What Should a Political Scientist Read? Part Two

In my last post, I suggested that you establish a series of routines for keeping up with both current events news and developments in your field of study on a daily, weekly and quarterly basis.  Today I'd like to talk a bit more about what you might read on a daily basis. 

You probably want to start with a newspaper or two.  Here the obvious choices would be to read a nationally regarded newspaper like the New York Times or Washington Post on a daily basis.  However, I'd recommend mixing it up occasionally.  As you're probably aware by now, most newspapers have areas in which they are really strong (like the Washington Post's coverage of Capitol Hill) and others where perhaps they are weaker.  In addition, both conservative groups and more liberal groups have suggested that newspaper coverage can be biased ideologically -- with a newspaper choosing not to use certain sources or not to focus on certain stories.  The best way to make sure that these issues are not affecting you as a researcher is to vary the sources that your read occasionally.  (Here I'm speaking from experience.  I served overseas as a US foreign service officer, concluding my somewhat short career with a stint as Press Attache at the American Embassy in Bulgaria.  I spent several years reading eight or nine daily newspapers -- so I know what I'm talking about!) 

Some other national newspapers that I read occasionally include the Christian Science Monitor, the Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times.  It's my sense that (not surprisingly) the Boston Globe does a bang up job of covering education issues, including higher education.  The Los Angeles Times has particularly strong coverage of environmental issues.  (It's also interesting to note how coverage of presidential electoral politics can vary from the East to the West coast.)

I'd like to suggest that you occasionally include a non-American newspaper in your reading mix.  Ask questions as you read.  Perhaps you are reading about Iranian reactions to Arab Spring and you find yourself wondering:  How might an Arab newspaper analyze this issue?  It only makes sense to take a glance at Al-Jazeera, which is available in English. Another good source is World Press, which translates materials from all over the world.  Those who wish to see what the Christian perspective is on a particular issue might wish to take a look at World Magazine.

I'd also recommend taking a look at some of the blogs hosted by the national newspapers, and subscribing to those that interest you.  I'll write more about those blogs in my next post.