Blog Post #1: My Top 5 News Sources

As a journalism major with an eye for entertainment, I am primarily invested in the news surrounding pop culture - celebrities, film, music, etc. Like many other 20-somethings in my generation, I often fall victim to educating myself on not-so-important pieces of news, such as a Kardashian doing a dramatic outfit change mid-day to go out to eat at Nobu. You might be asking yourself, why bring the Kardashians into this? Well, allow me to ask you: What should we as a society consider to be "news"? 

I believe that, in technical terms, any information that an individual receives that was unbeknownst to them before is news. Of course, there is a surefire difference between following a presidential election and telling your family you've spotted a bunny on your front lawn. Which story will be broadcast across a series of networks and published in print nationwide? Take a guess (probably not the bunny). 

Now, let's get to the point. My top five sources of news and information are Rolling Stone, People Magazine, Associated Press, BuzzFeed, and Cosmopolitan, in no particular order. 

Rolling Stone is your one-stop shop for entertainment news. They offer stories pertaining to music, film, and television, and although they also have a politics section, they are mainly an entertainment source. Lately, I've been reading through Larisha Paul's pieces on current events in the music industry, and they certainly do not disappoint! Paul is a staff writer whose posts focus on the pop music industry, an industry I am quite fond of myself. She published a fascinating article recently about how a major Taylor Swift fan attended 20 concerts and didn't break the bank. Rolling Stone offers a plethora of articles under the "music" section, and although not every article is a news story, it's still plenty entertaining. For instance, I came across this ranked list of the 30 best Arctic Monkeys songs. If I hadn't made it clear from reading those articles, I happen to be a fan of both Taylor Swift and Arctic Monkeys. 

People Magazine is one of the publications I grew up seeing everywhere. It sat in news carts on the bustling streets of New York City, got stacked in a pile of other magazines at my local nail salon, and is most commonly neatly hung up on a shelf at CVS pharmacy near the checkout line. People was one of the first magazines I picked up as a kid as I graduated from reading the funny pages in newspapers. I loved learning about the lives of celebrities, and fashion trends, and as I got older I paid attention to the actual news in there. People Magazine has an abundance of content ranging from Jennifer Garner picking blueberries to Hurricane Idalia causing a tree to fall on Ron DeSantis' house. Any and all current events involving celebrities will be in People Magazine. The publication includes sections of news for all kinds of entertainment, politics, lifestyle, human interest, crime, and shopping suggestions. 

Associated Press, or AP for short, is what I personally believe to be the most reliable news source with zero bullshit. There's a special section of the AP digital publication appropriately titled, "Fact Check" where they list a bunch of news stories that have been properly fact-checked and proven to contain false and misleading information. One article in particular that honestly had me chuckling at its title for a good minute discusses all the fake news that has been circulating this week, called, "NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week". The article discusses misinformation and completely untrue claims about the current status of COVID-19, ticks causing a meat allergy in humans, items that survived the Maui wildfires, and more. As a future journalist, I was impressed to find this material on the AP site and I am very glad that the truth in journalism isn't completely dead. 

BuzzFeed is a unique company, in the sense that they cover so much under one name. They are more than just a news source. Firstly, BuzzFeed houses The Try Guys, a group of three (formerly four) men in their thirties who try out fun, sometimes downright insane, hilarious activities together and post them on the internet for entertainment. The Try Guys is currently comprised of Keith Habersberger, Eugene Lee Yang, and Zack Kornfeld. These guys will do the impossible for their fans' enjoyment, such as flying a plane, getting acupuncture, and trying to get into The Cheesecake Factory while wearing body paint that looks like clothing. In addition to The Try Guys, BuzzFeed is a digital media company that discusses breaking news, celebrities, television, and movies, and similarly to People, has a shopping section. BuzzFeed also has a separate culinary network called Tasty, which has amassed over 21 million YouTube subscribers since its launch in 2016. BuzzFeed is truly the jack of all trades! 

Last but not least, Cosmopolitan is a publication that was originally created for female readers, but the news does not and should not have an assigned gender. Cosmo is all about celebrity and entertainment news, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle, and also has a shopping section. I'm really starting to see a trend here with the shopping sections. The lifestyle section sports home renovation recommendations, health advice, fitness advice, recipes for cocktails, and overall hacks to make your life easier. Cosmo flawlessly keeps you in the loop on trends. For example, they posted a list of pink Barbie-themed cocktail recipes in their lifestyle section during the buzz about the new Barbie movie. No pun intended. Cosmopolitan is the kind of magazine you read in the chair at a hair salon, at a sleepover, or lounging on your living room couch on a weekend. It's a cute, playful, helpful, light-hearted news source that will satisfy anyone with a craving for artsy, pretty things, navigating adulthood, and good old-fashioned celebrity gossip.