Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: How to Read a Newspaper
• Method 2 of 3: How to quickly read a newspaper
• Method 3 of 3: Choosing a Newspaper
• Tips

Do you want to know about world events, but don't like to read newspapers? The art of reading newspapers is gradually dying as more and more people choose other sources of information, in particular, the Internet (blogs and websites with personal opinions). Whatever your goals (for example, to learn more about your region, keep abreast of world events, just relax and unwind with a cup of coffee), reading the newspaper will become a healthy habit.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: How to Read a Newspaper

1. 1 Find a comfortable reading spot. A coffee shop, restaurant, or your home chair will do.
2. 2 Think about why you want to read. If you intend to read for pleasure, you can allow yourself to read in any way that suits you. If you need to get new information from newspapers on a specific topic, you need to organize your reading carefully.
   • Often, newspapers print texts of varying complexity, so you need to highlight the material that interests you. For example, reading film reviews is easier and faster than analytical articles on economics.
   • Reading newspapers in a foreign language will help you learn more about events that excite native speakers, as well as get to know the culture of another country and expand your vocabulary.
3. 3 Decide where you start. Flip through the newspaper and select an article or section that interests you. You might like the article on the front page or the sports section towards the end. The table of contents will help you navigate the material.
   • Editorial columns express personal opinions, not just present the news. Often they are placed in a separate section "Opinion", and there you can find the opinion of the editorial board regarding any global issues (for example, health care or the fight against terrorism).
   • The Lifestyle section usually contains articles about art and popular goods. For example, in Forbes there are articles about new movies, new cars and travel.
   • In the entertainment section, as a rule, reviews of films and performances are posted, as well as interviews with artists and authors, information about exhibitions and other events of local and global scale. In the sports section, you can find data on the results of games and competitions, as well as stories about athletes, coaches and events in the world of sports.
4. 4 Fold the newspaper to make it easier to read. If you are in a crowded place (for example, on a train), fold the newspaper in half to make it easier for you and not to disturb others.
   • It might be worth splitting the newspaper into separate pages first and reading it one by one.
   • It is not necessary to fold the pages in the correct order, but if you want to give the newspaper to another person, it is best to place them in order when you have finished reading for yourself.
5. 5 Review the section you want to read. Newspaper articles usually have an inverted pyramid structure, with the most important information at the top, followed by additional information in decreasing order of importance. The first paragraph of the article (also called the "header") is intended to grab the reader's attention and provide key information so that the reader wants to read the article to the end.
   • Sidebars next to important articles often provide additional information to help you better understand the article. Read the sidebars first to dive into the context of the reasoning.
   • You can read the subheadings of the articles or the highlighted quotes to understand what the articles are about.
6. 6 Select an article and start reading. Read the first few paragraphs for key information so you can figure out if you want to read on. If you are not interested or the article does not contain the information that you need, skip to the next article.
   • If you find the information you need in the article or want to take a break from complex material, you can move on to another article or section. For example, if you are reading for your own pleasure, you are unlikely to enjoy a long article on domestic violence. Set aside the article on the violence-related lawsuit for later.
   • When you read one section, skip to the next. When you have read all or almost all of the most important articles, you will have a pleasant sense of accomplishment, and you can put all the newspapers you read into a pile with a clear conscience.
7. 7 Form your personal opinion and think about what factors influenced it. When reading a column from an editor or editorial board, remember that you are getting to know the opinion of a person or people, not objective facts. Before you start reading such an article, review the title and think about what your personal opinion is.
   • Although the news section should present information with an open mind, you should consider your opinion and the factors that influence it. This will allow you to more objectively approach the topics raised in the article.
   • Try to read articles in which the author's opinion differs from yours. Even if you disagree with the author, you can learn something new from the article. Perhaps you will have another argument in favor of your opinion, or you look at the situation from a different angle.
8. 8 Connect what you read to your life and other sources of information. Even if you are reading to relax, trying to figure out the connection between the articles you are reading and your personal experience will make reading more interesting. Ask yourself the following question: "Can I relate the material in this article to my own experience and other articles on this topic?"
   • If you can make a connection between news on TV and on the Internet, you will gain a deeper understanding of the topic and form an active citizenship.

