Photoshop Insider

My Daily News Sources Are Depressing Me

By Scott on Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 am | updates.

This is totally un-Photoshop or photography related, so you might want to skip this, but my wife and I were having a discussion over breakfast last month that sparked this post, and I just felt I had to write about it, even though it’s well outside my usual area of reporting.

I usually like to start my day by checking the news, and I usually start by taking a quick look at both CNN.com and Fox News.com (that’s my attempt at trying to get both sides of the story), but I’ve gotten to the point that I don’t want to read the morning news anymore, because they include so much tragic news of children being horribly abused, or women being killed or raped, and children being killed, that I don’t start my day informed—I start my day depressed.

I want to read about politics, world news, finance, what’s happening in the Middle East, sports, entertainment news, weather, our government, science, health, and technology. I do want to know about suffering and tragedy around the world that we can do something about, but I hate reading every day about the husband that bludgeoned his pregnant wife, and then killed his four year old daughter. I hate hearing about kids being tortured, and women being beaten, and a mother putting her child in a microwave. As a parent myself, it not only sends chills down my spine, but it chips away at my soul wondering how anyone, anywhere could do these horrible things to people, much less to their own family members and children.

We’re a country of 300 million people, and within a group of that many people, lie some incredibly tragic stories, but when they’re served up to you every day in your own home, it feels like it’s happening all around you. As my wife said, “Do I have to hear about every bad mother that does something horrible to her kids in every state, every day?” Even when it happens 3,000 miles away, they make it sound like it happened in the house next door.

Of course, you might say, “Well Scott, just don’t read those stories” but you don’t even have to — as I showed my wife, the news headlines are tragic and depressing all by themselves—you don’t even need to read the story. So, as a totally unscientific experiment, I thought for one week, I’d write down every personal tragedy headline from both CNN.com and FoxNews.com and see if I’m being as bombarded with it as I feel like I am.

I started on Saturday, January 12th 2008 and for one week I just copied and pasted those headlines right off their home page, and into a text document. So, how bad were these headlines really? You tell me:

Cops Dig to Recover Pregnant Marine’s Remains
Stabbed Woman, 4 Kids Found Dead in Burning Home
Police: Dad Who Wanted Son Killed Baby Girl
HIV-Positive Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Acts With Teens
Baby tossed from SUV
Mother Charged With Murder: Kids Were ‘Possessed by Demons
Cops: Mom Put Son, 7, in Oven as Punishment
Body of 1 of 4 Kids Thrown From Bridge Found
Cops: Dad Sodomized Teen Stepson to Avenge Rape
Unconscious Ohio Man Charged With Killing Wife, 4 Kids
2nd Body Found in Search For Kids Thrown Off Bridge
Manhunt After 2 Women, 2 Kids Shot Dead in Indianapolis
Woman tried to save four girls, no one listened
Stray Bullet Changes 10-Year-Old Boy’s Life Forever
Iraqi Official’s Convoy Runs Over, Kills 5 Children
Ex-Scout Leader Caught in World Child Porn Sting
Americans Eyed in Brazil Nudist Colony Abuse of Kids
Man Charged in Missing NYC Woman Case
Schoolgirl Rape Victim Burned With Acid
Kenyan Gangs Using Genital Mutilation as Weapon
Tiger Attack 911 Tape: ‘My Brother’s About to Die!’
Dead Girl’s Hell Revisited at Stepfather’s Murder Trial
‘Baby Grace’ Laid to Rest After Washing Ashore in Texas
Dramatic 911 call in hiker’s murder
Gruesome Pics Show Slain Coed’s Home Night of Murder
Student Shot in North Carolina Drive-By
Ohio Man Accused of Killing Family in Fire
Texas Teen in 911 Call: ‘I’m Dying’
Student shot in school parking lot
Mom says boy was bullied to death
Teens accused of pimping girls, gang-rape
Slain hiker remembered as ‘angel,’ ‘firecracker’
Hiker’s alleged killer named in 3 more deaths
Mayor: D.C. failed 4 slain children
Baby Dies After Sitter Swings Him in Sleeping Bag
Missouri Mayor Charged in Internet Child Sex Sting
House party teen charged with child porn
2 tiny corpses found; search on for 2 more
Sleeping bag prank kills toddler
Letters show misery of jungle hostages
5 Found Dead in Submerged Car
Baby Thrown Off Freeway Bridge, Hit by Cars
Mom Backing Out of Driveway Kills Daughter, 2
Lawmaker Gets 44 Years for Raping Foster Daughters
4 kids under age 5 trapped in burning car
Letter from dead sister haunts brothers
Woman Kills Self, 2 Children by Walking Onto Interstate
College Wrestler Killed in Crash on Way to Meet
Police Find Body in Search for Florida Mom
15-Year-Old Fatally Stabbed in Schoolyard
4 Arrested in Indianapolis Murders of Moms, Kids
Baby Put Up for Sale on Craigslist
Alaskan Group Wants to Kill Wolf Pups in Dens
College Wrestler Killed in Crash on Way to Meet

That’s how much personal human tragedy is served up to me every week, 52 weeks a year. Now, here’s the thing: These aren’t all the headlines like this they ran; these are just the ones I found at the time that I checked the news from my home, so it’s really just a sampling from the few times a day I check the news. As I said, this wasn’t scientific (by any means), and was just a “chance” sampling taken at whenever I got around to checking the news that day.

In my un-official sampling, I did note which ones were from CNN.com and which ones where from FoxNews.com, and the majority of the tragic headlines turned out to be from FoxNews.com, so at least that told me maybe I don’t need as much “Balanced” news as I thought. So I’m on the lookout for an online source that tells me what’s going on in the world, in politics, finance, sports, etc., without making me depressed, disgusted, frustrated, and just plain bummed each morning on my way to work

I’m not trying to pretend these things don’t happen—I know they do (I’ve been served a steady diet of it for years now), I just need a break from it. I need a breather from daily piles of personal tragedy and I just need the “other” news. I need a different daily world news source, and if you know of one that I should be reading instead, just post it here in my comments section, and I’ll gladly give give it a read. Thanks for taking the time to read this, and maybe if enough people find they need a “new news source,” these sites will start to change. That would actually cheer me up.

