Keeping Up in the World
How I Stay Updated and Informed
As a Journalism major, I’m extremely passionate about staying up-to-date on current events and frequently checking out the news cycle. I feel pretty confident in my go-to sources but obviously, we always have to expand our horizons and look at other perspectives. This is also true when I’m gathering information for research papers, since I’m presenting the research I need to make sure it's accurate and true. Through my personal passions and academic careers, I’ve developed a category for finding news and information that I feel is reliable and works well with my needs.
I’ve been reading the New York Times daily since high school since they offered a free subscription. I try to read at least one article a day to keep up with current events and I feel like they are an accurate and, mainly, unbiased news source that offers opinion articles from both sides of the argument. When looking for supporting evidence for a research paper or project, I like to search the topic in the “archived” section of their website to find information on the topic that was posted previously. These are the articles that are no longer “breaking news” or “front page news” so you wouldn’t be able to find them just by looking directly at their website. I would say that the New York Times is best for primary research in the beginning stages of a paper when you’re still gathering information for a broad, general overview of your topic.
#2: JSTOR
I’ve also been using this website since high school and it has been extremely helpful. It’s probably my favorite and most used database since it makes it super simple to look up scholarly articles. Just by searching keywords or your topic in the search bar, you find many detailed and specific scholarly articles, which you can trust to have reliable information. JSTOR is an academic database that brings the user reliable and academically-responsible information. This is a great tool to use for finding valuable academic information through other’s past academic papers, projects, or posts.
I’ve recently started using AP News for research papers and projects and found it extremely helpful. In my experience, AP News has provided unbiased information on current events that have up-to-date facts daily. They are committed to providing the public with unbiased, factual news and they even have a section of their website dedicated to this. Under the tab called “Fact Check” where they post articles debunking common and popular “fake” news that was posted by other platforms. AP News has become one of my most used websites for staying current with current events. If you are looking to stay updated with the news, I think this is a great place to find trustworthy information. If you find an article related to a research project that was published by AP News, I would say that it is a fantastic source to use, but I rely on them less formally, for staying in touch with current events within a variety of topics; business, sports, entertainment, climate, and much more.
#4: Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is a print and online magazine which is published by the Council of Foreign Affairs. This news source has also recently made it into my news rotation due to the recent issues that have developed and involved overseas. I’ve found this news source to publish multiple sides of complex issues which has given me new perspectives and a greater understanding of international events. Additionally, I’ve learned about smaller, less-known international problems through this news source that I might have not found through popular American news channels.
#5: Gale
Gale is another online database that I’ve been using for a couple of years now. Like JSTOR, this is an online research tool that delivers the user reliable academic information. You can find detailed and extremely niche academic papers that you can use in your projects to support your argument. Online databases are different from online news sources because they are much more reliable and trustworthy since they were posted by other academics and fact-checked. Typically, these websites are seen as superior to other news sources, which is why I go to them first when starting a paper or project, so that I can be sure I’m starting on the right foot.
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