Method 2 of 3: How to quickly read a newspaper

1. 1 Decide how much text you want to read. Perhaps you want to read a particularly thick newspaper (for example, Friday) or you need to read a publication for study. If you are short on time and need to read the entire newspaper, the tactic should be different than if you just had to read individual sections to complete your homework.
   • If you need to read an entire newspaper on a tight deadline, you will have to skim through most of the articles or read them diagonally.
   • If you need to do your homework or read individual articles on topics that interest you, find the text you want and read it carefully.
2. 2 Go over the headings and pictures on all pages. The front page is the most valuable space in the newspaper, and editors reserve it for the most important or popular topics. Headings will help you learn about key events (local or global), and pictures will emphasize the main point of the article.
   • This should take about three minutes.A quick glance will help you figure out where to start.
3. 3 Start on the first page. In keeping with a long tradition, the main article is usually placed on the upper right side of the first page. The second most important article is published to the left of the main one. Larger print is used for the most important articles.
   • Review the table of contents. If you need a specific topic, section or article, this will save you time because you don't have to flip through the entire newspaper.
   • Some newspapers have small headings at the top of the page that point to articles from other sections (for example, from the sports section or the entertainment section).
4. 4 Read the first paragraphs of the articles. When starting a new article, read only the first one or two paragraphs. The most important thing in an article is usually contained in the first paragraph. In the following paragraphs, the topic is expanded further, and the information is arranged in descending order of importance. If you need to save time, the first paragraphs of the articles will give you basic information on the topic.
   • If you are interested in something in the article, read on, but be ready to move on to the next article if your curiosity is satisfied.
   • If you're doing your homework, use the text in the first paragraph to summarize the key facts. Articles should answer the questions "who?", "What?", "Where?", "How?", And you can also use these questions to structure your records.
5. 5 Read each article in the section. If the article has a jump to another page, first read the entire article, and then return to the remaining articles on the page. Do not start the articles on a new page, because it will be difficult for you to remember which articles you missed.
   • You can read all the articles fluently, especially if you are in a hurry, but still want to grasp the main points of the entire material.
   • If you are doing your homework or are interested in a specific topic, check all the articles for keywords. Then read those articles where they are, more carefully.
6. 6 Set aside each section after reading. If you have space and want to see that you are reading at the pace you want, put it aside. The stack of pages will remind you of what you've already done.

Method 3 of 3: Choosing a Newspaper

1. 1 Read local newspapers if you want to know more about your area. The local daily and weekly newspapers usually talk about locals, politics and events. Articles are written by local authors who know their region well. In these newspapers, most of the material is written on the initiative of the journalists themselves, and not reviews of world news, so their impact on public life is small.
   • Some newspapers are published daily, others weekly or bi-monthly. Weekly newspapers usually cover the life of the region in great detail, since the authors have time to study the material in more depth.
   • Such newspapers not only publish local authors - the articles can use the words and opinions of local residents, which makes such publications even closer to the population.
2. 2 If you want a wider coverage of topics, choose national publications. National newspapers contain articles that will be of interest to a wide range of readers, but many of these articles are written based on information from international news agencies. They contain information about the weather and sports in the country, and often such publications have their own sites that are also popular.
   • There are publications in which editors successfully combine local news and global events.
   • National newspapers publish articles on a wide variety of events, as the authors are often located in different cities, rather than concentrated in one.
3. 3 Read international or foreign newspapers if you want to see the world through the eyes of other people. International publications will help you see current issues from a new angle and learn something new about a different culture. Newspapers in each country present news from the perspective of their culture and highlight the values ​​of their region. If you read carefully, you will notice this bias, as well as the bias that forms in your culture. This will allow you to see another side of the problem.
   • Bias is present in many well-known publications. Newspapers often cover wars and conflicts through the lens of exaggerating or minimizing violence. Publications can also oversimplify or complicate national and international issues.
4. 4 Decide which version of the newspaper you want to read - paper or electronic on the Internet. If you only want to read the top news and have quick access to articles on similar topics, try reading a newspaper on the Internet. If you enjoy reading more in-depth articles, as well as letters to the editor and responses from readers, choose the print version.
   • Not all local newspapers have good websites. Sometimes only a few main articles are published on the site, and the rest of the material is printed in paper edition.
   • Some newspapers, especially national and international ones, are available on the Internet with a paid subscription. For example, subscribing to New York Times costs $ 1.88- $ 8.75 per week depending on the selected access level.
   • Some news sites, even if they have a printed version, may not be verifying the data thoroughly enough and deliberately use unverified or knowingly inaccurate information to attract more readers to their site.
5. 5 Choose a newspaper that separates news from opinion articles. Objective news and opinions are mixed in newspapers. A news article should contain as many unbiased facts as possible, and an article that presents an author's opinion should be flagged accordingly. Study the sources of information of the publications and look for stereotypes in the headings and texts of articles.
   • Think about who the articles are for. If an article on economics focuses not on ordinary people who have experienced the consequences of the recession, but on stockbrokers, the newspaper is not only biased, but also far from its audience.
   • Study the information about the editorial board and journalists of the publication. Are they local people in all their diversity? If not, there may be a lot of bias in their articles, especially when it comes to news from regions to which these authors have nothing to do.

Tips

• You don't need to read all the material. The main thing is the purpose of the reading and the genre. In newspapers, information is presented in a simple manner, and newspaper material usually covers major events. There you will find useful information on various topics.
• Don't be afraid to read the newspaper the way you like it. Cut out the most interesting articles to read later, or try reading from the end.
• Reuse the newspaper: let a friend read it, recycle it, or use it in some other way.