Right now it's 'pre-exposure' time. I haven't read The News for a whole day(!) and so I'm a little behind on current events. My news sources are some stalwart old favs (Huffington Post, New York Times) though I could, depending on the need for research and following links, be directed to many publications.
I never read Faux News, which to me is nothing but propaganda mixed with the infiltration of evangelical Christianity. Exposure to that sort of thinking to me is like choosing to ingest poison. But then again, so is merely glancing at what passes for 'news' on many sites, which leads to the question of "What IS 'The News'?" Who determines what gets published?
Sensationalism gets published. Tragedy gets published. Dissent gets published. Problems get press. Peace, harmony, good stuff- where's the money ('the interest') in that?
Who wants to read about non-problems? There's nothing to think about there, nothing to consume the mind, nothing to obsess about, ponder over, or work with to try and hash out a solution. There is no imminent danger, no adrenaline rush to be had, no pot of gold ('the solution') at the end of the rainbow. Nope. Just boring old peace.
Peace, unlike The News, doesn't bring with it a sense of sadness, like twilight is approaching, melancholy is looming, shadows are gathering, or darkness is encroaching. Peace overtakes you, but it does not envelop you like a fog whenever the roar and din of the world ceases for a second.
rawpixel- Unsplash.com
In peace, you may ask, where are the discordant relations between people, between countries? Where is the competition and inevitable conquest? Who wins, who struggles, who overcomes, who goes out to battle any number of entities- like one's family members! The people in the office! The neighbors! The neighborhood! The people in the country that don't understand! It's not there in peace. Sorry......
Can it be said, then, that "The News does nothing but present problems, and even when it purports to show solutions the hint that this is only TEMPORARY always underlies the story?".
Yes! Keep the readership/viewership interested!
Like: Did my sports team win today? Yes! Will they win TOMORROW? Stay tuned!
Don't ever rest on your laurels, citizen. There might not be a lot going on today but challenges lie ahead, probably around the next bend in the river. We apologize for having to tell you that, but that's our job. We're The News.
However, if you watch The News knowing that what you are viewing is like a movie, like entertainment, then you can remain detached from it. This I endeavor to do, always. I take in the data, but choose what in it contains value. Truly newsworthy topics have to be proven, corroborated by different sources, well thought out and presented. Sensationalism finds its way to the trash, propaganda gets discounted, urgency gets watered down, and overall, the realization that other than natural events, all that is being presented is man-made tempers my reaction to what is viewed.
If it's a human-caused situation it can be fixed. And if it can be fixed.....
......then FIX IT! Don't keep droning on and on about it!