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For most high school and college students, their teachers stress the importance of keeping up with current events. Things like reading the paper or watching the news for stories that affect you.
My question: Is all of that really worth it?
If you have a 1 hour commute to school or work and you read the day’s paper on the way, was it worth it?
Or could you have spent the same amount of time reading an educational book? Something by Seth Godin or from the Personal MBA? (I’m business biased.)
Even more so, is all of the extra information really necessary in a world that is increasingly info-overloaded?
How many of us actually take action based on something we see in the news?
My 2 cents: read something truly relevant to you. A personal development book or an enlighten blog on your iPhone. (Like Seth’s blog or this one.) 
Stop gorging on unhealthy information about what the politicians are fighting over in Washington or what unfortunate event has occured in the world and focus instead on what you can actually change and improve: your own mind!
Andrew,
One thing that personal development books can't deliver is up-to-the-minute trends in your industry/profession. So in my opinion, it's important to have a healthy mix of both.
Current events aren't limited to what the politicians are saying (though I do believe what the politicians are saying is important too). I do my best to read what people are saying on Mashable and TechCrunch every day, because that's where I find the most current information on what is going on in the social media and technology industries.
-RP
Hi Ryan!
Yup, moderation is important. (One of my favorite, not practiced often enough, virtues.) ;-)
It's one thing to keep up with news that is truly relevant to you and actionable. Trends and opportunities as such.
It's another to be following the latest murder tragedy, celebrity gossip, or political dogfight. There's a line between useful news and sensationalized, ratings hungry news.
I pretty much agree with both comments. I also think that if you are reading say a book on finance and valuation, reading the WSJ will provide a real world application/context that is helpful.
I treat sensationalized news like desert - a little is fine but it should not be the main course.
Also, if you are into business (as you say), then political dogfights about things such as fiscal stimulus or tax policy, etc is extremely relevant.
I also think there is a third option other than sensationalized entertainment/news and a specific topic or industry you might be interested in, and that's current events you're interested in.
I agree that reading the suggestions you mentioned would be better than the latest issue of Cosmo or Star, but I think its worthwhile to be knowledgeable about what's going on in the world beyond the industry you belong to.
@Scott:
I agree that news on those topics (fiscal stimulus and tax policy) is relevant, but I feel that it should not be given too high a priority over other, more enlightening reading material. In particular, if the news you are reading about will not cause you to take action in some form or another, than I would suggest it being more optional, than required.
@Meghan:
I believe that if there is something truly earthshattering I need to know about and I don't catch it in mainstream news, I'll hear it through word of mouth.
An example of something completely irrelevant would be the overwhelming coverage of Michael Jackson's death. While it is very sad and unfortunate, I do not need to have it in my face on all of the news channels. That would be an instance where even industry news would be better than mainstream news.
Thanks everyone for the great comments!
"My question: Is all of that really worth it?"
I guess it depends on the relavance of the information to your life.
News of Michael Jackson's death may not be applicable, but news of Congress instituting a general military draft with no exemptions may be more relavant.
@JRandom42:
Like everything else in life, it is up to each of us to decide what matters and what doesn't.
As you point out, each of us have different types of information that would be considered "relevant" or "appropriate."
The question becomes one each of us should ask ourselves. "Is this news relevant to me, or just a time sink?"
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