New(s) Habits

Morning rituals. Many people have them. For many, the morning is about waking up, eating breakfast, and absorbing that day's news. They may read the paper, watch the local morning news, or listen to NPR while they make their oatmeal. Sometimes this news consumption doesn't happen until they're on their way to work or school--grabbing a paper to read on the subway, sifting through online headlines on their iPhone on the train, or switching on the local newscast on the radio in the car. Either way, many people use "reputable" news sources to start their day, so that they are informed about the changes that have happened in the world.

I am one of these people. Except for that I'm a college student, and a senior, at that. My ritual is a little bit different.

Take this morning, for instance. Woke up without an alarm around 10:30 am (it's Friday, I don't have class, and my paper isn't due until 3pm). Checked my email and my Facebook, then read the latest posts on Perez Hilton. Analysts will note this as an interesting pattern. First, I care about me. Then, I care about what's happening to my friends. Next, I care about finding out gossip about people I don't even know, or who may not even be important in the world.

Then I make breakfast (granola and yogurt require no cooking) and my coffee (strong). Once I've woken up a little bit, I can actually focus on important news. Contrary to popular belief, college students DO pay attention to serious world matters. Technology (God bless it) has made this even easier. I have set up my iGoogle homepage to give me headlines from the New York Times, BBC World News, the Wall Street Journal, and Rolling Stone. The New York Times emails me a newsletter of all important political articles regarding the Democratic primaries. It lets me get an idea of what's going on, quickly. I'll read articles I find interesting (Hilary's campaign spent $5,000 on doughnuts?!?), which inevitably link to more articles, blog posts, etc.

But sometimes, I don't even get that far. Because my iGoogle homepage also has links to the previous night's episodes of The Colbert Report. And I love him. I always feel like I'm getting some actual news from him (although I usually get more substantial news from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), and I love his satire. (Yes, it IS satire, he didn't actually have a life-long dream of having a hot dog lunch with President Bush.) He always has interesting guests on, as well. Mike Huckabee's campaign got the boost it needed to stay in the race a little bit longer after he and Stephen played air hockey with puzzle pieces of the states.

Last night, Stephen had Grammy-award winning singer John Legend on the show. If you've read my blog before (hi, Dad), you know that John appeared in will.i.am's "Yes We Can" video for Barack Obama. Legend's commentary on what true patriotism is smart, informed, and modern. No matter who you support, you'll find it's true. Check out the interview here:


Also, the guy's got talent. And, surprisingly, so does Stephen Colbert! Here's the next segment, of the classic Paul McCartney-Michael Jackson duet, "The Girl is Mine." Happy news-reading!