Comment form for this post

^#1

Hi Scott!

I totally understand you! Here in Germany it’s the same. We have the news about our violence _plus_ the news about violence outside Germany. E.g. two days (?) ago, I read a news about a American Officer bludgeoning a woman, with a huge photo of that thrashed woman.

We have enough other problems in the politics and financial world. I don’t want to know, if a cruddy policeman batters a woman in the US!

We also got huge reports about the independence of serbia. But no tv-channel reports about the political or cultural consequences, only about the violence in the streets of belgrad (and the attack against the american and german embassy)

I’m sick of this sensation horny media, but we can’t change anything, so we have to filter the information, which seem to be interesting for us.
The German mirror (www.spiegel.de) offers a RSS Feed for every news section.

Yours truly,

Lars from Germany

Lars on February 22nd, 2008 at 5:41 am

^#2

As a Brit I’m sorry but I find the idea of Fox news being ‘balanced’ absolutely hilarious. I’m sure Fox would tell you otherwise, but try http://news.bbc.co.uk for a more balanced and less sensational dose of worldwide news. It might not be any less depressing on a larger scale though…

Phil on February 22nd, 2008 at 5:58 am

^#3

Phil hit the nail on the head when he used the word “Sensational”, because that’s what it’s all about - shock factor, and about grabbing your attention. Like you, I am sick and tired of reading about all the violence. I don’t watch much television news anymore, or go to major headliners like CNN and Fox. My resource? Glad you asked! I just go to news.google.com and scan through there. It’s organized by subject, so I can skip straight to politics, international, and science/tech etc. Less sensationalized.

I hadn’t thought to stop back into the NAPP forums yet, but was going to let Matt know I finished that Windows version of the desktop calendar tutorial he did on the show last week. For Windows users, it’s on my Tuesday post from Canon Blogger (www.canonblogger.com). Have a great weekend!

Jason on February 22nd, 2008 at 6:23 am

^#4

That is the very reason I have stopped following the news. I used to be a news junkie and would watch/read everything and now I just don’t. For the most part if something really important is going on you know about it because other people are talking about it and you if you hear people “talking around the water cooler” about something that seems important then you can search that information out. Otherwise I think the information really just isn’t that important.

With all the communication infrastructure we have nowadays we can beam every bit of horrible information directly into our living rooms for what? For the most part that really is no direct value in it. I understand that bad things happen and that there are bad people in the world but the news has become so one-sided and commercial that they appear to never focus on any good information or people.

Anyway I know this is way off topic for your blog and your business but I appreciate you taking the time to touch on this. Like I said I just stay away from the news unless there is something important I want/need to know about!

Duane…

Duane Ellison on February 22nd, 2008 at 6:27 am

^#5

Scott,

May I recommend getting your news from National Geographic Magazine. I stopped watching the mainstream news media several years ago for the exact same reasons you state. The turning point for me was the birth of my daughter and becoming a father.

I read NG from cover to cover every month. It keeps me informed on global warming, international politics, technological advancements, medical discoveries and much more. I don’t feel uninformed when engaging in conversation. I might not be up to the minute, but I’m well informed in a more rounded sense. And you have to admire the photography in NG as well.

Here is the kicker. I work as an engineer in a local TV news station. I’ve learned to not watch the news but monitor my stations signal instead. I’m working feverishly to leave TV news (with much help from Scott Kelby books I might add) and I sight the negative vibe in the newsroom as a contributing factor to my need to leave. Keep up the great work and give your family an extra dose of your time when you start to feel depressed. When you hear of a tragedy (you can’t completely hide from it) go grab a hug from your kid or spend some time with your wife doing something fun or relaxing. Contrary to the news, the US is full of great people doing great things because of great families.

Regards,

Tim Broyer

Tim Broyer on February 22nd, 2008 at 6:43 am

^#6

It seems to be the same everywhere… There is hardly any “good” news on the news these days… Hopefully executives from CNN or Fox get to read your blog and do something about it…

James on February 22nd, 2008 at 7:25 am

^#7

I don’t think Scott was trying to say Fox is as fair and balanced as they say it is. They do lean more to the conservative side and CNN leans more to the liberal side both however are more sensationalist than they are serious. I don’t have cable or satellite because to me they are just a bunch more channels with nothing on them. I wish I could just order channels like A&E, History Channel, etc. ala carte but they don’t allow that. I do see these other channels in locations other than my home so I am familiar with them, just refuse to pay for them myself.

My local news seems to be the worst at the abuse stories. I live in the medium sized city of Greenville,SC and the worst stories seems to come from our nearby rural areas as opposed to the more urban settings of Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, etc.

I’ve complained to the local stations about how they seem to do nothing but report “pervert” or “abuser” stories but I get the lame excuse they have to “report everything” but I could tell you a lot of stories they are not reporting. Stories about local businesses, construction projects, etc. I don’t know why they think the stories are “hot” or people would want to tune in. I makes me not want tune into the local news. The worst part is they will have a story about someone murdering or abusing a child or woman in a bizare way and the cut to the every jokey weather man and how he ate all the cake the school kids gave him.

linkerjpatrick on February 22nd, 2008 at 8:04 am

^#8

Hey Scott
The truth is that though these things are covered with immense enthusiasm to sell airtime - it is hard to believe that they actually CARE. All these networks have their own agenda - thats why my wife and I have taken our Cable out and its been over a year - we get our news online - I do go to Reuters,bbc and others - I obviously skip over the Hollywood garbage
But in a half hour - I can skip thru all issues that interest me and move on with my day
The good thing - Our hope is not in this world - right?

Arun on February 22nd, 2008 at 8:04 am

^#9

Hi Scott,

I too know exactly what you mean. For quite some time now I’ve not watched or read the news. In fact most of the time I hear news stories from friends and colleagues only.

