Every day, minute, and second, news from all over the world is hitting us. You open your browser, and curated news awaits you. On LinkedIn and other social media, news alerts are vying for your attention. TV and your favorite online news site provide lots of information as well. But is it relevant for you? What can you do to develop your global mindset?
Not All Information Is Created Equal
If you want to raise your knowledge about the world, be it in politics, business, culture, or even travel, you need to read consistently and effectively. Consistently means that whatever news outlets you pick, you should frequent them regularly. You will get more out of it that way than by jumping around and following whatever news feed somebody puts on your screen.
In my university classes, my students often ask to whom they should look for reliable information. While I don’t believe there is one best source for all purposes and all people, a few news outlets come to mind. They have decades, sometimes over a century, of quality journalism. They have demonstrated a wide range of coverage of news, opinions, and – foremost – critical thinking.
Number 1 – Financial Times
If I had to choose only one media to read and follow for the rest of my life, it would be the Financial Times. Yes, it is a bit expensive to subscribe (there both various online and offline subscription models, depending on your location). Nevertheless, it is worth every single dollar or pound. Headquartered in the UK (though recently acquired by a Japanese company), no other media company I know of offers such a breadth of coverage (politics, business, career, culture, travel, investment advice, and commentary) than this company. Maybe you have seen the famous pink paper it uses. If you get the online subscription, it is worth reading readers’ comments. They are usually of high quality and add substantially to the understanding and debate of an issue. Be it about Brexit, a debt-fueled economy in the US, immigration into Europe, or the latest corporate news, you can count on timely and trustworthy information.
The FT is also famous for its ranking of business schools and master’s programs. These rankings are truly global in scale. They escape the US bias you usually find in the US press. Readers have been trusting the FT since the 19th century. There is no reason to expect any change in quality or integrity anytime soon.
Number 2 – Bloomberg
If you are longing for a US-based alternative, but still powered by a global network of reporters, analysts, and editors, look at Bloomberg. The Bloomberg empire includes TV (coming from outlets around the world and around the clock), radio, the website, and different paper editions. The reporting is excellent. Everything is visually pleasing as well. Highlights are statistics and global indices by Bloomberg that can be eye opening. I use Bloomberg in all its channels as my daily bread. For me, Bloomberg is truly global due to its clients and viewers all over the globe.
US Press Usually too US-Centric
If you are from the US, you might be surprised that I mention neither The Wall Street Journal nor The New York Times as my favorites. The reason is simple: while each paper has many strengths, both suffer from two biases. One is that each seems to support one of the two major political parties in the US, which sometimes seems to cloud their reporting. The second is that their coverage is mostly about the US. Neither covers international matters consistently. Don’t misunderstand me – both papers are excellent for different reasons and a great, even must, read if you reside in the US. But if you want to feed your global mind, you’re much better off with either Financial Times or Bloomberg.
Takeaway
Against the flood of daily real news and fake news, filtering what’s important and reliable can be difficult. Anyone interested in understanding our world and nourishing a global mindset needs a reliable, consistent, and trustworthy source. Find yours!
In one of the next posts, I will add a few more media outlets to the list.
© 2019 Michael Froehls – All Rights Reserved
Photo credit: © Oleg Pidodnya - Dreamstime.com
