It’s amazing how much America’s youth knows about the latest celebrity gossip and everything that’s happening today in entertainment but know hardly anything about our government or the real world around them. If you can name the latest celebrity to get a DUI but can’t name our vice president, then there’s a problem. Keeping up with current news is important, but knowing why one celebrity dumped another really isn’t going to advance your life or impact you in any way at all. If you are not in the habit of keeping up with current events, then here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Watch the News
   You’ll have to decide for yourself what kind of news to watch. More and more even supposedly unbiased news stations are starting to lean to one side or the other depending on the topic. If you want to get all sides of the story then your best bet is to watch a few different stations. You should also watch the news at different times of the day because you will get the opportunity to view more stations. This would be instead of only watching the nightly news or something like that.




2. Read the Paper
   This may seem extremely outdated as no one really reads physical newspapers anymore. However, reading a local paper will help you stay current on events that are close to your location like your particular city and state. A national paper will cover things that are happening all over the country and sometimes around the world, if you get the right paper. It’s easier to focus when you are reading a paper instead of a screen. There are less distractions, ads and moving images to draw your attention away. This is helpful if you are just starting out trying to keep updated. A newspaper won’t have the latest celebrity and their new drama flashing on the side of your article, trying to pull you away.




3. Subscribe to Magazines
   No, not ‘Hello’ or ‘People’ magazines; this is referring to ‘The Nation’ or ‘Newsweek.’ These magazines are known as opinion magazines. They will be full of essays and articles that will delve much further into the issues.




4. Download a News App
   If you really are adverse to holding paper in your hands to read, then you can download a new app. Just make sure that it is a reputable app, such as Best News Reader or something like that. This will give you 24 hour access to current events. Try to set aside 10 or 15 minutes a day dedicated to reading the news and finding out what is going on. Some apps will categorize the news to make it easier to find and read which is helpful.




5. Use Social Media
   Be careful about this one. The articles that are shared on social media could be very one sided. Generally, people will only share an article about the news if it is something that they strongly agree with or are severely disgusted by. Emotions run high on social media and that is sometimes what determines a post going viral. However, it can be helpful to find out about things on Facebook or Twitter because then you can go and continue to look up the issue.

The more you find out about the news and current events in your area and abroad, the more informed and intellectual you will be. You can then make better choices when it comes to voting and other things that impact your life directly.

It’s not terrible to know about the latest celebrity news. In fact, it can be quite fun and enlightening to read and watch that kind of thing but it should be kept in balance with other things that are going on. After you have been filled in on the happenings in our country then look into that stuff. If no one followed the news or kept up on current events, the government would have complete control of making informed decisions. America is only America because her people still have a say. This is the main reason you want to make sure you are properly informed. Once you are, then, well, bring on the celebrity gossip!