When I was a kid, I hated watching the news. I would beg my parents to turn it off, I would state it was “boring” or it was “too sad.” However, as I grew up, I stopped begging to turn it off and started watching along. I can admit sometimes the news does make me a little anxious, but it doesn’t stop me from watching or reading.
In the haze of classes, friends and trying not to crash out, it is easy to tune out the rest of the world. Here’s the thing, ignoring the news, whether intentional or not, does no good.
With the stress of college, keeping up with everything else in the world is a luxury or at times a burden.
One excuse college students have for not tuning into the world of politics is it does not involve me.” Within the first 100 days of the Trump administration, they relentlessly attacked higher education. Notably, the administration sent a list of demands to Columbia University after removing funding. They also cut jobs within the Department of Education and played a key part in eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion funds and programs within universities. These cuts and demands affect the way colleges now function and no longer give full control to the university without fear of losing funding schools need.
It isn’t just the national news students need to tune into, but also the local news. Athens is a small area, and there are not a lot of news sources to look to, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything being reported. The best way to find local news for your college town is to look up the town's name and state with the word “news.” Just because students are only in the town for four years or so, doesn’t mean we should ignore what is going on around us. By watching or reading local news, students can be educated and understand how to help the community around them.
On November 5, 2024, 77,302,580 people in the United States voted for Donald Trump to be the 47th president of the United States. It has been 153 days since he was inaugurated into the Oval Office. Keeping up with everything that has gone on in the past 153 days can be hard. However, in these past days, countless people's lives have been flipped upside down. Families have been torn apart, and funding for education has been cut; those are only some of the things happening, and some people choose to remain ignorant, but with the current climate, this cannot be the case anymore. Choosing not to be informed is a privilege not a lot of people can afford, and being in college, it gives students access to a lot of news sources for free. For example, Ohio University recently announced a free New York Times subscription for students and faculty.
This is not to say college students shouldn’t enjoy life while in college. They should not drop everything fun to focus on what is happening around us. However, one simply cannot justify living in ignorant bliss. Staying updated on the news, national and local, helps one stay aware of what is going on around them.
Although social media platforms can do an OK job of keeping people updated on some information. Not everything that is seen can be trusted. It’s best to follow trusted news sources like CNN or MSNBC, and for local news, The Post covers all news coming from Athens and surrounding counties.
Cassie is a senior studying communications at Ohio University. Please note the views and opinions expressed in this column do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Cassie? Email her at cb086021@ohio.edu.
