Each week the AIT community receives #TakeActionTuesday with tips for creating impactful change in their community and beyond. From new online tools, to pending policy updates, subscribe today to make sure you don’t miss these action-oriented recommendations.
Staying informed is an important part of being an engaged and effective advocate on behalf of the issues that matter most to you. But, the news cycle can, at times, feel overwhelming and difficult to tackle alongside demanding schedules and time limitations. Instead of tuning out, employ strategies to efficiently gather the most important and most accurate information that is tailored to your personal issue priorities and daily routine.
This #TakeActionTuesday, create an action plan to be a more strategic news consumer. Check out our tips below to get started!
- Maximize Your Time. Depending on your available time, prioritize different types of news coverage to ensure that you are getting the most important information, even when time is scarce. If you have…
- 5 minutes to skim: Stick to straight-forward news articles that present the facts of what happened, without too much additional opinion or analysis. These articles typically answer the questions: Who? What? Where? When? Why?
- 30 minutes to read: Look for longer features or commentary articles that offer (the author’s) broader analysis on trends, the significance or consequences of the issue, and generally give the reader more context.
- 60 minutes to deep dive: In addition to the news of the day, spend time reading op-eds written by issue experts in order to better understand the issue at hand, opposing sides of a contentious topic, and the effects that a particular issue or event carries for various communities. Curious how to submit an op-ed of your own? Check out our guide.
- Read Widely. All news articles reflect the positions and biases of the authors to some extent. In order to gain a balanced understanding, make an effort to gather news from more than one source and compare how the coverage differs in the topics covered as well as the tone of the writing.
- Rely On Trusted Sources. When considering whether or not a news source is reliable, it is helpful to ask, “What does this news source have to lose by issuing false reporting?” News sources with longstanding reputations for accurate reporting have more to lose from issuing inaccurate stories than “greener” sites. When referencing newer media sources, it is always a good idea to cross reference information.
What strategies do you use when consuming news? Let us know at info@aitogether.org!
