Media Consumption

When this media consumption assignment was being discussed in class my first thought was I rarely watch the news. Now I know as a journalist that doesn’t make much sense, especially since we’re supposed to be on top of all current news. Then I reevaluated my consumption and realized I may not watch news on television often, but there are other ways I get my news.

Usually with my schedule, I do not have time to watch much television, but during the two days we were monitoring our consumption I found myself with more spare time. I realized majority of the news I consume consist of some type of sport. This is not really shocking to me considering I am looking to further my career as a sports journalist. I have been making it a habit to be up to date on current events in the sporting world to help improve my skills as a sports journalist. As a woman it is important that we actually know what we are talking about when discussing sports to receive the type of respect as our male counterparts.

My smartphone is definitely my main source of use, whereas not once did I pick up a newspaper or magazine to read any news. Although I have multiple sports apps on my phone, ESPN seems to be the main network I go to for my information about sports. I believe it is because I am studying their hosts and reporters while also obtaining the information.

Twitter seems to be the main place I go to for my news. It is a good forum to go for all types of news. Twitter always has a variety of news trending and it is an easy way to share articles, videos, photos and audio pieces. Twitter also provides direct commentary from readers and viewers.

I also noticed when it comes to more serious news channels like CNN, I’m more inclined to tune in when there is a specific subject I’m interested in being discussed. For example, on the one occasion I watched CNN during this 48-hour time span it was to learn more about the Flint, Michigan water crisis and to hear Miki speak on a panel about the Oscars’ diversity issue.

I have realized that I need to make more of a conscientious effort to know what is going on in the world. I often do not make the effort to seek out news because whether you follow a news source on twitter or not someone is bound to tweet about current issues. I also follow a lot of reporters who are constantly posting about what is going on, which allows me to just scroll and be updated. But I do need to take more time out for real world news and not rely on the commentary from others. I should be aware of different things going on as a journalist no matter what genre I choose to focus on.