How do you get a better perspective?

A.Word.A.Day has an interesting quote:

Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock.
-Ben Hecht, screenwriter, playwright, novelist, director, and producer (1894-1964)

I think Ben Hecht has some truth, and I wonder what he would suggest as a better way to understand current events?