News Engagement Day, sponsored by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, is a great opportunity to encourage students to engage with the news and remind them why news matters.

Now in its second year, News Engagement Day aims to increase the public’s appetite for news. This year, it will be celebrated on Oct. 6.

News Engagement Day’s goal is to contribute to an informed society and encourage people of all ages to explore news and raise awareness about the importance of being informed, according to its website. The event sponsor encourages people to read, watch, like, tweet, post, text, email, listen to or comment on news.

Paula Poindexter, chair of News Engagement Day, gave several ideas for how teachers can celebrate the day in their classroom.

• In small groups, have students brainstorm and make a list of five to 10 things they would not know if they weren’t informed about the news. At the end of the brainstorming, let the groups share their lists and compile a class list on the board. As a class, pick the best ideas and tweet @newsengagement using #newsengagementday or make a short video clip and post on social media.
• Make a class list of where high school students like to get their news.
• In small groups, brainstorm why high school students should engage with news.
• In small groups, brainstorm ideas as to how the local newspaper and TV news can make news more interesting for high school students. Tweet the tips to @newsengagement and use #newsengagementday.

More ideas are available on the event’s website and Pinterest. Teachers can also pledge to participate. The event’s official hashtag is #newsengagementday.

“Engaging with news is important because democracies need informed citizens,” Poindexter said.

The American Society of News Editors and its Youth Journalism Initiative are proud supporters of News Engagement Day.