Many years ago I found that the news was really getting me down. I cut it out of my life almost 15 years ago. I believe my life is better because of that decision. I encourage you to consider the following reasons why perhaps you should skip the news too.
1. It is designed to elicit outrage.
I met a man who worked for years as a news producer. He shared that the goal is to elicit outrage in the viewers. It’s a strong emotion that makes people come back for more. It’s not beneficial for the viewers but it keeps people watching which brings in money from advertisers.
2. There is an unhealthy disconnect between negative content and newscasters’ cheery demeanor.
It’s just creepy to see a woman talk about a policeman killed in the line of duty or a massive natural disaster with a smile on her face. So much for congruence between words and actions.
3. It provides an extremely skewed view of the world.
Not only is the vast majority of news negative, it comes from all around the world. It gives a clear overall impression that life is terrible.
4. It promotes a sense of powerlessness rather then of empowerment.
The news doesn’t share issues and invite us to get involved to help solve the problem. It tends to cover tragedies that have already occurred where nothing can be changed.
5. The news does not provide enough information on a given topic to be really helpful.
The tiny bits of information presented don’t give us enough information for us to understand an issue. Stories are too brief and wildly disconnected from each other.
6. The news is not the only source of information on important world events.
Whether we want to or not we will hear about Sandy Hook, Isis and Obamacare from people around us. We will hear about major events in coffee shops, the break room at work at church, and from friends and family. We might as well let them sift through the news for us.
7. That time could be used for more productive things.
Since watching the news is harmful and not beneficial, we can find better uses for our time. We could, for example, opt for a web search on an issue near and dear to our hearts instead. We are likely to find entire websites dedicated to issues that are important to us.
What do you think? Do you think it could be worthwhile to try skipping the news for a month to see if you are better off without it?
