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MORNING

Before You Go Go

8:15 a.m.

Knowledge is Power

Get Informed, Citizen

STOP THE PRESSES! We can’t remember the last time we read a newspaper from cover to cover. Is that really a newsflash? Not really. The days when Dad used to spread out a copy of the newspaper and talk us through A1 to the classifieds, seem almost quaint today. We’re busier than ever, multi-tasking while brushing our teeth or texting during work-outs. Only a fortunate few have time to flip through the newspaper.But who says no news is good news? It’s more important than ever to keep informed, stay engaged and stand up for the causes we believe in. We have to look to leaner, meaner and more efficient ways to get our need-to-know headlines, via podcasts, Facebook and Twitter, RSS Feeds and cell phone apps. Our personal favourite? We discovered a way to consume The New York Times before reaching the office each morning. We both subscribe to a read-aloud podcast of The Times from Audible.com. On any given morning, you can find either of us listening to an update on North Korea’s missile program or a recent election in South America while searching for a missing sock or pouring milk on our Wheaties.And we’re not alone! The scales tipped in 2007 when online news gathered more readers than print. Today, less than 10 percent of North Americans rely on one media platform for information. Every day we meet busy, informed people who link up their on-the-go lives with a few clicks of a mouse or cell phone. They’re media mavens or masters without the paper trail. And, when others tune out, they’re showing up on election day in full force, voicing their well-informed opinions loud and clear.

GET ON THE INFORMATION SUPER HIGHWAYYou’ve heard of the slow food movement, well now there’s the slow reading movement. Turn off your Internet or phone and spend some solid time with a text.What good is a book sitting on your shelf? It may look nice, but that’s not what books are for. Lend it to a friend and let those pages open up again.If you can’t shoulder the cost of a newspaper subscription alone, share it with a roommate or family member.Most podcasts are free to download via iTunes. You can listen to the news on your walk to work or just use it to tune out annoying cell phone chatter on the commute.Try aggregators like Google News or an RSS feed to gather news sources from around the world.As Canadians, we like to be polite and steer clear of controversy in casual conversation. To heck with polite! Get in a meaningful discussion with someone today and share those opinions and views. You just might hear an interesting new take on a topic you overlooked before.

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Living Me To We | Morning

MORNING

Before You Go Go

8:15 a.m.

Q & A

How do you stay current?

EVAN SOLOMON, HOST OF CBC’S POWER & POLITICSI read three or four daily papers and check news aggregating sites like NationalNewsWatch.com. Then there is the indispensable Twitter. I follow news organizations, key reporters, NGOs, leaders, MPs, and bloggers. This is the best place for breaking news, quick reactions and staying up-to-date. But, let me stress, staying current means having a deeper understanding and perspective through reading books, critical analysis and knowing a story’s history.

CHARLOTTE EMPEY, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ENGLISH NEWS, METROI read Metro and the other major papers every day for the big news of the day. I check the news stations on our office TVs and listen to radio news on my way to and from work for mainstream, need-to-know-right-now updates. And I turn to Twitter and Facebook to find out – yes, about offbeat events I’d never hear about otherwise. I’m insatiably curious about esoteric stuff – but primarily about the impact of news. What are people saying, thinking and feeling about the trending topics of the day or events in their communities? And I love Google Reader. It’s an ideal way to catch up quickly on content from a range of different sources.

JORDAN BANKS, MANAGING DIRECTOR FACEBOOK CANADA, CONTRIBUTOR TO THE MARK, THEMARKNEWS.COMNo two days are ever the same for me so I’ve found that I’m highly reliant on my BlackBerry and my email system of sending myself links to read. One thing I do on Facebook is segment the people I’ve either friended or liked so that my wall is a more narrow filter that allows me to determine what it is I want to read or interact with, based on necessity. Sometimes it might be friends; sometimes it might be business publications. When you look at what happens on Facebook, what’s often more interesting than the published article is the thread of commentary that happens below it. I actually learn more about public sentiment and trends and tones through the comments than I ever will through a static piece of journalism.

SAY WHAT?

IN ONE STUDY, 43% OF NORTH AMERICANS SAY IT WOULD DAMAGE CIVIC LIFE TO LOSE THEIR LOCAL NEWSPAPER, BUT 42% ALSO SAY THEY WOULDN’T MISS THEIR LOCAL PAPER IF IT SHUT DOWN.

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Morning | Living Me To We