The reason for this is ’self preservation’. I too don’t want to start my day off with a ‘depression session’ of bad news … it’s just not the way to start a new day … so I don’t.

Yeah I know that we should keep abreast of the news, but does that have to be depressing? A number of years ago, here in the UK a Children’s News Programme called ‘Newsround’ started and this was put in place to keep younger viewers up to date with world news; all delivered in a sensitive way that got the messages across but didn’t taint the viewers impressionable mind, and always started and finished with a funny / cute story. As a kid growing up (and many thousands of others) it served me well.

The only news I regularly watch now is part of PhotoshopUser TV :o)

Best wishes to you and yours,
Glyn

Glyn Dewis on February 22nd, 2008 at 8:11 am

^#10

That’s it dude. Just sweep it under the rug. Nobody wants to hear about tragic things happening to people, but it’s the world we live in. It’s also what sells a news paper.

LK on February 22nd, 2008 at 8:17 am

^#11

Scott,

What can I say that others haven’t already. I share your pain in this matter, but as a Christian, its a double whammy of horror and hollywood. I use Google news to read exactly what I need to read and have even customized so I get any news related to photography. It may not be “fair and balanced” news, so to me it’s much better….only real news.

Chris on February 22nd, 2008 at 8:31 am

^#12

Scott,
I started reading the Wall Street Journal daily about 3 years ago in effort to do essential the same thing you are looking to do, keep up on political, global and technological news. I have been quite happy. The WSJ provides extremely deep coverage of emergent business moves and political chess playing and also provides surprisingly deep tech coverage, both through balanced reviews and the business of technology. For example, yesterday they had an interesting article about Apple’s position on Flash on their iPhone. Good luck on your quest.

Charlie Guild on February 22nd, 2008 at 8:32 am

^#13

I have to agree with the BBC suggestion. I usually just read the headlines that pop up in Firefox through it’s RSS feeds. Good compilation of news from all over the world. Unfortunately we can never get away from all the headlines that you posted, but when they’re across the Atlantic it at least feels a little further away than two blocks.

Chris Jackson on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:25 am

^#14

Hence the reason Scott I gave up not only reading the news (canceled my newspaper as well), but I don’t watch it on TV either. It is totally depressing. It is unfortunate that news services make such a big deal of the bad things just to grab the reader/listener and forget about the good stories of the day.

Sure, I may live under a rock now, but at least my days are much better emotionally! That is something I can definitely live with.

Roland Young on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:31 am

^#15

Unfortunately we not only hear about local tragedies but also regional, national and international tragedies. I feel sympathy for the victims, especially the children, but there are some many incidents that if I were to be upset about them all, I would become even more depressed than I normally am (gotta love the chemicals that regulate it though).

It’s really great to know what is going on in the world of politics, business, sports, entertainment … almost instantaneously … but the rest of the crap should be moderated. For that reason I look at good news sites a couple of times a week.

Perhaps we can blame some of it on tabloid newspapers. They have, IMHO, overtaken the major newspapers in circulation and the tabloids rely on sensationalism.

We all know it’s a crappy world but we don’t have to have it pushed in our faces all the time.

George on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:32 am

^#16

Check out www.cbsmarketwatch.com for all your financial news and more. Another great resources is www.bloomberg.com

Tim on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:40 am

^#17

Hey Scott, couldn’t agree with you more. Here are some really good news links online that I think might fit the bill you’re looking for:

http://www.reuters.com/

http://news.google.com/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

http://www.time.com/time/

All of these sites do a great job of giving you the news of the day without all the sensationalist crap that CNN and FOX peddle in. For the best world news coverage you can’t beat BBC News.

Hope that helps!!

Mike Beaumont on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:42 am

^#18

I totally agree, Scott. It can be difficult to contrast your own life experience with everything the media feeds us these days. Try these:

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
http://www.goodnewsdaily.com/

Dave on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:48 am

^#19

the only news website I bother to check…

news.BBC.co.uk

jonathan on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 am

^#20

I don’t watch local news or the National Cable News Networks. First thing in the morning I tune in CNBC Business Channel or Fox Business Channel. Lots of good info, as it applies to the Economy and Politics.

Does Brighthouse have Fox Business Channel?? I’ll be in St. Pete soon, and would like to watch it.

Linda

Linda on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:57 am

^#21

Scott,
Try looking at www.slate.com for some good political news they have other good stories as well. They have a great podcast if you are into listening to them.

Also I would suggest the bbc as someone also suggested.

I like to have my browser open links to a number of papers and look at the head lines here is major list:
www.cnn.com - CNN
nytimes.com - NewYork Times
www.latimes.com - LA Times
news.bbc.co.uk - BBC
news.com.com - CNET tech news
news.google.com - Headline news
www.chicagotribune.com - Chicago Paper, good for mid west news
www.sfgate.com - San Francisco Chronicle
www.washingtonpost.com - Washington Post
slate.com - Slate on line news
www.wral.com - Local TV station
www.newsobserver.com - Local News Paper

Hope this helps, btw I also set Safari up to click on one Bookmarks bar button and it open all these site in different tabs. Very handy.

-Scott

Scott on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:59 am

^#22

Scott,

As my eyes are tied up most of the time while driving, editing, designing and such, I listen to news more often than I read it. NPR (National Public Radio) always seems to give a broad perspective on news, from finance to politics to other new happenings. I, like you, am tired of the constant negative news. No wonder our country seems to be in troubled times…we’re afraid to step out our front door.

Here’s to a positive country, and a optimistic world!

- Matthew

Matthew on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:03 am

^#23

CNN has become more and more lurid lately. I don’t know why; maybe they’re trying to go head to head with FOX.

MSNBC seems to be pretty fairly edited still. TIME.com and the BBC’s website are also good, usually keeping to straight journalism instead of pandering to our dark nature.

John Hamilton on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:05 am

^#24

Scott,

Couldn’t agree more. One of the reasons why I look forward to your corny jokes and the positive attitudes of the Photoshop Guys.

