From the Editor: Rider should start spreading the news

As college students, we tend to fall into our own little bubble of work, class and other daily routines. Students don’t always feel like they have time to turn on the TV and watch the news, or pick up a newspaper and read about what’s going on in the world.
It’s understandable that we’re busy studying and getting our assignments done as we prepare to face the real world when we graduate. However, it’s unfortunate that some students are completely clueless when it comes to the problems that are going on in the world they live in.
According to poynter.org, an online news university, only 40% of Americans under the age of 30 regularly read newspapers. Even though 40% may seem like a lot, the other 60% of our generation rarely, if ever, picks up a newspaper ­— and that is concerning. However, 71% of people under the age of 30 do consume news through electronic mediums, according to poynter.org.
But these statistics don’t state what type of news people are consuming. Entertainment news isn’t the same as world or local news. Learning about Miley Cyrus’ latest scandal isn’t the same as reading about the typhoon in the Philippines. There will come a time when you’ll need to know about current events and you don’t want to look foolish in front of an employer or a colleague simply because you could not find a moment to glance at the front page of a newspaper.
As a journalism major, I admit that I don’t read the newspaper as much as I should. I tend to use Twitter and other online websites to get my news. I had no idea about Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and all of the devastation it caused until I heard people talking about it in class and then began to read about it online. It’s unfortunate that this is the way I found out about something so destructive in another country, all because I don’t usually watch the news or read a newspaper.
People tend to be more aware of big news stories that hit close to home. When Hurricane Sandy struck us last year, people were talking about it for months. It’s great that people showed so much concern for their local news. However, the world does not revolve around New Jersey. Just because something does not affect us, does not mean that it does not matter.
Even if I want to read about what’s going on in the world, it’s hard to easily find a newspaper besides The Rider News around campus. While there are newspapers such as The New York Times available in the bookstore, not many students are going to go out of their way to get one every morning unless they’re forced to for class. There should be more locations that have newspapers for sale around campus. Starbucks is the go-to place for students to get their morning pick-me-up of caffeine and a pastry. This would be the perfect location to put a newsstand. Students can get their morning coffee and catch up on the top headlines before class.
The P.O.D in Sweigart and Andrew J’s would also be great places for newsstands. Both are popular locations that see a lot of foot traffic. There are already newsstands for The Rider News, making another one an easy addition.
Students should be able to purchase a newspaper with their Bronc Bucks as well. Many students don’t carry around cash. Therefore, allowing students to use them to purchase newspapers may encourage more students to read the news.
Unfortunately, students can’t be forced to read the newspaper or watch the news on TV. It’s their choice whether or not they’d like to be informed. However, if newspapers were available in other places on campus and students could pay for them with Bronc Bucks, we might be more inclined to pick one up and read about what’s going on in the world. After all, you don’t want to be that uninformed and uneducated person when it comes to the news. It all starts with picking up a newspaper.

The weekly editorial expresses the
majority opinion of The Rider News.
This week’s editorial was written by the Opinion Editor, Danielle Gittleman.

Printed in the 11/20/13 edition.