Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Reading the newspaper
• Part 2 of 3: Go through a newspaper quickly
• Part 3 of 3: Choosing a newspaper to read
• Tips

The art of newspaper reading seems to be dying out as more potential readers turn to other sources of information, especially Internet publications such as blogs and opinion sites. It does not matter whether you read to better understand society, to learn more about world events, or to relax over a cup of coffee - below we explain how to read the newspaper.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Reading the newspaper

1. Find a comfortable place to read your newspaper. A cafe, sidewalk cafe, or your own easy chair are great places to sit and enjoy reading your chosen newspaper. If you go to work by train, you can also read it on the way.
2. Decide your reading goal. If you read for leisure or pleasure, your approach may be less structured. If you are looking for a specific topic or for reading exercises, you need to be more systematic.
   • Most Dutch-language newspapers are written at various reading levels, from roughly high school to university, so you should focus on the articles and sections that are likely to fit your purpose. For example, the movie reviews will be easier and faster to read, while reports on complicated economic topics can be more challenging and time-consuming.
   • Reading an article to practice a foreign language will help you learn more about the topics that are important to speakers of that language, explore their culture, and expand your vocabulary.
3. Decide where you want to start. After you get a general idea from the newspaper, choose the section or article that caught your attention, based on your reading goal. You can choose an editorial on the front page, or go to another section and start reading the sports section. Use the table of contents as a guide.
   • The editorial section contains opinion pieces rather than strictly factual news, such as the "Opinion" section in the Volkskrant, in which you can find editorial perspectives on healthcare or the fight against terrorism.
   • The lifestyle section usually has stories about art and commerce. The Telegraph for example, has articles on new movies, popular car models and travel ideas.
   • The entertainment section includes film and theater reviews, as well as interviews with authors and artists, and information on art galleries and other local and national events. Likewise, the sports section will have records of league tables for sports that are currently in the game, and you may find personal stories about players, coaches, or issues in the athletic world, such as the head injury issues in the NFL.
4. Fold the newspaper so that you can read easily and comfortably. If you are in a busy area such as a train, fold your newspaper into quadrants to make it easier to read and worry less about disturbing other people.
   • It may be easier to separate the different sections, usually marked with a letter-number combination, and deal with them one by one, instead of trying to keep all the pages in order.
   • Correctly folding a newspaper is optional, but if you pass it on to another person, it is polite to put all the signatures back in place when you are done.
5. Skim the section you have chosen to read. Newspaper articles are usually written in an "inverted pyramid" structure, meaning that the most important information appears at the beginning of the story, rather than at the end, followed by the details in order of importance. The first sentence, called the "lead" or "party," is designed to capture the attention of the readers and provide the key details of the story, enticing them to read on.
   • Sidebars near major news provide analysis for understanding the "why" of the story. Read them first to put the news in context.
   • You can also read the subheads of the articles or the "callout quotes", if available, for a quick look at the main topics and notable comments in the story.
6. Choose the article you want to read and get started. Read the first few paragraphs, as they contain the primary points of the article, and you will be able to decide if you want to continue reading the article. Read the rest of the article or skip to a new article if you are no longer interested or if it doesn't contain information you find worthwhile.
   • Don't be afraid to jump to a new article or section if you're happy with your goal, or if you need a break from a difficult topic. For example, you may find reading an article about domestic violence too painful for a relaxing talk, so you can decide to save an article about an upcoming domestic violence lawsuit for later.
   • When you're done with an article, you can put it aside if you find a new place to start reading and reading aloud. By the time you've read all or most of the sections, you should have a sense of satisfaction collecting that new stack of paper for recycling or reuse.
7. Make up your own mind and pay attention to your own prejudices. When you read the editorial section, or the opinion page, remember that you are reading the opinions of those authors, not necessarily verified facts. Before you start, you should read the title of the article to get a feel for the topic, and then take a moment to consider your own opinion first.
   • Although the news section is strictly informative, you should be aware of your own opinions and prejudices before reading those articles in order to be more open to tricky topics.
   • Try to read opinion pieces that contradict your own opinion. Even if you don't agree, you may be able to learn something new, be it a different way of defending your opinion or a new perspective on the issue as a whole.
8. Look for connections between what you read and your own life and other news sources. Even if you read to relax, the reading experience can become more enjoyable if you take a moment to see the relationship between the articles you are reading and your own experiences or concerns. Ask yourself, "Can I connect the ideas or events I read about with my own life and the other stories I have read on this topic?"
   • Finding connections between the TV news and internet videos and a print newspaper will help you to be even more aware of the topic and engage as a citizen.

