How to enjoy reading the news?

I think we're oversaturated with news media so now the key is not to just "watch the news" by flipping on FOX/CNN for 3 hours a day like our parent did, but seek out news that's most relevant to you. As a banker you should be following news segments like:

• News pertaining to the broader industry your group covers, and 1-2 verticals in that industry that particularly interest YOU. For example you may cover TMT but have a particular interest in cybersecurity and fintech. WSJ for the overall industry coverage and perhaps a specialized provider for the vertical your interested in, like TechCrunch or Axios.

• News pertaining to Broader Politics / Economy: No this doesn't mean wasting your time reading stupid NYT Op-Eds on why one candidate is beating another candidate in one particular district over another, but more so things that may affect your industry. This includes relevant regulations (ex: Biden's executive order increasing anti-trust enforcement might have some significant impact on the tech conglomerates or the Senate deciding to pass legislation to better fund the green energy transition). You should keep abreast on the Fed's activity because it's directly relevant - and you should also have a bird's eye view on the state of geopolitical tensions. This section you can get away with mostly summaries and headlines, except for legislation that once again, may directly impact your job.

Overall, consuming news isn't meant to feel like a homework assignment. These are sources of information that are meant to be useful to you, whether it makes you more aware of the current state of society or more knowledgeable on an area that you work in. And if you get into offline talk with an older boss, you don't want to sound dumb or oblivious to the world around you. Typically I spend about 20 minutes in the morning each day over coffee flipping through WSJ, a specialized industry news site, and some of the more relevant news/industry blasts my firm sends out from the research/cap markets departments. That's it. I don't "watch the news" because it's nothing more than a digest…that I can do on my own thanks to the internet. The only newsletter I have come to my email is the Bloomberg Close, as it's the only stock market trend specific thing I read.

News is curated content, make it fun. Good luck.

Edit: Realize you’re still in undergrad, which makes sense. News is a little boring to follow when it’s not top of mind. Habits above still apply and you’ll be a great point for interviews if you start now