Reading Newspapers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reading Newspapers - Essay Example This information is in the classified section of your local newspaper. These ads are particularly attractive to younger people and students, as they have less time and less money than average, and need advice on the best value available. Some newspapers are dominated by classified ads and as a result are read more by younger people and students; examples include the Village Voice and Creative Loafing. (Mennenga, 40) 2) Being smarter. Newspapers contain a wealth of information that is often quoted close to the source, and a quick on-line search can reveal quotes from original sources in their home locale. This information can help individuals take advantage of new health solutions and new services. 3) Need the truth Surveys indicate that newspapers are, "a reliable source of information that can be trusted." (Klein, 26) This result was from a marketing firm study that found, "people still place a great deal of trust in printed newspapers." 4) Meeting people. Want to always have a conversation-starter handy According to the Bill Husted, Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Technobuddy, reading the on-line paper can be a great way to show off your knowledge to your friends, and meet new people. You can advertise your knowledge by telling where and when a current event happened, quoting the newspaper closest to the event. Husted gave the following example: "When Scott Peterson was charged with the killing of his wife, I checked The Modesto Bee (www.modbee.com)." People everywhere were talking about this event. You can show people you are "in the know" if you spend a couple of minutes reading stories like this. A summary of ways that newspaper reading can improve your life is shown in Figure 1: "Ways a newspaper 'helps you live your life.' This came from a study by Schlagheck (82) of 267 students at a Midwestern public university. Students agreed some of the greatest benefits of reading newspapers were that newspapers help me "make decisions on purchases," "inform me about movies/concerts/events," and help me "make health-related decisions." These benefits of spending more time reading newspapers improve the quality of students' lives. In contrast, one reason people read newspapers less often include information overload. This is a very valid reason for avoiding information, except that the huge benefits of newspaper reading cannot be realized. Instead, Cripwell recommends that we network with people "in-the-know." And you can find these people in the newspaper! Most importantly, reading about current events, local events and important personally relevant facts and studies keeps us informed. This helps us participate in our world and our government. Reading newspapers helps us avoid ignorance, for as Thomas Jefferson said, "If a nation expects to be both ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be." Here's an example of