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Saturday, September 06, 2003
Moms know from good advice, so I tend to listen up when a mother passes on a nugget she's run across. This morning's blogscan turned up some wise words which Wil Wheaton's mom picked up from DrWeill.com.
The bushy-bearded physician's suggestion is for people to take a "news fast," avoiding news for a few days in an effort to reduce stress levels. It's an idea I've contemplated in the past, but never even came close to executing. The thing that made me sit up and take notice is his first point on why this fast could be beneficial:
"Both local and national network news have increased their emphasis on crime, even as U.S. crime rates continue to decline. This is particularly true of local news."
I have been saying this for years, and I think it goes further than just crime reporting. Correspondents are immediately dispatched to accidents and natural disasters, giving gruesome details in only slightly restrained language. Special reports on health, consumer affairs, education, you name it, invariably hammer home the downside of the spotlight issue, with perhaps two sentences at the end trying to bring things into perspective. This usually takes the form of a statement that less than 2% of those affected will actually encounter the dire outcomes they've just spent five minutes working their audience into a frenzy about.
This negativity is why I don't make a habit of watching news on TV. But even though I don't have a regular show I tune into, I probably still catch at least an hour or two of broadcast and cablecast news each week just from flipping through the channels or as something I leave on for background noise while I do chores at home. And, even though I think my main news sources are considerably less prone to sensationalism, public radio, newspapers and online newsfeeds still bring plenty that's negative into my consciousness.
So the next time I'm feeling stressed, I'll take Dr. Weill and Mrs. Wheaton's advice. There's only so much one person can do, and the world's problems will still be there when I check back in.
A 20th Century maxim reworked for the Aughties: Home is where you hang your hat recharge your cell phone.
Posted @ 3:14 PM
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