A News Junkie

Isn't it strange how in a matter of days our perspective on world events can change completely. Only a week ago, we were worrying about the renegade state of North Korea and threats to destroy its neighbours and the United States. Given the events of the last few days, this all feels like old news, already consigned to history. No longer is it top of the world news agenda,. overtaken by the tragic events of the last week in Boston, Massachusetts. We live in a world of ever changing events where news is instant and often breaks through social media and on Twitter before it reaches our television screens. I daresay North Korea will be top of the news agenda again very soon, for it is on a continuous loop building up to issuing new and more daring threats. The last few days have seen a battle of good versus evil played out on 24 hour news feeds, more akin the the plot lines of Criminal Minds or Rizolli and Isles and demonstrating that the more powerful and secure country in the world can also be the most vulnerable. It has been a terrifying reminder for many.
I love news, I have to know what is going on and rather than go looking for it, I have it fed to me. E-mail updates, newspapers sent to my Kindle and SMS messages keep me in touch will domestic and world events. I'm a news junkie and in this 24 hour multi-media world, I've adapted well. A curious mind does.
We are probably more informed than we ever have been. There are some things we would perhaps prefer not to know about, but we know more about the world around us than ever before and we are all able to comment on what we see and hear, and for that same world to know. Now that's truly something.

Being Connected

My course last week was run by two very professional and passionate people, Jeff and Paul. Jeff has worked for some time helping people with emotional and mental difficulties and does a tremendous amount in the community, known and loved by many. Paul is a psychologist and is based at Lincoln University, his role to support students during difficult and stressful times. I was impressed by them both and their commitment and enthusiasm for what they do was clear to all. Some would argue that it is their purpose in life to help others.

What struck me as peculiar and difficult to accept was the fact that Paul kept himself dis-connected from all types of media and the news. During a discussion on whether suicide was wrong, I brought up the example of Tony Nicklinson who suffers with locked-in syndrome and I was quite taken aback that Paul was unfamiliar with the case. He really didn't seem to have a clue who I was referring to, or the condition. As a result the topic of situations where suicide 'could be justified', wasn't discussed and we continued with the course on the assumption that all suicide is wrong and needless.
How can someone separate themselves from everything that's going on in the world? When questioned by a member of the group, he responded by saying that he didn't trust the media and that much of what is reported is biased. He preferred to make up his own mind. But can you live devoid of information and still be in a position to judge?
I think of myself when I come across people like this, people who choose to live isolated from media. I come to the conclusion that for me life would be very difficult, almost impossible. I have to know what's going on. I'm curious. When I'm away from the news, and away from sources of media and the Internet, I feel dis-jointed. Sometimes I become quite frantic and I'm longing to be able to catch up on what's been going on. I simply cannot imagine a life where I'm without news. Even if I was isolated, I'd like to think I would have access to at least a radio.
So I do struggle to understand people who can separate themselves from the rest of the world. There is of course no doubt that a lot of the media we digest is biased and what we are fed is what we want to be told. But in a world of instant news and media from so many international sources, we do have the choice to compare what we're being told and get different perspectives to situations. At no time in history has the information available been so diverse and so accessible. So I do wonder if the media integrity argument can still be used. I really don't think so.
For me there is a feeling of security and comfort when I'm in touch with what's going on around me. I rely on my almost hourly fix of international, national and local news. I have my preferred sources of course. But any major event in the US for instance will send me searching for news and comment from their own local news sites and newspapers. Similarly with regard to Syria, I seek different perspectives by visiting regional news sources and Russia Today. In this way, my information is balanced but I still choose what to believe. I have the choice, and I think that's really what is missing from a life without media - the right to choose.