Keeping Up with the News 101

Author: Anusha Natarajan

Anusha Natarajan is a sophomore at Arizona State University’s honors college, studying sociology and history and is also the Educational Programs intern at the McCain Institute for International Leadership. Anusha hopes to pursue a law degree and doctorate in international law and relations. She is also the civic engagement chair with Changemaker Central, a local non-profit and a reporter for ASU’s student-run newspaper The State Press, writing stories for the community desk. Outside of college, Anusha likes to travel and learn about different cultures.

Keeping up with the news is important to understand what is happening around your community. It has really helped me to stay updated on elections, human rights, and other events occurring around the world. Staying engaged in the news really helped define my career interests in getting involved in foreign policy. 

With the current situation going on, it’s really crucial to look out for our mental health while paying attention to the news. Here are some tips to balance your mental health and to keep up with the news. 

What is Foreign Policy?

Foreign Policy is working with other countries to craft policy regarding international and global issues. Although foreign policy might not directly impact us, it’s still important to follow what’s going on currently. With our current situation with the global pandemic, it’s crucial to know how other countries are taking action in solving this crisis, and compare it to how our own country is taking action, such as analysing how much testing we are doing and making sure we have enough personal protective equipment to healthcare workers. Foreign policy affects all areas and avenues of life from climate change to human rights, which is why it’s vital we know about what’s going on around the world, and what relations we have with other countries. The good news is you don’t have to be an International Relations major or foreign service officer to be engaged in foreign policy.

Why is it important to follow the news?

The news helps us to learn about what’s happening on a local, national and even an international level. It provides us with important and up-to-date information, which is especially useful in terms of crisis, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. 

The news also helps to raise awareness of important issues and encourages people to get involved and speak out about these. In light of recent events, the Black Lives Matters campaign has gained traction and the issue of racial equality has become a priority for many Americans and the global community as well. The protests we’re currently seeing have garnered media interest which, in turn, has helped to raise awareness and has led to further protests across the world. 

Here are my favourite ways to stay engaged with the news:

Listening to Podcasts

Podcasts are a great way to stay engaged and learn about the news. They’re also really convenient -- you can listen while commuting (in non-COVID-19 times, of course) or while doing chores. They’re also free most of the time and easily accessible through apps like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I’d recommend checking out The BBC’s “Global News Podcast”, which is only half an hour and gives a really good summary of news happening in different parts of the world. Other choices for podcasts include NPR’s Up First, PRI's The World, and The Globalist.

Balancing your perspectives 

Unfortunately, news coverage can sometimes be biased and cover only one side of what’s happening. If you get your news from a more liberal or conservative viewpoint, try to also read the news from the other perspective. For example, I like to read news articles from  The New York Times and CNN and balance that with perspectives from Fox News and Wall Street Journal articles.

Personally, it’s helped me understand the liberal and conservative point of view of a situation or bill or court case. At times, one side might not cover the full picture of a situation, so it’s important to complement that with other varying perspectives that have a different take on that specific situation. Another recommendation is to equally take care of yourself and don’t spend too much time reading content that may anger or upset you. 

Making the most of apps

If you have a smartphone or tablet, you can use news apps to learn more about current affairs. This will really help because it gives you short reminders and tidbits about what is going on, such as a new bill being signed or an official being fired. Individual news outlets also have their own apps available to download for free. If you’re interested in reading more about a certain topic, news apps do a great job of breaking into individual categories based on region or topic of interest, such as sports or business. I have the BBC and New York Times news apps and I enjoy reading articles that interest me, specifically about human rights around the world. 

Looking after your Mental Health

Mental health is an important piece of our everyday life that we need to take care of.  Remember to take care of yourself first, and follow these recommendations to help balance your health and awareness of events occurring in your current community. To keep track of the news, I listen to a podcast while I clean up my room. When I have some downtime, I also like to read news articles to get a full glimpse of key headlines that are happening around the world. This has helped me balance my mental health and following up on current news. Even listening to a podcast while driving or walking to work or school will greatly help you understand the news and not have to devote separate time to read the news of the day. 

If the news starts to upset me, I like to control my time on how much I spend on it. Allotting about 30-45 minutes to listening and reading the news for the day helps me to manage my health and time. Also, if the news is stressful, I find it helps to talk about our worries and frustrations to a trusted family or friend and to work through those worries and disappointments that we might have with the news. One other piece of advice to balance our personal health with the news is to continue being active. Whether it is going for a walk or embracing our creative and artistic side, it is important to clear our mind with activities that will keep our mind healthy. 

It is important to keep a balance between your mental health and current news. With the rise of technology, now it is easier to access the news and read as many articles. These three tips will help you balance out your life and look after yourself.

Edited by Ashvini Rae

Published 6th July 2020