Why read the news?

Here's a recent editorial I wrote for The Collegian.

The Collegian Online: "Do you know what today’s top news headlines are? When is the last time you read the news? Why don’t we keep up with what is happening around us?

Many Christians are ignorant of the news of the day. Maybe time is the issue—the news is not high on our list of priorities. Perhaps we discount the importance of the news because we believe the coverage is presented from a liberal, left-wing point of view. While many media outlets may present their ideas and stories with an imbalanced perspective, we still need to keep informed. Thus we must use good judgment in evaluating what we hear and read.

Current events are often great conversation starters with those we come into contact with on a daily basis. If we’re not up-to-date with the news, we have little to converse about with those around us, making us appear uninterested and uninformed.

By staying informed, we can more effectively represent Christ and our faith. We’re reminded in I Peter 3:15 to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” How can we defend our faith and our viewpoints on current events if we don’t know what is going on in the world?

The way news is presented will always reflect the particular media outlet that we choose to read, watch, listen or subscribe to, and we have the responsibility to evaluate and discern which outlets to follow.

The bottom line is that news is news, and it’s worth our time to know what is around us so we’re not uninformed when we discuss current events with others."