As citizens in a modern society with easy access to multimedia platforms, it has now become part of our duty to engage with the news. If we become lax, indifferent, and apathetic towards society’s issues, we will ultimately be hampered on a personal and community level.

The second annual News Engagement Day, Oct. 6, seeks to answer this problem by bringing to light a number of facts about the news.

Some people may believe that such an occasion is only for avid readers of the news and journalists. However this simply is not the case. News Engagement Day wants to include everyone. Avid newsreaders and people that never pick up a newspaper; journalists and people that have never written a news piece in their lives, they are all encouraged to participate.

The New York Times has responded to this issue with a list of “50 Ways to Teach with Current Events“. This list provides ideas for both teachers and students to learn about current events, while being entertained at the same time. In doing this the New York Times hopes to get more young people involved in regularly watching and participating in the news.

As the world of technology grows we too grow with it. Our ability to learn, share, and interact evolves alongside the evolution of technology and media. People are already becoming more and more like journalists through social media, whether they are aware of it or not.

A journalist finds a topic, studies it, finds as many perspectives as they can on the issue, forms an opinion about the issue, then shares their informed opinion with the public. People using social media operate the same way. Tweeting about something a friend said, posting something on Facebook about what they did on the weekend, uploading a picture on Instagram and captioning it, or literally sharing a story on Snapchat. People are already mimicking what journalists do on a day-to-day basis.

However News Engagement Day calls all of us beyond just using our social media for our own personal enjoyment. Living in a modern society such as this demands that its citizens become well informed so that they can respond to an issue with correct information and engage with others about what they learned. Engaging with the news can grow people as individuals and as a community.

Some people may believe that such an occasion is only for avid readers of the news and journalists. However this simply is not the case. News Engagement Day wants to include everyone. Avid newsreaders, and people that never pick up a newspaper; journalists, and people that have never written a news piece in their lives, they are all encouraged to participate. — Rees Roggenstein

Metro editor Tad Weber visited the journalism lab Oct. 6 to speak to students about developing personal success. He mentioned the importance of technology and how all people are beginning to use social media platforms on a daily basis to communicate. He spoke to students about the importance of writing and how to articulate thoughts through a written form. This is still true today and will always be. And lastly, he reminded us about portfolios: everything we post on social media including photos, videos, and the written word, are forever to linked to our character.

Though engaging with the news can be an intimidating task for anyone; it has become a responsibility for us all. Learning about issues, broadening perspectives, and sharing an informed opinion with the public is part of the duty that we all share. Whether we think we are engaging correctly or not, is important to try. As Nike promotes, “Just do it”. Let us step out of our comfort zone together and engage with the news as individuals and as a community.

Weber also posted an article, Oct. 6, in the education section of The Fresno Bee: Fresno Christian students lead national News Engagement Day.

For more information on News Engagement and how to be a part of the movement, read the Oct. 2 article Join the Discussion: AEMJC News Engagement Day (Video).

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This author can be reached via twitter: @RRoggenstein or gmail.