As Inauguration Day approaches, many are still left with the overarching question as to how President-elect Donald Trump won. While political analysts have crunched the numbers and theorized an array of answers, an overarching conclusion is that U.S. citizens, both Democrats and Republicans, were completely uninformed.
At the beginning of 2015, prior to the election, the research institute, Just Facts, employed a nationwide poll to gauge U.S. citizens’ knowledge of national “hot topics.” The study concluded that of the 23 questions ranging from global warming to national debt, the average person was able to answer five of them correctly. This may stem from a lack of education, the spread of inaccurate reports or lack of interest. Yet, one culprit may be our society’s fixation on maximizing time and doing things as fast as possible. While this is not inherently a bad thing, this can have an adverse effect on our desire or capability to remain knowledgeable on what is happening around us, both locally and globally.
The notion of the “ignorant American” is the premise upon which the presidential election was organized to include an Electoral College. While this by no means implies that everyone in the U.S. has little to no idea what is going on, the only source of news-oriented information some people receive is through Facebook posts or video clips that are edited with intentional bias.
While it is unrealistic for most college students to read the morning paper front to back or to get through lengthy online news articles before class, it is vital for us to stay informed on current events. Luckily, there are numerous news outlets that have taken note of this and have crafted a means to combat this epidemic of obliviousness. A simple email subscription makes the excuse “I didn’t have time” no longer sufficient.
I myself am no news junkie; however, theSkimm newsletter has kept me and 3.5 million other subscribers in the loop every weekday morning for years. The email aims to provide an easy-to-understand and brief gist of the biggest news stories of the previous day. Humor, relatability and a “Why is this important?” message are embedded within the handful of summaries theSkimm provides. Each story includes hyperlinks to relevant articles if you want to read more on the topic, and certain ones have “Skimm Guides” that explain the complexities of the article. The creators have defined their mission for theSkimm as “making it easier to be smarter.” While there may not be a direct correlation between intelligence and being informed, “being in the know” is a great start to making intelligent decisions.
For those deterred by the informality of theSkimm, renowned news outlets have devised similar newsletters, most notably The New York Times. The New York Times Morning Briefing, as they call it, allows you to enjoy the gist of the hefty newspaper from your computer or phone screen. As an added bonus for those who already read The Times, this saves you the $2.50 cost of buying the paper or the walk around campus during these cold winter months to find one of the stands where they’re provided. While the article recaps are more brief than theSkimm, the Morning Briefing provides information on a wider array of material. The awareness the Morning Briefing provides allows for enough comprehension for you to join conversations that you previously may not have been able to participate in. While it doesn’t make anyone an expert on subjects, it provides a solid foundation of knowledge to build upon.
While theSkimm and The New York Times Morning Briefing are not the sole sources of fast news, they are both viable, free options for “beginners” who have only used a newspaper for papier mâché. While some may live by the idea that ignorance is bliss, that same ignorance adds fuel to the fire that is burning, dividing in our world, our country and sometimes even our campus. To begin extinguishing this fire, all it takes is replacing your morning of scrolling through Instagram with reading an email.
Savanna Vidal is a sophomore majoring in biology.