Have you heard the news!?

The world is big and complex and frustrating and tragic and quirky and funny... and sometimes it's worth a few minutes to simply scan the range of coverage on a well-supported and researched paper like the Washington Post. 

Here is a sampling of the coverage on washingtonpost.com on March 29:

• There is some sort of break in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, with Russia promising to reduce attacks on certain cities. On the other hand, Ukraine urges its negotiators to not eat or drink amid the talks due to poison concerns. 
• Reporters reveal that there is a 7-hour gap in White House logs from the Jan. 6 insurrection. Nothing to see there, I assume.
• Older than 50? The FDA authorizes a second vaccine booster shot, though it is not required.
• About 4.4 million Americans quit or changed jobs in February. That is a lot, historically.
• March Madness tournaments for both men and women are ending up with traditional powerhouses making the Final Four, despite all the upsets and Cinderella stories.
• Salmon are swimming farther out into the Pacific Ocean, and warming waters mean some will never come back.
• Will Smith's Oscars meltdown is being analyzed to death, which will shock exactly no one.
• America's percentage of people fully vaccinated is 65.5 percent. That leaves millions vulnerable to the newest variation of the virus: BA.2.
• President Biden has sent his budget plan to Congress but Congress won't be agreeing with most of the numbers and plans. Another complete surprise.
• Queen Elizabeth II made her first public appearance in months. For some reason, that was a big headline under international news.
• In 22 metro areas, younger women earn as much or more than men... but the wage gap returns as working women age. Child rearing is blamed by experts.
• "Moon Knight" brings a complex Marvel Comics superhero to Disney Plus.

Honestly, how many of those news items have much to do with my daily life? I'm properly outraged, surprised, appalled, optimistic, etc., when I encounter all these "big stories," but I'm not sure my life would be any better if I simply avoided reading the national press for a week.

For student media, this is a reminder that everything we do must directly affect our school communities. Failure to do that means we become irrelevant.