Part 2 of 3: Go through a newspaper quickly

1. Decide how much of the newspaper you want to read. Sometimes you want to read a particularly long newspaper, such as the Sunday edition, or you need to read something for a school subject. If you have limited time but want to read the whole paper, your strategy will be different than if you have to read specific sections for an assignment.
   • If you have to or want to read the entire newspaper, but have limited time, use preview and scan strategies.
   • If you have an assignment or topic you want to read about, your focus will be on finding only the right articles quickly and reading them carefully.
2. Glance at the headlines and photos on all pages, one at a time. The front page is the most valuable part of the newspaper, and the editors reserve it for the most important or most popular stories. Reading the headlines gives you an idea of ​​the major events, local, national or international, and the images are chosen to capture the central or most interesting idea in a particular story.
   • Getting this outline should take about three minutes, and you'll have a better idea of ​​where to start.
3. Start on the front page. The main story, according to a long newspaper tradition, should appear at the top right of the front page. The second most important story appears in the top left. In addition, editors also use a larger font for "more important" stories.
   • Going through the table of contents will save you time if you are looking for a particular topic, section or article, as it will save you from blindly searching the entire newspaper.
   • Some newspapers feature mini-headlines at the very top of the page to draw readers' attention to stories further down in the paper, such as sports or entertainment.
4. Read the first paragraphs of the articles. Whenever you start a new article, read only the first paragraph or two. Newspaper articles always begin with a "party" or "lead", which contains the most important information. The rest of the article fills in the story with details, in order of importance. If you read efficiently, the first paragraph should provide enough information for a general understanding of the subject.
   • If something in an article catches your eye, keep reading, but feel free to continue once your curiosity is satisfied.
   • If you are reading for an assignment, use the lecture to help you prepare your summary notes, because that is the "main purpose" of the passage. The articles should answer the questions: "Who? What? True? How? ", So use those questions to structure your notes if you need to.
5. Read each article in a section. If an article contains a "jump line" in its entirety, or instructions to continue the story on another page, continue reading that story on the new page, then go back to the original section to continue reading. Avoid starting on a new page and potentially wasting time (trying to remember which articles you forgot to read in previous sections).
   • You can also just scan all articles, especially if you're in a hurry but want to get a quick idea of ​​the main ideas.
   • If you are reading for an assignment, or if you find a certain topic interesting, you can also scan all articles for keywords of your topic. You can then, for example, only read those articles more accurately.
6. Set aside each section after you read it. If you have space and want the encouragement to read at a good pace, putting the completed sections aside will give you a tangible reminder of your achievements.

Part 3 of 3: Choosing a newspaper to read

1. Choose a local newspaper if you want more community involvement. Local newspapers, both daily and weekly, can put you in touch with the people in your area, politics and events, and will be written by local writers with a certain interest in your area. These newspapers are often more articles from reporters rather than articles based on national news, which means that they are more proactive and less "reactive".
   • Some local newspapers appear daily, while others are published weekly or biweekly. Weekly newspapers will be even more community-oriented as they have more time to fully develop and research local stories.
   • Not only will local newspapers hire writers from your community, but they will also source community members, so you may find the stories even more relevant to your own life.
2. Choose a national newspaper if you want a broader coverage of national issues. The national news agencies, such as de Volkskrant or de Telegraaf, will feature stories of broader appeal, but many of the stories will be press releases, such as those from Reuters or Associate Press (AP). They will include information on national weather trends and important political stories, and are more likely to have a significant online presence.
   • Some major city newspapers, such as Het Parool or the Leeuwarder Courant, can be a good mix of local news stories and provide significant national coverage.
   • National news outlets can offer more perspectives on many topics, as their writers may be located across the country, rather than in a single city.
3. Choose an international or foreign newspaper to discover new perspectives. International newspapers can give you a new perspective on familiar topics or an opportunity to get to know a different culture. The newspapers of each country or region present their stories from the perspective of their culture, highlighting the values ​​and positive attributes of that part of the world. If you read critically, you can pay attention to those viewpoints, as well as your own way of thinking, and you can gain a new understanding of how true a story is.
   • You will come across colored opinions in popular newspapers, such as Russia Today and the Australian Associated Press, which report on war and conflict, mainly by exaggerating or trivializing violence. Other issues stem from over-simplification of complicated national and international issues.
4. Decide whether you want to read a physical newspaper or an online version. If you want the most current stories, with the latest information and links to other perspectives on the same topics, try a digital newspaper edition. For potentially more in-depth coverage, including more editorial or comments from other readers such as letters to the editor, go for the print version.
   • Not all local newspapers will have comparable online coverage. For example, the Community Impact News in Texas, has only a few stories on their website, even though they have a huge local print circulation.
   • Some newspapers, especially national and international newspapers, charge a subscription fee for online access. The New York Times For example, charges about $ 2 to 9 per week for a subscription, depending on your access level.
   • Some online news sites, even those with print editions, may not do enough research and use deliberately deceptive tactics to encourage traffic to their sites.
5. Choose a newspaper that presents the news honestly and the opinions separately. Newspapers are a mix of factual news and opinion polls. A news reporter should provide as many validated and researched facts as are available, and an editorial (op-ed) should be clearly marked in a particular section of the newspaper. Check for credible sources and inappropriate stereotypes in headlines and stories.
   • Ask yourself, `` Who's telling the story? '' If a story about the economy focuses on stock brokers rather than the common people hit by a recession, not only may the newspaper be biased, but it may also have it. lost contact with her readers.
   • Search for more information about the editors and the authors. Do they represent the diversity of the community they serve? If not, the stories may also be biased, especially with regard to coverage of parts of the community not represented in the newspaper.

Tips

• There is no need to read everything in depth. Pay attention to your purpose and genre: newspapers are simpler and cover the basics of most things, and are a good place to get an overview of perspectives and topics.
• Don't be shy about reading your newspaper your own way, such as cutting out the most interesting articles to read later, or reading it back to front.
• Reuse your newspaper by passing it to a friend, recycling the paper, or reusing it for another purpose.