The art of newspaper reading is fading as more and more readers give their preference to other sources of information, particularly publications on the internet, such as blogs and opinion sites. Whether you have decided to read the newspaper to connect with your community, learn more about world events or relax while enjoying a coffee, here is a good way to learn to enjoy this activity.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Read the Newspaper
Step 1. Find a comfortable place to read the newspaper
Bars, outdoor tables in a restaurant or even your armchair are ideal places to relax and enjoy reading the newspaper of your choice. If you take the train to work, you can also read on the go.
Step 2. Decide the purpose of the reading
If you want to relax or read for pleasure, you can take a less structured approach. If you are looking for information on a specific topic or want to practice reading, you need to be more organized.
- Most newspapers are written for various levels of reading, from middle school to college, so you should focus on the articles and sections that best suit your purpose. For example, movie reviews are simpler and you'll be able to read them faster than articles on complex financial topics.
- Reading a newspaper to practice a foreign language will help you understand the problems that are important to native speakers, learn about that culture and learn new words.
Step 3. Decide where to start
Once you've browsed through the newspaper, choose the section or article that caught your attention the most, based on the purpose of reading. You can choose a front page news, or jump to the sports section. Use your index as a guide.
- The editorial section contains opinion articles and not reports of the facts. You will usually find here the opinion of the newspaper editor or an expert on a topical topic.
- The lifestyle section usually contains articles on art and commerce. Forbes, for example, often contains articles on new movies, popular car models and travel ideas.
- The entertainment section contains reviews of films and plays, as well as interviews with authors, artists and information about art galleries and other local or national events. Likewise, the sports section features the most recent match scores and may include articles on the personal stories of players, coaches or on problems in the world of sport, such as doping.
Step 4. Fold the newspaper so you can read it easily and comfortably
If you are in a crowded space, such as on a train, fold the newspaper into quadrants so that you can read it more easily and not annoy the neighbors.
- You can make the task easier by separating the various sections, usually indicated in writing, and reading them one at a time, instead of trying to keep all the pages in order.
- Folding a newspaper correctly is optional, but if you have to pass it on to someone else, it's courtesy to put all the sections back when you're done.
Step 5. Scroll through the section you chose to read
Newspaper articles are usually written in an "inverted pyramid" structure: the most important information appears at the beginning of the story instead of at the end, followed by the details in order of relevance. The first sentence, called the lead or hat, is meant to grab the attention of readers and provides the main details of the article to entice them to keep reading.
- Sidebars next to major news usually contain analytics that help you understand the "why" of an article. Read them first, so that you know the context of the concepts expressed.
- If available, you can also read the subtitles and citations of an article, to get an idea of the main topics and the most important comments in the text.
Step 6. Choose the article you want to read and get started
Start from the first paragraphs, which contain the main points of the news, and you will understand if you wish to continue. Read the rest of the article or move on to a new one if you have lost interest or if it doesn't contain any information you find useful.
- Don't worry about moving on to a new article or section if you've accomplished your goal or need a break from a difficult topic. For example, you may find that the news of domestic violence is too stressful when you want to relax; in that case, read an article about an upcoming domestic violence trial later.
- Once you've finished a section, you can put it aside while you look for another piece of news to read. Once you have browsed through all the sections, you will be satisfied when it is time to recycle or reuse the newspaper sheets.
Step 7. Determine your opinions and preferences
When reading the editorial, remember that it is the author's opinion and not facts. Before starting, you should note the title of the article to get an idea on the subject, then consider your personal opinion for a moment.
- While the news section is strictly informative, being aware of your views before reading the articles will help you keep a more open mind on difficult topics.
- Try to read opinion articles opposed to your positions. Even if you disagree with the author, you can learn something, whether it's a new way to defend your idea or a new perspective on the issue.
Step 8. Connect reading to your private life and other news sources
Even if you are reading to relax, taking a moment to explore the relationship between the article you are reading and your experiences or concerns can help make the experience more enjoyable. Ask yourself, "Can I connect the ideas or events I'm reading about to my personal life and other articles I've read on the subject?"
Making links between the news you've heard on television, the videos you've seen on the internet, and the print newspaper will help you become even more knowledgeable and engaged as a citizen
Part 2 of 3: Read a Newspaper Quickly
Step 1. Decide how many sections of the newspaper to read
In some cases, you may want to read a particularly long newspaper, such as the Sunday edition, or you may need to meet the requirements for a course at school. If you're short on time, but want to go through the entire journal, your strategy will be different than when you have to focus on specific sections for a task.
- If you need or want to read the entire newspaper in no time, learn to read previews and scroll through the material.
- If you have been assigned an assignment or there is a topic that interests you particularly, you need to work hard to find the right articles quickly and read them carefully.
Step 2. Read the headlines and see the images on all pages
The front page is the most valuable space in the newspaper and publishers reserve it for the most important or most interesting news. Reading the titles allows you to get an idea of the main events, local, national or international; in the same way the images are chosen to communicate the central idea or the most interesting one of the news.
