To read a newsgroup, your newsreader needs to be connected to an NNTP server. The newsreader then checks the .newsrc entry for that newsgroup to determine which articles you haven't read, and displays the first unread article. You can then read the articles sequentially or select which articles you want to read. When you "catch-up" a newsgroup by marking all the articles as "read", or when you exit from the newsreader program, your .newsrc file is updated to reflect your activity during that session.

The News::Newsrc module provides methods for managing your .newsrc file. Some of the functions it provides include letting you add, remove, or reorder newsgroups; subscribe to or unsubscribe from newsgroups; and mark articles as read or unmark them. Unless you tell it to rearrange the order of the newsgroups in .newsrc, News::Newsrc leaves the order unchanged.