My News Sources

Over the years, thanks to the Internet, my news reading habits have switched from a handful of newspapers, to many RSS feeds. A couple of months back, we talked about mobile news and the usefulness of apps to the delivery of news content. As I wrote then, the apps in my phone are for the BBC, the New York Times, and NPR news. All solid sources.

Those are not my only news sources, however. I still read a print newspaper, La Repubblica (warning, Italian), and occasionally the Wall Street Journal, when I can borrow it from a colleague. Maybe I grew up in another time, as I still like to hold a newspaper in my hands with my espresso in the morning.

Interestingly, there is very little Web browsing of news in my daily habit. I will read articles shared by people in my network, yet I don't have any news site bookmarked or syndicated. Perhaps it's because I have the mobile apps?

What I want to learn about

News is important to me.

World news is particularly important to me. My family lives all over the world -- France, Italy, Japan, the US -- so I tend to be attuned to local happenings in many areas. Plus I have friends in any corner of the globe, one of the lovely byproducts of having spent many years building community online. Did you know that you often hear about US news abroad that you don't hear about here?

News commentary in different languages. Yes, there is definitely a way that things get lost in translation. Keeping up with news sources in different languages allows me to get a stronger sense of how people articulate their challenges in other countries.

I'm interested in economics, and the political shenanigans the world over. There are many a trend you can infer from figuring out who has means, knowledge, and power. These also happen to be the underpinnings of every social structure.

Making better decisions

I believe being informed about what's going on allows us to make better decisions in the areas where we have a direct influence. Getting the macro picture enables the micro movements in our daily lives. I didn't always think that way.

I remember at one point thinking that newspaper made for excellent material for cleaning windows in my apartment, for example. Other times indeed. I could not imagine a world without journalists and reporters looking to inform us. Not to win a Pulitzer, to help us see what's going on.

I have tremendous respect for reporters like Christiane Amanpour. Quoting her when someone asked her why she still does what she does, she said:

I do it because I remain convinced that good journalism still matters. If the storytellers don't do this, then the bad guys win. We live in a society after all, not in a marketplace, and in a society people are the software.

People matter and so does what happens to them.

***

What are your news sources? Have you migrated mostly to online feeds? What are the pros and cons of mobile news in your view? Is there a print newspaper left in your mix?

© 2010 Valeria Maltoni. All rights reserved.

Comments

[Lateef]

Admiring your broad scope. Multilingual, multinational.

[Steve Rubel]

This is constantly evolving for me. It's entirely digital but a mix of Twitter, apps and RSS (which I dip in and out of - like now).

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Lateef - thank you. It's one way to stay ahead of local interests getting in the way of news reporting. Curious as to your sources of news.

@Steve - ditto. My hunch is that you look at news in many verticals as well. I tend to keep up with the industries I worked in and the ones I encounter in the course of work.

[norma hill]

Delighted to know I'm not the only one still tuning into news - including newspapers. I too, listen to NPR, to get a solid perspective on our next-door neighbors - and listen to CBC for news here at home. And BBC for around the world. And a variety of RSS feeds, too. Just curious - do you as an American pay much attention to what Canada is up to? Why or why not?

[Florina Baciu]

Hi,

Great post!
As for me my source of daily news are a mix of online and print. I still enjoy the feeling of holding and reading a newspaper, even a magazine and I'm sure people won't give up to soon about this. It has become a routine for some people, and as we know change is tough.

Even tough I consider mobile news a great way to stay in touch with the speed and impact of the news, I don't have any app on my mobile.

[Sam Bradley]

I was trained as a print journalist and worked in newspapers for two years (not counting college paper) before going back to grad school and eventually the world of faculty.

What was once unbelievable is now true: I read no print newspaper except Tech's college paper. It's all online. I rely heavily upon Twitter to point out things that I would never see. The N.Y. Times is my most regular outlet after CNN.com (just to make sure the world has not burned down while I was in a meeting).

Along your thoughts, Twitter often points me to international sources that I otherwise wouldn't see. To me, this is one of its greatest values. The BBC is especially loved.

In print, I also subscribe to Mother Jones magazine to see stories I wouldn't otherwise see in the mainstream press. I am delighted (and often subsequently angered at some facet of the world) as each issue arrives.

Thank you for the thought-provoking piece!

[Ed]

Most of my news come from online sources like you. I'm going to state some recent examples here.

1. Thailand Protest
Source: News Website, Blogs, Facebook & Twitter
Pro: Immediate news availability, sometimes by the minute. Sense of reality rather than just a story. Especially for Twitter, pictures readily available with apps like Twitpic. By the time the print media delivers the story, it's outdated. Warnings regarding attacks on media personnel was first issued via Twitter.
Con: Bulk of online feeds written in personal observation and contexts, occasionally you see some of them getting judgemental instead of a factual report.

2. World Expo, Shanghai
Source: News Website & Blogs
Pro: First hand account of expo by visitors, without the hardcore marketing contents compared to summaries in print media.
Con: Information on higher profile meetings usually not available if you're not on the official media invite list. The journalists usually get access, not the average bloggers.

3. Domestic Affairs
Source: News Website and Blogs
Pro: Authentic opinions and news, some of which are prevented from publication in local print media controlled by Govt. Also analysis of my country's progress which are sometimes deemed unworthy of mention or reflects badly on the country in local print media. Online is the best way to seek them out.
Con: Sometimes sensationalized by those who do not truly understands the situations and various cultures.

4. Breaking News
Pro: Always on time, always on target. Especially in a country that buys reports heavily from other agencies instead of venturing out with own journalists. (I don't see any real journalism here.)
Con: Can't think of any at the moment.

========================================

Digital is still my pick for the time being. 60 pages of newspaper with half stuffed with advertisement is vastly different from 60 feeds with enormous information.

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Norma - a couple of years back, I learned about a chemical spill in Canada because it was being reported in Europe. Do you find that Canadian news outlets have a similar approach to news as the US? More commentary on the same story stretched all day vs. uncovering and covering many news stories.

@Fiorina - in the post I linked to about mobile apps, you will find many that are free, in case that is a consideration. It's early days, the apps will improve, too.

@Sam - your comment about world burning down while you're in a meeting gave me a chuckle. Many meetings in faculty, and in corp America. People did underestimate Twitter. Its ease of use is the very reason people share so much on the network. And since links had already been invented, the character limitation is not a deterrent. I do like Mother Jones, good call on that. Online I read Ode magazine that gives me a different perspective on world issues.

@Ed - wow, this is great. Thank you. I like how you broke down your sources with pros and cons to give us a better idea of why something works for you, or not. In a recent Twitter chat we asked the question of how critical thinking as a goal was tackled outside the US. It's important to continue to keep an open mind about different realities and I'm grateful you've outlined yours here.

[Ben Wise]

Use a mix of online sources, both traditional newspaper websites and RSS feeds. Twitter/Facebook for finding new sources, and I still love holding a a physical magazine - if only on the subway or before I go to sleep.

[Linda Odell]

NPR is primary news source - both listening to Morning Edition while on the treadmill at the gym, and online links via Facebook & Twitter. Follow a couple of media/reporters on Twitter. Get AP breaking news on iPhone but that is very unsatisfying.

And still like reading the local morning daily newspaper with my coffee. It's part ritual - but I like being able to see a wide view of what's in the news that day by scanning headlines.

[Dan Wedin]

I'm very random in my online news intake. I start with the generic Google News homepage everyday. The articles I read determine where I'll go and most likely stay following any thing that interests me.