Now, I understand that trying to jump into this stuff head first can be overwhelming. There’s a lot to cover and every part of every story is constantly moving, changing, evolving. So for those beginners who aren’t really sure how to navigate this auto-education, here are a few tips.
1. Make your homepage the world news section of some online publication.
- The easiest way to start learning about the news is to read headlines. Even if you only click on the article and briefly read the first few lines, or if you just read the title, you at least know SOMETHING is happening, even if you don’t know the details.
2. Read the “Read & Catch Up” section of this site.
- I know this is me plugging my own stuff, but it’s an easy place to go to find decent news sources and quick snipits of this week’s information. Give it a shot.
3. Regardless of your political affiliation, watch The Daily Show.
- Jon Stewart, host of the Daily Show, is funny and mixes in international news along with talking about US issues. It’s entertaining, easy to comprehend, and only 21 minutes. It will help tremendously to spark your interest.
4. Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Wikipedia.
- Your teachers may hate it, and you may only use it to figure out where James Franco went to college, but Wikipedia is a godsend. It gives you a brief synopsis of what has happened with a specific conflict, country, or politician you’re searching and can be the fastest, easiest, and often most straightforward way of understanding a current event.
5. Read the Daily Beast’s Cheat Sheet.
- Everyday, The Daily Beast posts (in the center of their front page) a cheat sheet of the most important topics of the day. It is ten, paragraph-long synopses of daily major news stories, and essentially everything you need to know to be in the know.
I’m not saying it will be easy to get into this stuff, but it definitely can be made easier by trying any combination of the steps above. And once you get in the habit of these things, it will all become second nature.
Why The F*** Should I Care? 