Why Do We Really Follow the News? (Rebroadcast)

Freakonomics Radio

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.6 • 32K Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2016

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

There are all kinds of civics-class answers to that question. But how true are they? Could it be that we like to read about war, politics, and miscellaneous heartbreak simply because it's (gasp) entertaining?

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey podcast listeners, happy almost summer.
0:02.6	I am on a family holiday this week, which means that today's episode comes from our archives.
0:08.2	We picked this one because it seems especially worthwhile considering everything that's happening in the news around the world.
0:14.2	It is episode number 215 and it is called Why Do We Really Follow The News?
0:20.3	Hope you enjoy.
0:23.2	Check it, check, check, check.
0:24.8	Okay, we're talking to Maya, Anja and Logan.
0:30.6	So first thing I want you to do is I want you to introduce yourself to say your name.
0:35.5	Hello, I am Anja and I am 13 years old.
0:39.7	Anja is my kid.
0:40.7	I'm a live Logan, I'm 13 years old.
0:42.0	Maya and Logan are two of her friends.
0:44.4	At school, in history class they have a current events unit.
0:47.0	Once a week, the teacher assigns them a news article to read or the kids pick their own
0:51.9	from the New York Times, the BBC, CNN, Wall Street Journal.
0:58.3	Okay, and then the students write an essay about the article.
1:02.1	So when the teacher asks you to do this current events reading, what is like the point?
1:07.6	Do you ever discuss that?
1:08.9	Like what does the teacher say that you're trying to accomplish by reading a current event article
1:13.7	and relating it to the history?
1:15.5	So I think that it's really important to read current events because we're in this little bubble at our school.
1:20.5	And so it's important to see outside of the bubble so we can improve what's not in our school
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.