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I don't really read the news. At least not in the way it is generally supposed to be.
I shouldn't just say "read." I also don't watch or listen to the news, at least not with any focus. I do hear the hourly news on CBC radio at work, but I'm usually reading something else at the time unrelated to political news. And even then, these are just headlines and sound bites anyway.
What I do read are headlines on Google News and in the national dailies here in Canada. If something interests me, I will search for more on the issue. This usually brings me to news aggregation via Google. If I do end up reading something, it's usually long after the event has unfolded. I will read older articles leading up the the newer ones that have more in-depth analysis. I try to read broadly in any case. I tend to read sources such as CBC, Reuters, the Guardian, BBC, the New York Times, CNN, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg (yes, of course, business media covers politics!), and various Indian publications.
I take in various perspectives and take none of them for granted. I will take what I can from this and apply histories, logic, and other general knowledge and sort out my thoughts on issues.
I view breaking news as sensational and rather dangerous. But I do like the thrill factor. I don't find it useful, however.
Bottom line: As King Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun. I don't read the news to keep up-to-date or well-read on issues. I read it to know, in a general sense, the political climate of the world. People like me keep at the fore the idea that the future is always threatened. My main concern about politics is balance, reason, and the sorting through the clutter of distractions. For more information, read my signature below.
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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön
Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot
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