A News Junkie Darkly

I have become a news junkie.

Yes… I have found myself doing what I could never understand in my Father and Mother. I will sit through the day and Listen, Read or Watch news in some fashion or another.

Most of the time this is restricted to listening to the news, as it is easier to do when I am working, though I am willing to bet that several people at my work are plotting to have me committed soon. This is due to the fact that I have been caught arguing with the radio (or online stream) from time to time, and that never looks good to others.

I try and read as much of my local rag as I can, though I am continually saddened by the moderate to extreme liberal slant of the news they publish. I will not even go into the numerous typographical and grammatical errors that I find in this glorified toilet paper each day.

No… Somewhere down the line I have become addicted to knowing what is going on every day. Not that I can do much about it, as I am sure that no one of great political where-with-all reads this blog… but this IS my space, and as long as it is, I will do my part.

What I find the most troubling about the news these days is its dependence on bad news. I know that this has been said countless times, and many people see it as just another catchphrase in the arena, but it is true.

How often do you see “good news” stories on page one, above the fold in your local paper? Not often… and do you know whose fault this is? Ours.

How interesting is a paper whose head line is: “Local man save three and puts out fire himself!” No… do not go looking for that one… I made it up. Now, put that article in one paper dispenser and this one in another: “Local man kills 10 Nuns, has sex with a pig and burns down a school.” Yeah… you guessed it… people are more interested in a Murderous, Heretic, arsonist who practices bestiality than in a Hero.

Personally, I will take the Hero… we need as many heroes as we can get these days, and there are very few people that are qualified. Let’s face it; if there were a real Superman today, he would get sued out of existence for violating various civil rights all over the US and maybe other countries. If you have ever seen the animated movie “The Incredibles”, they might not be too far off the mark.

News is the lifeblood of our world these days. There are so many news and information channels and websites, that we are literally suffering from information overload. What ever happened to the good old days when the news you watched on TV was already three or four days old? When you read the paper and the people that were writing could actually spell and practiced good grammar? When columnists actually had either a degree or experience?

I can remember when I was a kid, watching the news reports from Vietnam come on TV, and they were, by the time they were being shown, several days old. Likewise most other news, once you saw it on TV or read it in the paper, it was long-since over.

Nowadays it is almost like the people know something is going to happen before it does. News teams are standing by, waiting to catch the action as it occurs. God forbid they try and prevent it, just go out there and get the story.

It is amazing how sensationalism and the Macabre have won out over sense and sensibility.