Your Personal Guide to Entertainment
By: Caitlyn Pfau
Between having the news on 24/7, binge-watching reality tv or finishing a new Netflix series, quarantine may have already made your brain feel like it’s gone to mush. There’s a lot of information being thrown at the public everyday and yet how do we know what’s accurate? During chaotic times like a pandemic, it can be difficult to find sources that break down in layman's terms what’s going on and how it affects you directly. That’s why we’ve created a guide with some sources that inform the public on what’s currently going on as well as some educational docuseries and podcasts that entertain while educating you on important issues in the world today.
From investigative journalism series on Netflix that shines a light on corruption in the United States, to helpful Instagram accounts that break down the two-trillion dollar stimulus package. Check out some of these sources that can provide an interesting educational distraction.
Netflix: Dirty Money, a series that features investigative journalism and showcases some of the world's most famous companies and their corruptions to benefit their own pockets by screwing over consumers. Episodes feature Wells Fargo, Jared Kushner and Volkswagon to name a few. One viewer google review from the series stated, “Dirty Money allows my brain cells to be nourished while my distrust in corporate America continues to grow.”
Instagram: While you’re scrolling through your timeline head over to un.xnown page. Their bio states:
“Power never takes a step back, only in the face of more power. Knowledge is power.” The page provides news while easily breaking down current hot topics like how African Americans are disproportionately affected by Coronavirus, understanding the Stimulus Bill and if you will receive it. A segment called Good News Bad News highlighted the countries' positives also has it’s negatives it’s facing each week.
Publications Apps: If you’re wanting to be updated on breaking news but not sure who to trust as your source look no further! Ground News is an app that quotes, "they do the research for you so you can compare news sources and their biases."
Ground News provides a list of different news sources that are covering the same story allowing (you) to compare how each source covers differently.
Another publication app to check out is ProPublica , a nonprofit organization newsroom based in New York that “aims to provide investigative journalism in the public interest.” A credited source that has won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, the ProPublica has given a sense of trust back to the public when it comes to journalism. They inform the public rather than persuade the public the newsroom seems to strive to push buttons and light fires under some of the most influential people in the US government.
Next time you're bored trying to find something around the house to entertain yourself, download Ground News! It can easily become a fun game comparing the same stories yet seeing how each publication interprets the same news to their readers. If you catch yourself surfing through the channels on tv and curious to find a new show to watch switch over to Netflix and try Dirty Money. The series provides an argument of values and morals over the law. After watching a few episodes invite the family to sit and watch with you! From personal experience, it can become a very interesting conversation when asked if you agree with what is stated in the law as right or wrong compared to what seems to be the right thing to do. Although it's a source of entertainment it also makes for great conversation and allows you to potentially hear a different opinion on the subject in a casual environment.