Friday, December 2, 2011

Are you under 25 and NOT interested in news?

When I ask my students if they are interested in news, many reply that they are not - even some that are pursuing careers like public relations and communications and (I'm sad to admit) even a few who see journalism in their futures.

As I continue the discussion throughout the semester, we often come to the conclusion that they are highly interested in news. When a tragedy occurred on campus this semester, many went straight to the Torch web site to find out what happened.

They are interested in news. They do want to know what's happening in the world. They really do care.

What has changed? Basically, there is not a single place for them to go for their news information. There are so many options in this internet-age that what I find is my students do not have a way to go about seeking their news.

They respond when they need to - and they know how to do that well. What many of them don't know how to do is keep up with important news on a daily basis.

I am highly skeptical when my students tell me they are not interested in news. Most often, I am successful at proving them wrong.

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