I am interested in staying informed about news on the national and international levels, but I must admit that I tend to focus more on pop culture news. As someone who aspires to become a news reporter, I recognize that I need to expand my knowledge and be more consistent in consuming a variety of news. While I enjoy staying up to date with entertainment and celebrity stories, I often find hard international news intimidating and overwhelming. That said, I understand the importance of being an informed citizen, and I’m working on improving my ability to engage with hard news to better prepare for my future career. I try to stay aware of key events and stories, though I don’t regularly follow them as closely as I should. I know that in order to truly excel as a reporter, I need to be more diligent about monitoring diverse stories on a regular basis.

I don’t follow the news from my hometown much anymore, mainly because I’m so far removed from it at this point. To be honest, I come from a smaller sized town in central/northern Wisconsin where not much really happens, so there’s not a lot to keep up with. When I go directly to a news site, I usually visit FOX. I’m particularly interested in keeping up to date with their content and style because I aspire to work for FOX as a field reporter one day. I enjoy staying informed about the types of stories they cover and the perspective they offer. I don’t typically use Google or other search engines to find news, unless I’m looking for more information on a specific story. I usually prefer to visit news sites directly, to stay up to date on the latest content and stories. 

I only use AI for inspiration. I think it’s a really useful tool for enhancing human performance, and knowledge. I don’t believe it could ever fully replace humans. No matter how advanced AI becomes, I still believe that humans understand each other best, and an AI could never replicate the emotions and experiences that make us human. When it comes to consuming news, I usually don’t read text unless I’m looking further into a story that piqued my interest. I tend to enjoy watching news videos, especially as someone who studies broadcast, as I find them really inspiring. The visuals and storytelling techniques help me better understand how the news is presented. When it comes to looking at photo slideshows, I try to limit doing this because sometimes photos can be misleading. I do enjoy listening to audio reports, such as podcasts, as they provide an engaging way to stay informed.

I’m not someone who typically interacts with the news by posting comments, though I do see their value. Honestly, I don’t feel like I have anything particularly useful to contribute in the comment sections. I’ve never e-mailed a reporter or submitted content, such as pictures, to a news site, but I do see how those interactions could be a great way to contribute to the news landscape. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok often inspire me to look further into news stories, but I always make sure to verify the information by finding a second trusted source. I don’t believe everything I see or read on these platforms without double-checking.