This preliminary observation should take about three minutes, and by the end you will have a clearer idea of where to start
Step 3. Start from the first page
The most important article, according to the tradition of long newspapers, should appear at the top right of the first page. The second most important news will appear at the top left. Additionally, publishers use larger fonts for major news.
- If you are interested in a particular topic, section or news item, read the index to save time so you don't have to search randomly throughout the newspaper.
- Some newspapers include headlines at the top of the page to draw the reader's attention to news in the newspaper's internal sections, such as sports and entertainment.
Step 4. Read the first paragraphs of the articles
Every time you start a new article, just read a paragraph or two. Newspaper articles always start with a lead, a sentence that contains the main information. The rest of the piece describes the details of the news, in order of importance. If efficiency is your priority, the first paragraph should contain enough information to have a general understanding of the topic.
- If the article catches your attention, read on, but be prepared to move on once your curiosity is satisfied.
- If you are reading for an assignment, use the lead to help organize your notes, as this is the "main idea" of the article. Articles should answer the questions "Who? What? Where? How?", So use those questions to structure your notes if necessary.
Step 5. Read all the articles in a section
If a complete article contains a jump line or a hint that prompts you to continue reading the story on another page, complete it, then return to the original section to resume reading. Don't go to the new page or you may waste time trying to remember which articles you skipped in the previous sections.
- You can also read a few paragraphs of all the articles, especially if you are in a hurry, but want to know the main ideas.
- If you are reading for school or if a topic interests you particularly, you can also check if the articles contain the keywords of your topic. Once you have identified the related news, you can only read the articles that interest you carefully.
Step 6. Put the sections aside when you are done
If you have the space to do this and want to have a visual reference that reminds you that you are reading at a good pace, put aside the sections of the newspaper that you have already read.
Part 3 of 3: Choosing a Newspaper to Read
Step 1. Choose a local newspaper if you want to feel more involved in your community
Local newspapers, daily and weekly, can introduce you to the residents, politics and events in your community better; in addition, they are written by local journalists with a personal interest in the area. These publications often contain more news uncovered by reporters rather than those based on national events, so they are more proactive and less "reactive" in nature.
- Some local publications are daily, while others are weekly or fortnightly. Weekly journals are even more community-bound because they have more time to research and develop local news.
- Local newspapers not only employ writers who are part of your community, they also use community members as sources, so you can find articles that are more relevant to your private life.
Step 2. Choose a national newspaper if you want broader coverage of issues of national concern
National publications, such as Corriere and la Repubblica, include news of general interest, but many articles are taken directly from news agencies, such as ANSA and Reuters. They include information on the climate and the most important political news; in addition, they often have very well-kept websites.
- Some local newspapers in very large metropolitan areas, such as Il Mattino, can offer a good mix of local and national news.
- National newspapers often offer multiple points of view on many issues, because the writers are located throughout the country and not in a single city.
Step 3. Choose an international or foreign newspaper to discover new points of view
International publications can offer you a new perspective on topics you already know and give you the opportunity to delve into different cultures. The newspapers of each state present the news from the point of view of that culture, highlighting the values and positive characteristics of that area of the world. If you read them critically, you can pay attention to this bias, as well as yours, and get to better understand the truth about a piece of news.
Some well-known newspapers, such as Russia Today and the Australian Associated Press, report war and conflict news in a very partial way, mainly by exaggerating or downplaying the depiction of violence. Other problems arise from the simplification of national and international issues
Step 4. Decide if you prefer to read a print or online newspaper
If you're interested in the most important news, with up-to-date information and links to other points of view on a topic, try a digital edition. For more in-depth coverage of issues, with editors' opinions and reader responses, choose the print version.
- Not all local newspapers have a comparable online presence. For example, in Texas, the Community Impact News website contains only some news, while it has a huge print run.
- To read the online editions of some newspapers, especially national and international ones, you will need to pay a subscription. For example, Corriere della Sera offers a monthly subscription between € 8 and € 25, depending on the level of access.
- Some online news sites, even print sites, don't do extensive research and use intentionally incorrect strategies to drive more traffic to their pages.
Step 5. Choose a newspaper that presents the news honestly and the opinions in separate sections
Newspapers are a mix of news and editorials. A reporter should offer as many verified facts as possible, while an editorial should be clearly stated in a particular section of the newspaper. Check the validity of the sources and evaluate if the headlines and news contain inappropriate stereotypes.
- Ask yourself, "Who is telling the story?" If a business news focuses on financial brokers rather than ordinary people hit by the recession, the paper is probably not only partial, but it is not in contact with its readers either.
- Learn more about the editorial staff and writers. Do they represent the diversity of the community they serve? Otherwise, the news could be partially presented, especially those concerning the part of the community not represented in the newspaper.
Advice
- There is no need to read everything carefully. Consider the purpose and genre of the publication: newspapers are simple and present the basic information of many topics, so they are a good starting point for getting an overview of current points of view and events.
- Don't be afraid to read the newspaper however you like, whether it's by cutting out the most interesting articles to read later or scrolling through it all from the first to the last page.
- Reuse old newspapers by giving them to a friend, recycling paper, or using them for other purposes.
