A good habit: Newspaper reading 

Partha Pratim Mazumder

(The writer can be reached at parthapratimmazumder1988@gmail.com)

Human being is a much habituated species. It is not free from habits. If any human being continues to perform one thing in a repeated manner, then he/she becomes habituated to that particular task. There is hardly any human being who is free from this mentality. Thus both good and bad habits are formed. So, one should try to develop good habits in this manner. One such good habit is reading newspaper. As said, when a thing is done repeatedly it forms a habit and by reading newspaper every day, some readers develop a habit of newspaper reading. Newspaper is a very good source of information. It has various sections and topics. It covers almost all topics. World’s events and political affairs are also highlighted. Newspaper strengthens the vocabulary and grammar of reader. Ten benefits of reading newspaper for students are highlighted in this article. Newspaper is the best source to strengthen reading for students. Students develop habit of reading newspaper daily. Reading is a very healthy activity. Reading habit makes students active learners. Students get full command on reading with the passage of time. Daily reading of newspapers increases the repertoire of students’ vocabulary. Students learn different words from newspapers. Students can note down difficult words with meanings. This increases vocabulary of students. Good vocabulary helps to write impressive essays and assignments. Different political aspects are presented on newspapers. Political students can get a vast range of political information from newspapers. Students should make a habit to read political news, this increases students’ political knowledge. Students who read newspapers daily are very good at general knowledge. They score very high in general knowledge quizzes. Their reading habit enhances their critical understanding as well. Newspapers keep students updated with the latest happenings of country and the world. Various economic, political and social events are updated. International relations and foreign policies are discussed. Students get useful ideas about their research proposals. Newspaper is a handy source to get multiple topics and ideas. Latest researches are also discussed in newspapers. Reading newspapers enhances writing skills of students. The writing style is improved and he embellishes his essays and assignments to impress his instructors. The professors get good impression and students score good grades in exams as well. Students get entertainment and sports news. Different sport events are discussed and students get to know about different famous personalities of the sports’ world. The entertainment and sports news are also very important for students. They can also get unique and different ideas about vogue and latest trends. Latest discoveries and inventions are published on the newspapers. Students can get their course related information from newspapers. Students get information on various topics from newspapers. He becomes a good orator and it helps him in taking active part in debates and speeches. This is very necessary for an orator to possess sound knowledge on multiple topics. When a student possesses knowledge on different topics, he can speak in front of others. It enhances the confidence of students. These are the benefits of reading newspapers for students. Newspapers not only enhance students’ vocabulary, but they enable them to read, write and speak in a better and impressed way.

Every civil community has newspapers. A newspaper is usually an everyday publication. It contains news, opinions, advertisements, notice and information of all kinds. It also publishes all matters of general interest. It is a very useful mass medium. It keeps people aware about the current events of the world. It publishes views about national and international issues and moulds public opinion. Commodity prices, share market reports, racecourse events, sports news, news about films, fashions and entertainments are some of its regular features. Newspaper has also columns for children and women and even for the students’ preparation for examination. In fact, a newspaper is an encyclopedia, a storehouse of knowledge and information at the cheapest price. Thus a newspaper bears interest of every section of people and is an attraction for every kind of readers. All kind of people can read newspapers and can find news on the sector that matches his/her interest. So developing the habit of reading newspaper can indeed be beneficial in the longer term.

A man, who is habituated to read the newspapers, begins to think of it even before he leaves his bed in the morning. If he is a merchant, he gets into tension until he comes to know about the latest prices of things in national and international markets. A statesman becomes restless until he is posted with the latest news and views about the national and international political issues. A sportsman remains wistful about sports-news around the world. A professional man waits longing for the latest knowledge and research relating to his own field. A professor or a member of the intellectual community feels out of tune with the world until he has gone through the day’s newspaper. Even children and women who have the habit of reading a newspaper eagerly look forward to get it in order to quench their thirst for what they are interested in. Thus the newspaper becomes an object of top-most importance to a person who has the habit of reading it, irrespective of the class and station of life to which he belongs. When it becomes a habit, the reader must have his newspaper with his morning cup of tea. Otherwise, he becomes upset and finds fault with the tea, or the servant or this or that. Some people rush to the public library or to the crossing of a thorough fare to have a glance at the morning news. There are others among those accustomed to newspaper reading whose food remain undigested and whose temper gets frayed if they do not get to read the day’s newspaper. Such is the impact of reading newspaper as a habit.

The reading of newspaper as a habit is highly rewarding. It makes us alert, knowledgeable, well-versed and well-informed about the affairs of the world. It enables us to be in the swim of life in the country and beyond. But we should take care that the habit of reading newspaper does not develop into an obsession with us. We should also take care so that this habit does not make us surrender ourselves to all the views propagated by a paper and that we accept only those which commend themselves to our individual judgment.