For some inspiration of the good that some people do for others check out what my young nephew has done - http://www.joeyspolarplunge.org/

Also, I recently found - http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/

Peter Marcaurelle on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:06 am

^#25

Move to Canda. The news media & government do not use FEAR to sell or direct policy. (most of the time)

Richard on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:08 am

^#26

Scott, A few people have mentioned it already and I have to agree, check out the BBC web site or even BBC America on the TV. The news is much more informative. FOX is all about sensationalism. CNN is ok, but for a better ‘world’ view, you can’t beat the BBC.

Sam on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 am

^#27

Scott, If you are looking for balanced news coverage that doesn’t focus on the above list and really gets into content, may I suggest NPR.org. I find it refreshing and very well reported. I know that most people label it liberal, but they really do a very good job of getting both sides of the story.

Jim Stepp on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:16 am

^#28

Here-Here!
Very well put Scott. I agree whole heartedly, which is whyI don’t watch the news much anymore. It’s amazing how much I’m still kept informed about, just through the grapevine. I’d rather give my attention to things I can do something about.

thanks, good post

nate on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:19 am

^#29

I agree completely, Scott. It’s complete sensationalism, and it’s not just at the national level. My fiancee does CG for the local TV station’s newscasts, and it’s every bit as bad there. Their news manager was actually caught saying “it’s not about accuracy” when employees complained about bad stories.

I also stumbled across this the other day, and it was a real wakeup when it comes to national news (specifically, CNN):
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chez-pazienza/say-what-you-will-requie_b_87282.html

I actually don’t read much news anymore, aside from tech news, but I always found the Washington Post website to be pretty good.

Chris on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:25 am

^#30

Newspapers! Try reading the websites of major newspapers or radio news networks - the NYT, the WSJ, the LA Times, the Washington Post, the BBC, or NPR. They aren’t as driven to produce news 24-7, so you get more real news and less sensationalism.

For example, when CNN and Fox had their non-stop coverage of disappearance and then murder of Laci Peterson, washingtonpost.com and NPR just weren’t covering it that much. Same way with celebrity news (something I am blissfully unaware of thanks to serious news media).

Yah, some people have suggested you just want to “sweep it under the rug” and ignore others’ suffering. To sound insensitive, most murders and tragedies are local and don’t deserve to be broadcast nationally. I know where I live, there’s plenty of death and tragedy to occupy my concerns. That being said, in no way do I suggest a tragedy on the scale of Darfur or Katrina should be swept under the rugs.

J Harvey on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:27 am

^#31

No doubt about it, for balanced world news without too much of a political bias go to news.bbc.co.uk.

victor on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:34 am

^#32

Scott,

Check out the website www.happynews.com

It’s my homepage so that every morning I can read a good story before I check out CNN. It’s not very high-tech, but it works.

Loren

Loren on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:54 am

^#33

Scott, Me & my wife have had the same talk. Do what i do get out your Star Trek DVD collection & grab a cold beverage. or pick up a book about something you know nothing about…

jared chapin on February 22nd, 2008 at 10:56 am

^#34

This was so good that I wrote it up this morning as my favorite “blog of the year” so far. Thanks for suffering through the same agonies we face regularly.

Roger Bourland on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:01 am

^#35

Scott,

I’d suggest BBC news or CBC News.. Might not have enough American content though for you… Maybe also check out Digg.com the stories that make the front page are voted there. If you play around with it you can get the type of stories you’d like to read, lots of tech and political news..

Chris on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:01 am

^#36

Had this same conversation at lunch yesterday. Thank God for podcasts and other media I can choose to watch.

And as far as balanced goes, when I want the real scoop on what’s going on in Iraq, I read tons of blogs updated by our American military. It’s amazing the differences from the ones on the front lines compared to sources such as CNN.

Doug on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:06 am

^#37

Scott, I totally agree with you. If you try to go to newpapers they are just as bad and it tougher to wade though the ads. I have stopped watching the TV news casts for the most part. Since my TV has a remote, I switch channels as soon as headlines like you mention appear, sure they appear on the other channels too, but they usually on different subjects at the time. They all schedule the ad times in the same spot, heaven forbid that they collaborate and run the same news items at the same time.
Thanks for letting me vent.

Leander Urmy on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:09 am

^#38

Scoot,

From Jensen Beach on the East coast of Fla, I agree. My morning read is the www.washingtonpost.com. I read it and then move on to your blog in the morning. The post tends to keep to the nuts and bolts of life.

Have a great day in paradise

Bill

Bill_E on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:19 am

^#39

I agree completely!

Between all the bad news, the political race and the pharmaceutical commercials I only watch the local news after it goes through my DVR. I listen to the National Public Radio (NPR) and Bloomberg for stocks in the morning. If I need to check something out during the day I go to Google.

I can’t stand any big news sources. Play the same thing over and over and over.

Sheldon on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:24 am

^#40

I guess I’ll be the bbc party pooper here. They have their own bias (especially things like “global warming”) just like every other site. At least they admit it I guess.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article1942948.ece

You won’t get what you’re looking for from one or two sites. Use a service like Google reader to get the news you’re looking for .

Ken on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:27 am

^#41

Too true Scott. But there are plenty of good places: BBC, Economist.com, New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, Wall Street Journal, and the web site for your local paper. That alone is more content than you could ever read! Take care and thanks for all your great work.

Ken on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:29 am

^#42

I commend you for your post Scott. The news is like the worst of the reality tv shows. I don’t get it - people complain about it all the time but like Duane said above, it’s what sells.

The animal abuse stories are particular horrible - it’s like they feel like they can report all the gory details because they’re just animals afterall. If I happen to be watching when one of those stories come on I turn off the tv or change the channel as quickly as possible.

I stopped watching the news regularly more than a year ago. I still get the information somehow - you’re bombarded by it actually - but I’m not as angry. Now I feel like I tend to see the possitive side of people in general more than I did before.

If everyone who complains that they don’t like these kind of sensational stories would stop watching, maybe it would have an impact.

