In this country, all news sources use fear and sensationalism to get an audience. I listen and watch a wide variety of mediums so I can get a picture of what is being said and how it is being said. They’re all pretty much the same. One horror story after another. Some are worse than others. NPR tends to be one of the best at reporting the facts while remaining calm and thoughtful, but this week, there was unusual fear mongering from normally soft spoken NPR. The doomsday tale was a story about the bird flu in China. There was nothing useful about this story. It held no information that helped me to understand my world better, to improve my life, or enrich my soul. In fact it was a soul sucking story. The main point was this – a devastating epidemic may happen soon, but we just don’t know.
This is why you can’t sleep. Media induced insomnia. NPR interviewed scientists, talked about the past, conjured up potential disasters. All imaginary scenarios based on maybes but scary enough to get your fight or flight system engaged, cortisol and adrenaline coursing through your system.
What is the point of this story? To scare you. To make you feel like you need the news to keep you informed and protected. Click. Scroll. Click. The disturbing part is that there are so many important stories you need to know to protect yourself that are not being aired while they find stuff like the non-existent bird flu maybe-in-our-future epidemic. This is shaping up like Ebola coverage. Remember all that?
Meanwhile, you are desperately trying to talk yourself down – ‘it’ll be okay’, ‘it’s not here now’, ‘I’ll do a google search on how to protect myself from bird flu when I get home’ but in your heart of hearts you feel doomed. This and the dozens of other cautionary tales you heard today will replay in your mind when you are trying to sleep, along with your own worries of the future, regrets of the past and wonderings about the security of our country.
The security of our country is questionable when the actions are so far out of the box, no one knows the consequences. People are overwhelmed just trying to comprehend the actions of this new administration. What we need are journalists detailing those dilemmas and offering information on potential actions and solutions might be found. Story on internet privacy? Give me clues on how I get my privacy back. Story on the dismantling of the EPA or Dept of Education? Tell me where I can go to make a difference. How were changes fought for in the past? What worked? So much news, so few journalists.
Great journalists are out there. Comprehensive news does exist. Look at the ‘marketplace’ of news from many sources. Complain when the media is below standards, demand facts and only facts and give feedback to what you find helpful and what you do not.
Ultimately, we need to breathe, slow down. Change is a golden opportunity to find new paths, better ideas, see problems clearly and discover amazing solutions. It is time to have faith in each other. To buoy people with energy and innovation. Then you can go to sleep knowing the foundations for a better country are underway.
We can change the world.