No News is Good News – apparently

I’m beginning to wonder if there is something seriously screwed up with the human mindset when it comes to what we call news. I don’t buy a newspaper, and I rarely watch the news on the TV – although I do recall a TV advert that implied that I was just putting my head in the proverbial ostrich hole for choosing to do this. That somehow by ignoring a lot of current affairs I was just in denial. But I tell you, it’s not through lack of trying on my behalf.

I accidentally caught the TV news a couple of days ago, and as I watched I remembered why I didn’t bother with it. The news consisted of people dying, people being murdered, people being abused, the government in turmoil, the strong suggestion of economical meltdown, etc etc. Not one piece of good news from anywhere in the world, not one! Why is that? Is good news not considered newsworthy? Are people more interested in hearing about pain than hearing about others’ successes? I began to wonder what would happen if all of the world’s media took the decision to give half of their time to our current stream of bad news, and also give an equal amount if time to successes, to people actually finding their lost children, to stories of hope. Would it change peoples’ way of looking at life? Or would they in fact crave more of the negative stuff? By watching this everyday does it somehow allow us to think, ‘well, at least my life isn’t as bad as theirs’. I do hope not.

6 responses to “No News is Good News – apparently”

  1. I do about the same … quit TV a long time ago but I didn’t shut everything off, because I do check in with the most proeminent news agencies online every now and then, mostly because I get to speak my mind online (and somehow I felt that’s something when I became an almost regular on BBC’s Have Your Say show … I know it doesn’t mean much but still … speaking your mind “live” with many people listening …)
    Still … if you know where too look, there’re always rays of hope shining through.

  2. You’re not alone mate. I browse the BBC news site for the news and avoid the televisualised dramas. I don’t avoid the nasty side of life – it’s a factor of the real world in which I live – but netiher do I celebrate it. Smile and the world smiles with you, moan and there’s probably a reality TV programme that wants your contact details… I like smiling.

  3. I hear you loud and clear, Damh. There are lots of us that do just this – avoid much (if not all) the media. I don’t think it’s a state of denial, I think it’s a good way to keep ourselves from soaking up the negative.

    It’s good to have an understanding of what is happening in the world, as much as is needful. But I don’t think it’s so soulfully healthy to be bombarded daily with it all. That is my opinion, anyway.

    People think the world is going to hell in a hand-basket, so to speak, that times are getting worse. But I wonder if it isn’t that we are just exposed to so much more, now that we are so globally connected.

    Interesting thoughts here – I agree. I would love to see the media devote as much time to the positive stories. I think it would help raise awareness of just how beautiful humanity really is.

    Namaste.

    -Emily

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