How Do You Get Your News? What News Interest You?

Until recently, I had a subscription to the local newspaper, the Arizona Daily Star. A source of local news, national news, and a way to support our fourth estate. The problem, when I received an invoice, the cost continued to increase, and they added charges for individual Special Sections with “special” fees. They filled more of the pages with advertisement and less and less actual news. Living on a fixed income, I concluded it was time to cancel. I did. (Update: recently, 12/12/2024, subscribed, again.)

Why? I find I can “ask the question.” The average reading level of the average American is 6th grade. The average newspaper uses an 8th-grade reading level. I require time to review the material and evaluate its veracity. Reading is more that decoding. It includes comprehension and, if I may add, verification. I was a teacher and often listen to students that decoded well above their grade level but could not verbalize their understanding without simply regurgitating the verbiage.

So, where do I receive my news?

MSNBC, CNN, CBS Morning news, CBS Evening News, sometimes 60 Minutes, and local news channels, primarily KOLD news. On the Internet receive notices and articles from various sites including, The New York Times, Statista Daily, USAFacts, NOTUS, The Atlantic, SmartNews, Climate Change News, Amanpour & Company, several podcasts, Snoops and… interesting insights from relatives, who mostly copy and paste from questionable sources. And I read, read, read, and research background sources.

I also watch shows like John Oliver, Bill Maher, and Jon Stewart. While John and Jon add touch humor, Bill often seems to be stuck in a rut and not a great interviewer, always has an agenda, while his guest can be informative always present their bias. By the end of the show, they accomplished little other than spin personal perspectives. Often the winner is the one who talks the loudest and longest.

Norma is likely to pause the tape while I interject a thought or two of my own. She reminds me they cannot hear me.

Honestly I, find the news - depressing, destructive, and draining. Anyway…

What news interest me? Stories that will affect future generations (i.e. grandchildren), news that affects my pocketbook, my health, and March Madness.

Three books I would recommend.

Fire Weather by John Vaillant, Nuclear War by Annie Jacobsen and The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates.