Most college students find it difficult to balance their schedules, much less to find time for watching the news.
Journalism students, if they’re taking any of Journalism Professor Fred Stewart’s classes, are required to be informed about current events. But how do other students with different majors measure up when it comes to watching the news?
“I watch the news after ‘House’ on Tuesday nights but usually that’s it. I’m not very well informed about current events,” Autumn Mansfield, undergraduate and Spanish major, said.
Mansfield said she often doesn’t watch the news due to the sensitive content of the stories presented.
“There’s too much murder. That’s usually why I don’t watch the news,” Mansfield said. “Sometimes I look for current events online. I usually use the Yahoo home page for current events. I look for headlines that catch my attention.”
Aubrey Caldwell is an undergraduate music education major and does not regularly watch the news.
“What little I know, I know from hearing other people talk at school. I don’t have a TV in my dorm,” Caldwell said. “I don’t read the newspaper either. I used to work for a very small town newspaper, but I don’t really read it very often. I got kind of turned off from it after working there.”
Involvement with the news varies from major to major.
“I think that most students here at A&M-Commerce are informed about current events in one way or another. They will hear something and share it with friends and then the friends will do likewise with the stuff they know,” Stephanie Garrett, an undergraduate English major, who was one of the most informed students interviewed, said.