It’s been well over a month since I slammed the door on the news. Frankly, I don’t miss it. Of course, when I open my home page on my browser, I see headlines, but unless something is incredibly captivating, I pass. I am not interested in the muck, the noise, the shrieks of hysteria. I just don’t want it in my life.
I was sharing this with a friend recently, and he felt similarly, but sticks his toe in from time to time. He said, “I still want to know what’s going on.” My response was pointed: “Why?” To which I received a blank stare and silence. I get it. A lifetime of reading, watching, and listening to news was hard-wired into me since youth.
I remember my parents watching Walter Cronkite or Huntley-Brinkley on the news each night. The Newark Star-Ledger was delivered daily, and 1010WINS was on the car radio. It was just part of normal.
Today, we can consume “news” from a multitude of platforms, sources, and stations, all offering their version of what is important. I remember my client and friend Leon Sirulnick (who’s been a guest on my podcast) telling me after his career as a TV director, “Everything you see on the news is there for entertainment purposes only.”
This meant that what is put out for consumption is designed to retain the viewer’s or reader’s attention, keeping them fixed in that space. I honestly don’t need to know the histrionics, the drama, the idiocy of the world—of which I control nothing. It’s like junk food: easy to consume with all the negative effects.
The time spent in front of the screen has been redirected toward more peaceful and meaningful endeavors. Right now, I’m happy with that.
