In the beginning of the twenty-first century, college students around the country had limited resources for keeping up to date with news and current events. During this particular time period, it was common for most students to take in their daily dose of news through popular forms of media such as traditional newspapers and magazines. 14 years later, modern college students now live in a digital age where there are more resources available for students to keep up with the happenings of the world.
Surveyed Cabrini College students have indicated that they do not stay up-to-date with current events as much as they think that they should. Most students admitted that they are not entirely sure about this week’s current events. Moreover, there is no real surprise that the majority of college students do not tune into major news programs like ABC’s “World News Tonight.”
Even though this television program is credited towards educating the public on world issues, it is not necessarily a presentation that is appealing to college-aged students. In light of the fact that we are now in a digital age, many students indicated that they would prefer to acquire news and information via the Internet. Undergraduates who considered themselves to be aware of current events had stated that they obtain their news by means of social network websites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Despite this new trend in social media news outlets, there is still a large percentage of well-known network reporters who have yet to fully catch on to these new platforms to communicate current news issues to the public. The main problem with today’s media is that the news is less appealing to college students. A solution to this problem would be for networks like ABC to better interact with students through methods of communication that are more modern and interactive. In other words, students might be more interested in watching the news if major network anchors had a bigger presence on social media websites.
Additionally, these programs should also take into consideration that college students might not be interested in their programing due to the complex nature that news is reported on these television broadcasts. Therefore, major networks could see an increase in viewership if they reported the news in a way that could easily be comprehended by college students.
Overall, most students do not watch the news simply because that they find it to be rather uninteresting. Now, I realize that some people might say that this is not a very important issue. However, without implementing any changes to how news is reported most students would not be aware of important world events. World news programs need to come to the realization that students want to be presented news in a brief and simple manner. Ultimately, the best way for news networks to reach students is by keeping pace with the current trends of the Internet.
