News is Not Depressing

I cringe when someone tells me, "I never watch the news any more. It's just too depressing."

It may be a matter of semantics, but it's how the station presents the news that depresses you. The news itself informs you, keeps you current, warns you of hazards and provides conversational fodder--what a great deal!

Would you ever say to someone, "I never read any more. It's just too informative." No, you wouldn't want to sound ignorant.

But in defense of the people that are turned off or tuned out, when a TV or radio station presents too many bad news stories in a row, it can have a demoralizing effect. That's one reason journalists are now encouraged to create "trend" or "issues" stories. This means instead of just reporting murder after murder, crime after crime, the reporter analyzes the causes behind the higher death rate or looks at different solutions for preventing crime.

If you are not watching or listening news because it's too depressing, please try another channel before you quit on the medium. Many people have died to protect our First Amendement rights, so we need to cherish them. Another channel might present the news differently--in a less tabloid style, for instance, or you might find you like that weather forecaster who wears a bowtie!