Social Media as Your Personal News Service

As a public relations professional, former journalist and overall news junkie, there was a time when I read up to a dozen newspapers a day (pretty much all the daily newspapers in my state, plus The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal  and occasionally The Washington Post). Throw in local and network newscasts  every day, not to mention a stack of magazines every month, and the hours I spent keeping up with news and current events become, if not incalculable, then certainly one of the most significant investments of time I've ever made.  Staying informed is: A right and duty of citizenship Vital in learning about other perspectives and viewpoints A part of everyone's continuing education Essential for a competitive advantage in business Because of the way we learn and process information, I still believe that the value of reading actual newspapers and magazines (not to mention books) is inestimable. But the world has changed; perhaps it's true that we don't have time to painstakingly  keep up with the number of publications and newscasts that I once followed on a  daily basis. But excellent journalism is still written and recorded; there is more  information at our disposal than ever before.

And so I turn to social media for news, commentary and information. With the persons and organizations I follow, I have turned Twitter into a sort of personal news service, allowing me to compare coverage and sample viewpoints I wouldn't  otherwise know about. So, can social media make us better citizens? Probably, if we  are wise in selecting whom to follow. And we will certainly become better informed.