The News.
A human invention supposedly made for the purpose of
keeping us informed as to ''issues'', (as deemed
by the publishers)regarded as important, significant, relevant,
and....oh, yeah,...... before the event of ''fake news''.... truthful.
According to Alison Holman and some of her colleges from the
University of California it seems that news coverage is far
more than a source of benign facts.
What they have discovered is that it can sneak into our subconscious
and interfere with both our mental and physical health/well being.
Being peppered with bad news from morning
to night affects our emotions, we can become anxious, depressed,
and at times experience a sense of hopelessness.
Before there were podcasts, social media and websites, it was far
easier to switch off the news if one wanted to.
All one had to do was to not read the papers and turn off the
radio and TV.
These days however, most of the population on this planet carry with
it a 24/7 ''news delivery device'' aka a mobile/cell phone.
Phones are forever ''pinging'' everywhere you go with
(at least in my case) news updates.
Since tragedy and disaster sell more ''clicks'' (papers),
good news stories hardly ever make the ''front page''/views.
Us humans are prone to negativity-bias, which means we pay
more attention to ''blood and guts'' than ''butterflies and
rainbows''.
Not only do we pay more attention to negative stimuli, but
we also tend to dwell on it.
(Ex: ''Building collapses and kills 4 children and injures 56.''
Why not: ''Building collapses and injures 56 children only 4 died.'')
Friend: ''I love your new place, it's so fresh and light and the view is
fantastic, but, it's quite small isn't it?''
You: ''Small? What do you mean small? I don't think it's small.''
After your friend has left what is the word that sticks?
Fantastic? Fresh? Light? or small?
I'm guessing that for the next few days you'll keep pondering
if your new place perhaps is too small.
We dwell on the one negative aspect even if it is wrapped up in a
thousand superlatives. Some say that we do so because
it helps us to deal with possible threats.
Hm. I don't know about that.
Right now I have a feeling that inserting a few more ''good news''
stories amongst all the ''bad news'' ones could be a
good idea. Because, here's the thing, good things happen
every day just like bad things. We're just not told
about them as loudly and as often.
Some years back I decided to just check and see if there
was a Good News site, and lo and behold, I found a few.
Just Google Good News and you will find them.
Does the heart good methinks.
Once upon a time, the news used to be synonymous
with facts, with accuracy, with objectivity, and an
adherence to ethics and throwing light on subject
matters hidden in the dark.
But sadly, I'm not so sure that this is the case any more.
When you hear/watch/read the news, how often do
you take the time to find out how secure or sound the
source of the information is?
Is the source biased? Is the source reliable? Is the
source well-known and generally well-respected?
Do you only go to one site for the news or
do you ''surf'' a few?
Do you seek confirmation only for your own views or
do you include opposing views as well?
News always go through a bias filter.
The bias of the person who owns the site, the bias of
the editor, the writer, the photographer, the site designer,
the printer, and so on.
To be a human is to be biased. We have never seen our faces
with our own eyes, we have only ever seen our faces
in the mirror, and what we see in the mirror is a mere reflection
of what we think we look like.
''Fake news and rumors thrive on line because too many
of us fail to take the time to check the veracity of what
we read. Often we merely seek for content that reinforces
our own biases.''
(Citizen Z)
about the image: Ink on paper, some editing in Photoshop
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