Tuned In

For the first time in my life, or perhaps since my Freshman Civics class, I'm feeling really "tuned in" to the news and especially to how it may affect myself and those I care about.  I also find myself, for the first time in many years, in an environment populated by those who's views are diametrically opposed to my own.  I don't want to get into that here, but as someone who is always interested in hearing and learning from other people's opinions, I thought I'd share a bit about how I'm getting my news right now.

I get most, if not all, of my news through podcasts.  It's just the simplest form for me.  I don't pay for cable at home and I don't want to spend my precious few leisure hours after work reading on my iPad.  So I plug into podcasts and radio broadcasts at my desk during the day and I LOVE this form.  I loved it during my commute in New York City and my desk is my space for that now.

My hope is by reading this you'll find something new for yourself and be able to point me in the direction of ways you like to stay informed. Thank you in advance!

1. NPR Politics Podcast: This is by far my favorite of all the podcasts I listen to. They break down the news of the week in a way that helps me understand it so I can then take that knowledge and question it or decide how I feel about it. Plus, the varied personalities make for a fun listen! Sam Sanders, I miss you already!

2. PBS News Hour: This is a very new podcast for me but one that I am enjoying.  It's daily, rather than bi-weekly, so it's more of an in-the-moment/as-it's-evolving take on the news and a different perspective than NPR.

3. The 1A: Each of 1A's stories focuses on the First Amendment in some way. They focus a lot on current social issues and give me a much-needed insiders look at what's going on in our country. In addition to American correspondents, their weekly news round-up also features an International panel which I really enjoy. 

4. Presidential: Presidential was brought to us in 2016 by the Washinton Post but I am only now tuning in.  In 2016 there were exactly 44 weeks between New Years and the Election so with each week we got an episode about a different president all leading up to the election of Donald J. Trump.  Though this is not current news, I'm enjoying getting an in-depth look at each of our past presidents and their varied leadership styles. Presidential also inspired me to read one biography about each of our Commanders in Chief. #PresidentailBookshelf. 

BONUS: Pop Culture Happy Hour is my weekly escape.  They rarely speak directly about politics but they cover EVERYTHING else.  Many a movie or TV show I have seen exclusively on the recommendation of PCHH.  But it's also fun when they weigh in on things I already love and I get to see who's opinions match mine. I could go on and on. 

So now that you've seen where I get my news, where do you get yours? Does your favorite newspaper or channel have a podcast I should be listening to? Please send it my way! - xo Sydney