It's amazing that the amount of news that happens in the world every day just exactly fits in the newspaper. - Jerry Seinfield
I wouldn't necessarily consider myself to be a news junky, but I probably spend more time reading, listening or watching the news than the average American. DH and I subscribe to many, many magazines. We were suckered by the airlines asking us to use our miles. Why the heck not? If it's not USAir then we ain't flying it any more.
We subscribe to the Charlotte Observer (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and I like that I now know what goes on in the area. Not that we do any of the events...
On top of The Week, I am also reading The Economist. Talk about a heavy magazine! After 3 issues I've moved into skimming mode. If a magazine has more than 100 pages it should be labelled as a book. But I do read Us Weekly and Entertainment Weekly religiously. Hey, entertainment news is still news! I do recommend The Week for people who want to get a quick overview of headlines from the week (duh) for both US and the world. It's a very fast read. And they have cartoons and "properties of the week." What more could you ask for?
Aside from the pile of magazines I go through on a weekly basis (usually when DH is watching Sunday football from 1 PM to 10 PM) I also surf the web. CNN, TMZ, Boston.com, NY Times. I would read the Wall Street Journal online but they are trying to make a profit and charge. Hmmm. Isn't the Internet about free content?
The only radio station I listen to is NPR. In the shower, in the car and sometimes when I'm cleaning the house. While I like the news (except I'm getting a little sick of Iraq and Afghanistan) my favorite shows are "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me..." and "Car Talk." I try to schedule my cleaning or running errands around those shows so I can listen to most of them. I'm still kicking myself for not going to see WWDTM when they were in Charlotte in 2006.
For TV I absolutely hate watching regular news. It's always so freaking depressing. And don't get me started on the 24 hour news stations. Talking heads can be very annoying. So the solution? DH and I have started watching The Daily Show with John Stewart. Perfect! Granted, the show doesn't cover that much news but it does make me laugh. They even had me chuckling with the commentary on the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. How many shows can do that? We do check in on The Colbert Report but that is a little more over the top and can be hit or miss depending on the guest.
All in all I probably spend 15+ hours a week on news. Yes, that does include entertainment/gossip! How about the rest of you? Any preferred shows or magazines to recommend?
2 comments:
Oh, this is a good one for me because I spend more time digesting news than anyone I know. I am sort of addicted. Here's my rundown.
As far as real magazines, I read Newsweek and US Weekly cover to cover each week.
Required online reading (every morning, usually while I eat my cereal, and then periodically throughout the day so I don't miss anything) - NY Times front page, opeds and "most popular" articles; Wall Street Journal opeds and headlines (I borrow a login, no need to waste $ and paper on a real copy); Boston.com headlines and most populars, same with the Washington Post. Then CNN.com, the Huffington Post and Politico and Slate (though Slate isn't really news, more like commentary on the news), along with ESPN for sports news during particularly interesting times.
THEN television. I can't deal with local news and avoid it at all costs. It sucks. A lady found in her home with 50 cats is not news. Sorry. I am, of course, a CNN junkie, mainly Campbell Brown and AC 360, along with the Situation Room. And on Sunday mornings, George Stephanopulous and Meet the Press. I love watching the Daily Show, but it fills up my DVR and I can't never catch up with them. And I listen to NPR in the car(granted, I have a very short ride to my bus stop) - my favorite is All Things Considered.
I think that's it. No, I don't need to be committed.
Oh, and we get the Boston Globe delivered on Sundays. Oy.
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