THE TRENDY AND EASY NEW WAY TO READ THE NEWS —
Reading the newspaper while enjoying breakfast, or settling down after dinner to turn on the evening news is not exactly at the top of many college students’ priority lists. Current events are an area, unfortunately, where many are uninformed. The problem is not disinterest in current affairs; the problem is that in the average college student’s day, there is simply not enough time to read through page after page detailing a current event. If only there were a way to obtain the news that was easy, straightforward and succinct.
Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, two young adults knee deep in the workforce, realized this issue and devised a solution: theSkimm. In July of 2012 Zakin and Weisberg launched theSkimm as an email based news source in which the top stories of the day are laid out simply and clearly in layman’s terms. theSkimm provides the news service young adults caught up in the fast pace of society need.
theSkimm differs from other news sources in its delivery, and its success lies in its simplicity and conversational tone. Subscribers rave about the straight forward tactics as well as theSkimm’s accessibility.
“I like to Skimm right when I wake up because it’s quick and easy and comes straight to my email,” says senior and subscriber Katherine Posey.
Olivia Warner, a senior English major, has been a subscriber and loyal reader of theSkimm since 2013 and was recently named a Skimmbassador.
“As a Skimmbassador, it is my job to help spread the word about theSkimm and increase subscribers and readers,” says Warner.
Fellow Skimmbassador, Grace Putney, a senior English major, is an avid reader and supporter of the news source.
“theSkimm lives up to its name in that it gives you a quick run down of current events, the way you would get information from simply ‘skimming’ an article. It is unique and special because it is catchy and puts a humorous spin on things. It is written in conversational style so as you read through it you feel like you’re just talking about the latest buzz with a friend over drinks,” says Putney.
Humor, where appropriate, is a major component of theSkimm’s format. The titles of the stories are what first grab your attention. For example, “What to say when your borrowed Netflix password is changed…” was used recently to start a story about controversies in the NFL. theSkimm lays out the basics in every story, providing the “who, what, when, where, why, how,” answers at the heart of the issues. When what you are looking for is the straightforward, hard facts of a news story, senior subscriber Maggie Stroud says, “theSkimm provides all the benefits [with] half the effort.” After all, are we not as a culture always looking for the quickest, easiest, most effective and beneficial way of doing things?
Signing up for theSkimm is free and easy; only an email address is needed. theSkimm is delivered directly to your inbox every weekday morning and provides you with the top news stories as if you were reading them in your own words. So if you want to be prepared with a knowledgeable and succinct answer the next time a friend, professor or fellow student asks about your thoughts on ISIS, do not fret, theSkimm is here to help. Visit www.theskimm.com/?r=20RWJ to sign up!
— Sara Frances Koontz