Barrie Brewer on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:33 am

^#43

Scott,

I felt the same way too. I found that I felt better about everything when I skipped the main media venues. I really don’t care that Britney is having a hangover today or not or anything. Local news isn’t much better. I try to pick up what I can from some radio sources and skip everything else.

I know how you feel about the harming of kids and women. I grew up in the city where the lady did the microwave thing too! I always feel that I must have had a different perspective on life in general than others that are shown in the news.

My suggestion is to take a media break and you’ll see that you feel better. You’ll still know what is going on.

Larry

Larry Loar on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:36 am

^#44

CNN and Fox? I don’t think you can get both sides of the story!
Fox is manipulative and I feel sometimes CNN omits objectivity in favor of sensationalism.
all those 911 sad stories news suffocate more broad reporting.

I like to listen to the BBC news radio [available online or thru Public Radio] - definitely better reporting and sometimes funny / curious / sweet stories from around the world.

I think Fox’s sensationalism pushes people that don’t seek information elsewhere to be more conservative and afraid.

The NY Times online has really nice funny interesting video blogs from allover the world.

stefano on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:41 am

^#45

Hi Scott, gosh, I’ve been lurking your blog for so long, who would guess it would be a non-Photoshop entry that would draw me out of the shadows..

My news bookmarks are long only because of a desperate attempt to find ‘balance’, not because of all the good choices. I liked the HappyNews.Com post, and even better the HappyNews home page has a section titled: “UNHAPPYNews” Where it lists MSNBC, CNN, FOX..

Christian Science Monitor, http://www.csmonitor.com is far more balanced than one might assume, and a glance at today’s home page there revealed zero depressing stories of the type you referred to.

Maybe the happiest news -and people reside in a different world. Photoshop World, perhaps?

Best pixels,
Bruce Thayer

Bruce Thayer on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:42 am

^#46

Oh yeah - NPR offers a lot of content - it is not so one sided and people with different ideas can expose their ideas!
and listening to the radio lets you use your eyes to work in front of a computer monitor or look at your wife!

I remember I was watching CNN at the time of the bombing of Lebanon and Beirut and it was very one sided - the suffering of the israeli side had so much more coverage than the lebanese side.

As a recent resident of the USA [8 years] I find TV news very narrow - but I am also amazed by the great quality and excellent reporting of Public Radio and some major newspapers.

stefano on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:49 am

^#47

I agree. I create my own newspaper with the stories I want to read and it is delivered to my inbox every morning. If I choose top stories from Fox or CNN or any other top source, I still run the risk of a depressing headline or two, but I’ve found they are easily dismissed and not quite as obvious in this format. I do not have any tie to this service other than the fact I am a happy customer. Best of all it is free and you choose the topics you want on your page; i.e. technology, politics, healthcare, etc…

http://www.simplyheadlines.com

Marcy on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:52 am

^#48

I second the Google news & Google reader suggestions. The problem with subscribing to news feeds in Google reader is that most news sources ‘top stories’ publish over 50 headlines a day and I don’t want that many. I want actual top stories, not nonsense about the three legged dog that could. I mostly use reader to keep up on photography blogs & tech news, (this is the best blog, of course) and I use a Google news rss feed for local news, but I find that just visiting the Google news url works best to catch headlines.

Marcus Bradbury on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:58 am

^#49

I forgot to mention my favorite general news/meme site of all: http://www.19min.com. They handpick only about ten or 15 headlines a day that always cover anything of interest. Whenever somebody asks if I’ve heard about something or seen a certain video, I’ve almost always seen it on 19min.com already. No rss feed yet, but it’s worth a bookmark.

Marcus Bradbury on February 22nd, 2008 at 12:04 pm

^#50

At ones there where someone who see it my way

TV and paper has nearly no positv news, its same here in Norway

per gustavsen on February 22nd, 2008 at 12:05 pm

^#51

You are absolutely right! It is just downright unhealthy. I have gone through phases where I have this same wakeup, so thanks for today’s “wakeup.” The news media appeals to thats same morbid curiosity that tempts us to look at that accident while driving by that you really don’t want to see.

Harold on February 22nd, 2008 at 12:16 pm

^#52

This IS what’s happening in America (and even the world). This IS the news. We do have problems. I face such problems everyday on the streets of my city. I am a police man from Arkansas. What many people don’t understand, and even I didn’t until becoming a law enforcer, is what is REALLY happening on their streets.
Scott, I know you are aware of what’s happening but you would rather not feel like it’s happening next door to you when it’s actually happening far across the country. However, what is keeping it from coming to your city, your suburb, your neighbors house, or even you own backyard? Call me paranoid, but at least I’m expecting the unexpected. Especially now more than 20 years ago with the religious wars and political arguments in our nation and beyond.
Children now carry guns to school, and as you’ve seen recently they seem to carry an arsenal. Legislature has attempted to and succeeded in preventing honest, law abiding citizens that have concealed handgun permits from being able to carry that concealed weapon while on government property and schools. I don’t understand that. If this person was trusted to carry a weapon on their hip or pocket or even purse by their state’s government, why would you keep them from being able to carry it to school with them? Lord knows that the “bad guy(s)/gal(s)” aren’t going to refrain from carrying theirs on campus. How many lives could have been saved because of one lone “vigilante”, if you will, one brave citizen, had they only been allowed to carry on campus.
Sorry, but I think you get my point!

/end rant

As to your initial point, unfortunately there are a lot of people that don’t want to be bothered by the personal tragedies that other people face. People don’t want to know about it. That way they can deny that it will ever happen to them. This is going to sound corny as all get out but here goes: “Knowing is half the battle!”

My $.02,
Sean C.
Arkansas

Sean C. on February 22nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm

^#53

I’m surprised noone mentioned USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com

Richard Williams on February 22nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm

^#54

BBC News certainly strives to be balanced in its reporting.

Balliolman on February 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 pm

^#55

Scott,
You’re right on track. Newspapers and talk radio are at least 90% doom and gloom. It seems that it is much too easy to report bad news. Anything that remotely could be thought of as good news is overlooked, skipped or spun into bad. In so doing - the bad has become “normal”. It’s a vicious spiral downward. Talk about unbalanced news - it’s all bad news with the slant of the particular paper or station.

