriptions services like Apple News
News aggregators are becoming more and more popular. Instead of having access to one or two news sources, now you have access to all of them. Most news aggregators are highly customizable and can bring you the news you want from the sources you want.
This means you can fine-tune your recommendations to bring you a fair and balanced report. Apple News is a common example, but there are many news aggregators to choose from. Some of these apps will also give you access to audio versions of stories, which can help you keep up with the news with little time.
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