When there are things considered newsworthy- are all those things mandates to know and discuss? In our information driven society we are pressed to be on top of the news… and no where is that more evident than in the blogosphere. It seems that way, from the blogs I visit anyway…. that sometimes the news vocation exists simply to keep people stirred up.
I don’t believe that is a normal state of affairs. Like being on an adrenaline surge all the time. I think it dilutes the ability to make quality decisions and to effectually interact in the world of ones own existance when artificially on a high state of alertness about all the “breaking news”. Just sometimes it is a bit too much, and I ask myself whether it is of value or whether it serves as something of a detriment to critical thinking and prioritizing. And whether it doesn’t serve to make little martinets of us, busy managing the bureaucracy of “knowing” about everything.
Sometimes I feel the Madison Avenue approach has infiltrated everything in American life. That news outlets exist to sell news, not to inform with the necessary communications of happenings, facts, and assessments. And we all rush along in the next wave to move from news story to news story. Like too much of a good thing which gets away from the principle purpose.
We get ‘managed’, in other words.
I was just wondering along those lines.
It’s true. We are led to believe the most newsworthy items are those the MSM gives most coverage to. Discernment is needed in order to sift through and find those issues which are due priority for each individual. Otherwise we are sheeple, paying highest attention to that which we are told.
Just because most of the blogoshere, for example, turned its eyes to Harriet Miers these past days, doesn’t mean her nomination is more newsworthy than the war or events following the earthquake in Asia. I think it’s up to each person to decide what is news and what is bandwagon/hype.
We should stay informed about world events, but not allow the reporting of world events to conform us.