Challenge - try to find any good news article in the front section of any newspaper.

Many years ago I took a course from Ed Foreman (http://www.edforeman.com/). He really opened my eyes to the fact that we all have choice to have a good day or a bad day based on how we start our day.
Judging by your replies we are not alone in our thoughts on the news - what is presented and how.

Cathy Modica on February 22nd, 2008 at 12:36 pm

^#56

Another vote for news.bbc.co.uk and NPR. The BBC covers things that don’t make the news here in the states, and NPR tells you why something is happening, not just that it is happening.

Carmen on February 22nd, 2008 at 12:39 pm

^#57

Hey Scott!

The name is cheesy (and they need a new color scheme), but this is where I go for news that lets me know what’s going on in the world. Not depress me with sensational headlines:

http://www.happynews.com/index.htm

MattDJ on February 22nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm

^#58

Scott,

Definitely use RSS feeds. Embrace this new technology, and throw away the old one. Once I got started on it, I have not looked back. Let me help you get an idea of how to set it up.

The best RSS feed reader for Mac is NetNewsWire, and it is now free. If you install it, and when you’re browsing a site you like, you can click the RSS button in Safari to add it to your feeds if it has one. NNW is very powerful, and slick, and the best for any platform. There’s about a billion features, which I will not get into, but if you have any questions, I put my email in the required section.

As for content, I myself have different folders set up for different feeds:

“The News”, as filtered by myself, includes a local rag, the Consumerist, electoral-vote.com, and some other things. I’m sure CNN and FOX have RSS feeds for specific news, but so does MSNBC.

For me, it goes beyond regular news; “Technology” has a lot of feeds, like Gizmodo’s top posts so that I don’t have a billion posts come through every hour and just the ones people found interesting, Apple Hot News, AppleInsider, MacRumors, Lifehacker top (clever do-it-yourself blog), the Raw Feed (very straight forward tech blog).

“Photography” has your blog (thanks!), Dave Cross’s blog, dpreview.com, and a local photoblog. You have mentioned other people’s blogs in past posts, I think, so many they have some feeds? I’ll probably go back and check myself.

“Comedy” contains my crude sense of humor. There’s Perry Bible Fellowship (surreal comic), XKCD (nerd comic), TV in Japan (weird Japanese TV), White Wine (sentence posts, white guys complaining about things).

You get the idea. The sky’s the limit, and when you find a good news source, it really makes your day.

If you are into video podcasts, while you probably use iTunes for a lot of them, take a look at the semi-new Miro application. They have a wonderful guide that has many many video podcast channels, with search, pictures, ratings, and descriptions (and a lot of HD content to boot). You can add youtube channels, to it as well.

Again, shoot me an email if you need help with all of this. I’m a fan of you and your photoshop crew, and the least I can do is try and help you out for a change…

Paul on February 22nd, 2008 at 1:13 pm

^#59

Bravo for someone finally putting in writing how sickening it is to hear all this garbage. I’s sad it goes on but I don’t think our kids have to be exposed to negativity on a continuous basis.

Why not report things like I saw the other day - a 7 year old made a basket to win his league championship in basketball with a shot from 1/2 court. A future NBA Star!!

Foxnews should be renamed to Fox Spews

Cynthia Sobkowich on February 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm

^#60

One site that is pretty well known is Fark.com

Once on, there are different categories:
sports Business Geek Showbiz Politics Music Video

This way, if you just want to see what’s going on in sports, just hit the sports tab, or the geek tab… They have a way of making a humor joke in the middle with the link on the Far left.

It has very up to date news, it’s the stories that we don’t always hear about in the papers.. The main News tab has a lot of crazy stories, but like I said, if you just want sports just hit the sports or my personal favorite tab: The Geek Tab.

Dan
http://danfrancisphotography.com/

Dan Francis on February 22nd, 2008 at 1:50 pm

^#61

Well Scott for what its worth I work in a 911 Center and the news calls us first. We don’t get asked what happened today. The question usually is did anyone die? or What car wreck can you tell me about? Its never oh did you save anyone today? So I feel ya. I refuse to watch the news in the mornings I’ve already lived it and know nothing good will be aired. Its just not “News Worthy” is what they tell me.

John V. on February 22nd, 2008 at 1:57 pm

^#62

Scott:

For news and only news try: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/region/north_america/

They don’t spin it to the left or right. They just present it.

Fox, CNN and all the others are just digital train wrecks, waiting for the next gawker.

Veronica Phillips on February 22nd, 2008 at 2:04 pm

^#63

I feel the same way, and my solution is this: npr.org. There are so many “driveway stories” that I honestly sat in my car for 3 minutes before going inside last night to listen to the end of a story.

Trude on February 22nd, 2008 at 2:30 pm

^#64

Hey Scott,

I subscribe to this 24 hours day of prayer and worship (explicit Christian) on the web for 10 bucks a month.

http://www.ihop.org/Group/Group.aspx?id=1000000686

Here I can watch and listen to some of the best cutting edge worship I have ever found. This is by far the best news I hear

Ken

Ken on February 22nd, 2008 at 2:33 pm

^#65

It is funny to me how many of the commentators cite their news sources as being unbiased and balanced. Personally, I think everyone has an agenda when they present the news. Everyone has an opinion on everything and thus it will come across in some way if only by what stories are reported and what stories are not.

Everyone wants to live in a world where those headlines don’t take place. In my humble opinion the answer is not to “look out for yourself.” Looking out for oneself all the time will give you 6 billion people doing what they want to do and nothing less.

If anyone wants to email about this and discuss it online, one photographer to another, =) I love stuff like this.

Manny Fernandez on February 22nd, 2008 at 2:54 pm

^#66

Scott -

You said, “I want to read about politics, world news, finance, what’s happening in the Middle East, sports, entertainment news, weather, our government, science, health, and technology.”

