The phrase "news diet" sounds funny every time it hits my ears. As if
news, this constantly swirling and changing thing, is a vital part of
every life. Quite similarly to food, news comes to people in different
ways and for different purposes. Some for entertainment, others for
knowledge. Even more so like food. news intake should be monitored and
honed to a healthy level. A balanced news diet is important because it
helps each individual stay informed on general population news and on
personal preference topics.
For instance, I visit the
BBC website each day for major headlines and daily world news. I listen
to NHPR for local news and programs that relate directly to where I
live. For humor and sometime for simplistic explanation, I watch The
Daily Show and the Colbert Report. Finally, I go to social media
(twitter, facebook) for UNH news and news that my peers have on their
minds.
My friend Caiti, who happens to be sitting on my
floor while I write this, has a very different news diet. When at home,
she watches Channel 5 news in Boston and gleans local, national, and
world news. She uses social media (facebook, twitter, tumblr) to get
tidbits about different topics, then pursues ones of interest farther.
She also tunes in to a myriad of news mediums for stories about her
specialization or preferred topics, which is feminism, gender, and race.
While
Caiti and I use different sources to follow different topics, we both
have healthy and diverse news diets. I think it's a good exercise to
take a step back and examine what news makes up a daily diet. Looking at
it from an EJ perspective, it could be very useful to poll younger
demographics to see what news sources they use for different types of
news. That way, when looking to alter or create in the future,
reader/consumer preference can already be in mind.
No comments:
Post a Comment