Media Exposure

When I was in junior high and high school I did not follow the news. I never read the newspaper and when my parents watched the news on TV I would leave the room. The only time I was ever exposed to "news" was for about 20 minutes during school. Channel One was my schools attempt to teach us current events. Some teachers actually made us watch it, while other teachers didn't care if we watched it or not. The one time I can really think of news infiltrating into the school system was when 9/11 occurred. We did nothing but watch the news and listen to the radio that day. Every now and then I would get into conversations with friends at school who actually followed the news. I agree with Graham when I say that keeping up with the news and current events was not something that was implemented in my schooling.Since I've come to college I've tried to at least catch a newscast before the day is over, because professors in college incorporate current issues and news more than teachers did in high school with their discussions and teachings. I feel more compelled to keep up with what's going on because I like to be able to follow along in lecture, that and the fact that I think it's simply a part of growing up.