Looks like couple of people mentioned it already, but I’ll add another voice - read Wall Street Journal. You won’t get much for free, so you will have to get paid subscription to the Online Journal, but I find them to be the most balanced source of the kind of news you and I are interested in. They don’t like to publish sensational stories of parents dropping their kids off the bridge, etc, their opinion pieces are often written by important people in the world of politics, technology and so forth instead of cheap journalist who do anything to generate clicks, and they simply cover technology and science news better than anyone else, and of course they’re best when it comes to business news. You should try their free 30-day Online Journal Subscription and see if it makes a difference.

On top of that, I also really like Economist. I was not born in the US, but I now live here, and lack of world news on TV and in press really bothers me, but Economist does fill that gap for me with their excellent coverage of what’s happening around the world.

Ivan Makarov on February 22nd, 2008 at 2:58 pm

^#67

Hey love everything you do…and I agree with you on the news, this is why I listen to NPR, DemocracyNow ( democracynow.org ), I read the FinancialTimes ( FT.com ), and I can’t forget CurrentTV ( current.com ) you may have that on your channels

CW

CW D on February 22nd, 2008 at 3:00 pm

^#68

Wallstreet journal is great, but ft.com (financial times) is free and quite similar

CW

CW D on February 22nd, 2008 at 3:02 pm

^#69

Hi Scott,

Years ago I stopped reading a lot of the national newspapers and watching the evening news programs for exactly this reason. I have worked in the law enforcement community for the past 15 years and I know that this stuff goes on each day all over the world. Today the news organizations do not present its viewers with news, they present us with entertainment…and a slanted view of the news. They routinely try to create news stories to sell papers, advertising and get viewers to tune in to their channel.

How many times have you heard those famous “News Teases”? “Shark attacks on the rise. Should _you_ go back in the water? Tune in at eleven to find out if your in danger.” And you think…gee, I live in FL, should I be worried…only to find out that the story is about the Great Barrier Reef.

I have resorted to RSS news feed and the use of Google Reader for all my online information gathering. With many national and international news publications and websites you can choose to subscribe to only the information you want to receive.

For a majority of my international news I subscribe to the BBC’s news feeds. You can find a list of them at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/help/3223484.stm. I have found them to be the most fair and balanced, unlike (cough…Fox News…cough).

Steve

Steve I on February 22nd, 2008 at 3:42 pm

^#70

Hey Scott
Maybe God is trying to get our attention, so that we start making changes for the better. Such as, spending more time with our kids and familys, spending more time getting to know our neighbors and friends.
Just ask yourself this question, when are the times that you are really the happiest. I think for most of us it is when we are giving of ourselves to others. Be it family or friends or strangers at a seminar for example. Just my two cents.
God Bless

Bob on February 22nd, 2008 at 3:55 pm

^#71

If you want politics, go to c-span.org and capitalnews.org
They recently re-did their website, so it is actually reader friendly at this point
And you can be sure not to read any of those headlines you pasted in your blog.

soulcase on February 22nd, 2008 at 4:23 pm

^#72

Scott,
I hear you. I was constantly bombarded like you, and I decided to stop reading the daily news from television sources (because you often don’t know what they are about to tell you — at least with the web, you can stop reading)

Here’s what helped me regain a sense of balance even with all these outrageous things happening — I began to volunteer for a hospice. Now, I don’t think everyone should volunteer for a hospice, but I knew that I was doing what I could to help ‘my backyard’ (the people in my community) find peace with themselves and the world.

Funny, when I felt like I was doing my own small part in improving the world, I felt like I could feel outrage at what was being done, but yet know that a part of the world *I* could affect was being taken care of.

Don’t mean to be preachy — just thought to share a solution that worked with me.

Cheers!
Mike

mike on February 22nd, 2008 at 4:37 pm

^#73

Hi, Scott.
If you understand why we get so much depressing and non-news stories it will help you to cope and maintain a sanguine outlook. These stories are what Lenin might have called the opiate of the masses designed to take people’s minds off the activities of government and large corporations who wish to operate at times above the rule of law. You can fill in the blanks–the war in Iraq, the sub-prime mortgage fiasco, the bumbled efforts to provide aid to victims of Katrina, the unaccountability of the Bush administration on numerous activities, etc.
To further aid and abet the major news networks, your journalists and political pundits engage in an endless inane babble of piffle that doesn’t challenge or bring to light transgressions by elected people who are supposed to be serving your best interests.
Much is the same here in Canada. We are served the same dollop of blather for the same reasons.
The solution is to realize that our sanity comes from our ability to use our individual talents to help each other and to engage in activities that ennoble the mind and the spirit. Cultivating a hobby can be a release of one’s talents. When we have something better to choose we know we don’t have to become slaves to the agenda handed to us by the news media.
We can always choose what we watch and listen to and maybe that’s the answer — we have to be selective. NAPP members are lucky in that we have a common interest in Photoshop, photography, etc. and other hobbies that we can share with others. That’s my rant.

robert romhanyi on February 22nd, 2008 at 4:48 pm

^#74

One of my favorite writers is Victor Davis Hanson—topical, but based in historical context. While he doesn’t write “feel good” articles, by any means, he is thoughtful and doesn’t write about the “if it bleeds, it leads” stuff that most media bombards us with. You will learn a great deal about history if you read much of his writing. You can find him at http://www.victorhanson.com/. I gave up most newscast a long time ago for the same reasons you cite.

Anita Jesse on February 22nd, 2008 at 5:10 pm

^#75

Scott - We spend the winter in the Tampa area and subscribe to the St. Petersburg Times. I totally agree that reading a local paper does not much insight into what is happening around the world. For that I read the New York Times online (and I am sure other major newspapers would also cover world and national news). Add the News Hours with Jim Lehrer on PBS and I think we have a good handle on the news. I’ll do my own balancing.

Linda Quinn on February 22nd, 2008 at 6:08 pm

^#76

Having started out in the newspaper business I can agree with you. Journalism is still stuck in the era of making every traffic accident a story. Newspapers and evening news shows are struggling because people are voting with their lack of attention against this coverage of yesteryear. Maybe we are splitting to where the tabloid reader crowd will have its trash and slightly more informed readers will have broader coverage of important issues in far fewer newspapers and broadcast media outlets.

