Oh yeah? You keep up with the news? Then tell me, what’s Charlie Baker’s wife’s dog’s name? Yeah, didn’t think so. 

All jokes aside – her name is Lucy – it’s important to stay connected in today’s ever-changing world of multimedia journalism. News is everyday life. You should be excited to add to the conversation on topics such as the spread of the coronavirus or the impeachment trial. 

A multimedia story is a combination of different source outlets across various media platforms. This includes broadcasts, podcasts, websites and newspapers. These elements are posted online to complement each other and offer multiple ways for news consumers to stream.

Many believe the news can be  boring. It’s so much reading, so much listening. That attitude needs to change. 

Don’t know something? Ask! A plethora of Suffolk’s faculty and students are involved with journalism in one way or another. Sit in on a meeting with The Suffolk Journal on Tuesdays during activities period and get a behind-the-scenes look on how news is sought out.

“But none of my friends seem to keep up with the news” Congratulations! You’ll be the first member of your group to know what you’re talking about when the inevitable conversation about President Trump begins. 

A 2014 study by the Media Insight Project, conducted by the Associated Press National Opinion Research Center for Public Affairs Research and the American Press Institute, found that six out of ten people admit to only reading news headlines. The study also found  that people tend to exaggerate how much they actually keep up with the news, in order to avoid embarrassing themselves. That means these numbers could be even lower. It seems lying in a survey is better than taking ten minutes to actually pay attention to the news.

The study also reported that the most popular way Americans find their news is through news organizations (88%). This includes newspapers, TV newscasts, websites and or newswire. Second to that is word-of-mouth (65%). 

That second percentage is alarming.

Word of mouth is something I hesitate on. People who only read headlines still come to their own conclusions on things. That leads me to believe they’re just telling other people what they think the story meant, not what it actually was about. 

One of the best ways to keep up is with a subscription to a news outlet. The Washington Post is offering a bundle deal with an Amazon Prime account. The Boston Globe is offering students a six months subscription for only one dollar, and The New Yorker offers users 12 weeks for six dollars. 

The news will never go away. In fact, it’s more important now than it ever was. To be able to tap into so much knowledge and information with just your fingertip is insane. What’s even crazier is not taking advantage of that!