How do our students keep up with the news? We in the SUNY Broome used our white board to pose this question recently. The responses we received were Youtube, the Majority Report with Sam Seder, WBNG, Fox News and the Onion. Two people added +1 to the Onion and one person added a disclaimer to Fox. Another wrote, “I don’t, ignorant bliss.” This survey is completely unscientific, but we could draw some conjectures. The minimal response may suggest that the topic is of little interest to passers-by in the library. The content of the responses may suggest that news is seen as entertainment and not taken seriously.
Project Information Literacy published a report a few years ago on “How students engage with news“. This study was scientific, so their findings and recommendations carry more weight. It found most students think news is important to our society, and share news with others. A large percentage are distrustful of any news, however, and favor non-traditional news sources like social media. The report also has recommendations for educators on promoting news consumption and developing critical thinking and analytical skills.
We can help address these recommendations. The SUNY Broome Library provides access to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal digital editions to the campus community. Additionally, the Library’s Flipster database provides access to news magazines such as National Review, New Yorker, The Week, and Atlantic Monthly, among others. Some professors incorporate news resources in their courses, and we hope more will follow their lead.
If you are curious about using news resources in any of your courses, contact your liaison librarian or Outreach and Instruction Librarian Paul Bond (bondph@sunybroome.edu). We would be happy to work with you.
Submitted by: Paul Bond
