Glancing over the broad collection of newspapers in the library I'm overwhelmed by the vast display of periodicals that are from JUST today. The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and The Wall street Journal, all lined up on the shelf nearly screaming their headlines as I contemplate which one to pick up first. And if I don't finish reading the news today, tomorrow there will be even more breaking and relevant news, and I'll begin to fall behind. It's a frustrating cycle.
Even opening my computer, abcnews.com pops up and I'm once again dumfounded by the amount of news headlines, but still I find it somehow thrilling-these resources so easily at my fingertips. I know that if my only job was to read through these news articles I still would never make it through them all. Yet I keep reading every day hoping to gather enough relevant information so that if by chance I run into a friend wanting to discuss recent news, my vague recollection of Wednesday’s Tribune will hold up in a conversation about the ongoing struggle in Gaza.
Interestingly enough, even though I may feel inundated by the amount of channels with which news is presented to the public, I know that if these resources were taken away I would feel under informed, bringing me to a disconnect from the outside world.
Judging from the state of our nation’s economy and participation in the war, breaking news stories are what we, as Americans or even as a world need in order to be well informed. From recent government decisions of choosing new office members, to even something as small as a local who rescued a child from a burning apartment building, no union or common kinship would be felt if we weren’t somehow informed.
News and the way it is implemented can be overwhelming and the fact that we have so many facets to gather from, it can seem more tedious at times than informative. Although, if any of our news options were depleted I know many would flounder at the thought of not being able to follow the world’s/nations/city’s updates day-to-day. In means of keeping myself up to date I will continue to read what I can on a daily basis, but still hope that I don’t run into any government officials wanting to discuss new policies.
I was hooked in your first two paragraphs! I can definitely relate to being dumbfounded and overwhelmed by information from every angle. Your point about how information can seem more “tedious than informative” I think is so true. I like your solution. It’s definitely realistic and I agree in that it’s pretty much all you can do. I really really liked your blog.
ReplyDeleteYou nail the gist of the reason a free press (and an informed public) is so important to a free and functioning society: "From recent government decisions of choosing new office members, to even something as small as a local who rescued a child from a burning apartment building, no union or common kinship would be felt if we weren’t somehow informed."
ReplyDeleteJournalism can help us be caring and compassionate people, too.