Podcasts

Three podcasts to which I subscribe and usually enjoy are National Public Radio's "This American Life", Discovery Channel Video Podcast, and The Onion Radio News. Each of these blogs works as a medium because they have specific functions, but can be taken in at leisure.

"This American Life" highlights American culture, human stories and things that cross most people's minds but are rarely discussed otherwise. It's an in-depth look at a weekly topic, whether the episode is about discovering real-life tales of twins switched at birth or subscribers to Modern Jackass. Because it's a lengthy program, clocking in at about an hour every week, it's easiest for me to catch as a podcast.

The Discovery Channel's video podcast "FYI" is a series devoted to making major historical events, scientific occurrences or places into bite-sized videos. It's a great way to pick up facts and broaden one's worldview. I subscribe to it because I always end up learning something without having to watch a two-hour special, and I'm also terrified that I will forget all of those little random things that I learned in elementary school. It's sort of a highlights reel of topics like the construction of Pyramids, the history of the Eiffel Tower, meteor impacts or even the evolution of mosquitos.

There is very little that I find more satisfying than satirical coverage from America's Finest News Source, The Onion. Fake news that can simultaneously be cruel, hilarious and telling, is a definite pick-me-up for those who both follow and are fed up with actual news.

Podcasts are an increasingly valid form of expression because technologically savvy audiences only want to listen to what interests them. It allows for a customization of received information based on individual tastes. If a user likes a specific anchor's newscast, or an opinion writer's voice, he can choose to hear or watch information from that one outlet. This poses a risk for journalists overall, because people can choose celebrity gossip over news that directly affects their world. Better, more interesting coverage is necessary to convey information that is comparably less sexy than what the Jonas Brothers ate for breakfast.