Oct.1 is News Engagement Day, and it is a great opportunity to take a step back and discuss the importance of engaging with local and national news on a daily basis.

Whether its news presented on a digital platform or in a print product, reading and interacting with the news will help you become more informed about what is going on in your community, country and the rest of the world.

It is easy to get caught up in our own little bubbles and not take the time to connect with what is going on outside of our day-to-day lives. Now with social media, it is easier now than ever to pick and choose what you want to see online. So make sure that you follow a variety of different news organizations so you are learning about issues in different parts of the world and also getting a variety of viewpoints on different topics.

The job of the media is to provide the facts so you have the information to form your own thoughts, opinions and feelings about a certain topic. We are an unbiased resource that’s main goal is to serve you.

Creating public discussion is also another job of the media, and there are ways that you as an individual can be engaged in these discussions. You can submit letters to the editor if you have strong feelings about a certain topic and want to get your ideas out into the world. 

You can also comment on digital posts with your own thoughts and respond to others. But if you do so, remember in order to have productive conversations you have to be civil. 

Also check out the hashtag #NewsEngagementDay today to read and contribute to this importance conversation about news literacy and interaction. Supporting journalism is more important now than ever, so the ISD Editorial Board encourages you to be informed and interact with news organizations.

We exist to serve you, and we want to know the best way to do that. Let us know and be a part of the conversation.