Al Marsh on February 22nd, 2008 at 7:14 pm

^#77

Scott,

For international news I read International Herald Tribune and BBC. Both available as RRS streams on Mac as a widget. For national/international
nothing beats the Wall Street Journal and the Economist….no sensational stuff like that you mention…I just ignore the financials as I rebalance the portfolio once a year.

World magazine is a Christian based news magazine devoid of the usual focus on mans depravity.

News is helpful but not altogether necessary, especially when it myopically focuses on our fallen nature.

Bob Moore

Bob Moore on February 22nd, 2008 at 7:18 pm

^#78

Scott, I too agree with you. I stopped watching television news years ago not just because the news was always so negative, but even moreso because I simply didn’t understand what I was supposed to do with information once I received it.

When I hear the weather report, I can do something with that information. But when I hear about tragic things that happen to individuals or groups, it’s not clear what I should do with that information, or even sometimes why I should even know about it.

So most of my news comes through talk radio like Air America, where at least I’m getting some analysis about current and political events. I also use Google News because that way I can select and filter the type of news items I want to read about. So I get some world and local news headlines that I can scan, then I get selected headlines on items of specific interests such as photography, business marketing, African-American people, etc

By viewing Google news on daily basis, I feel I’m staying tapped into what’s going in the world, but the same time I’m not being weighted down with topics like the ones you list above.

Bakari on February 22nd, 2008 at 7:37 pm

^#79

You’re absolutely right. To the bloke who said BBC is better - today at work we had a TV (pretty sure it was tuned to BBC) playing ALL day the story of some English guy who a model http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7254628.stm This story was even better for them (journalists) because it combined the second aspect of modern media - celebrity. If they’re not talking about some moron killing some innocent person, it’s about Britney or Winehouse.

That is why I pretty much stopped watching TV or going to general news websites. Only NYT.com, WSJ and Google Reader.

Vic on February 22nd, 2008 at 8:25 pm

^#80

Scott,
In addition to all the suggestions, I would also suggest the McClatchy news service. www.mcclatchydc.com
They have excellent balanced (in the true sense - not Fox sense) reporting on important issues.

Pete V on February 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 pm

^#81

I get most of my news from the iGoogle personalized page. Of course I have most of the feeds set to tech or Mac related news. But Google will certainly let you focus on the topics you want rather than what the news sites promote as their top headlines.

Rob on February 22nd, 2008 at 11:52 pm

^#82

Remember when the News used to be 15 mins. long? And covered important events. I quit watching the local news a long time ago because of the hype they use use to get you watch the great story at 11:00pm. The one that did for me was the “investigative reporter” was going to confront the operation of a local scam. The report showed her going to a vacate address and looking in the mail slot in the door. Not to mention any names but her Initials were Marty Emerale from channel 10 in San Diego.
I think the the news is all totally over analyzed by these experts. I love “The Daily Show”

Lou Adzima on February 23rd, 2008 at 12:28 am

^#83

Scott, maybe we all spend too much time thinking about the wrong things?

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Nathan on February 23rd, 2008 at 1:15 am

^#84

Hi Scott,
I agree 100%. Everything is sensationalized these days - even the weather. I gave up TV news years ago.

I just saw this quote last week - thought it spoke perfectly to your post. It’s by one of our founding fathers nonetheless;

I do not take a single newspaper, nor read one a month, and I feel myself infinitely the happier for it.
Thomas Jefferson
3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)

David Ziser on February 23rd, 2008 at 1:23 am

^#85

I would try CFR.org ( Council of Foreign Relations) you will get all of your new from home and abroad. You can even sign up for a newsletter brief that sends to your email.

David on February 23rd, 2008 at 1:35 am

^#86

Sounds like you’re exhausted from being subjected to the endless stream of “true crime” tragedies that pass for news here.

To my mind, this stuff isn’t journalism, because the function of journalism is to provide actionable information on events home and abroad. The point is to give each of us the information we need to participate as citizens.

Unfortunately, a capitalist news service is driven by dollars, not civics. So no big surprise we’re treated as viewers instead of citizens. And unfortunately, since news outlets need to attract as many pairs of eyeballs as they can, we will continue receive a steady diet of true crime stories, pundit screaming matches, and incessant “horse-race” blather that passes for political analysis - because sensationalism sells.

Good journalism takes risks - meaning a story on government corruption or corporate misdeeds will raise the hackles of people in power. That kind of journalism is expensive to produce and puts heat on news agencies from people in powerful positions. And as we see each news cycle, the path of to profitability and the one least likely to generate useful controversy is the sensationalistic pap that passes for news here.

BTW - check out the Center For Public Integrity to read the kind of authentic journalism I’m writing about here (http://www.publicintegrity.org/default.aspx). It was founded by Charles Lewis, a former producer for 60 minutes, who abandoned that lucrative gig because he became disenchanted with the same stuff you talk about here.

Greg on February 23rd, 2008 at 6:41 am

^#87

Yeah that does suck… The world in so many places is such a bad place.

Mark Ensign on February 23rd, 2008 at 12:49 pm

^#88

SK-
I agree. The words of a song or two describe this well. “she can tell you ’bout the plane crash with a gleem in her eye”- Don Henley. “Why don’t the newscasters cry when they read about people who died? At least they could be decent enough to put just a tear in their eye” Jack Johnson. Ratings, ratings, ratings.
All we can do is keep ourselves grounded and act humanely. Every interaction does make a difference.
Thanks for bringing this up.
Rob O

Rob O on February 23rd, 2008 at 1:13 pm

^#89

Hi Scott,

I’m sorry to hear how the daily News is depressing you, I feel your pain too which is why I don’t tune into Radio or TV News very often!

I would very much agree with people who have posted here about the news being ’sensationalist’. I mean who in their right minds wants to wake up to hearing about how an elderly person was beaten up for their money, or about children being abused! I know the world needs to hear about this stuff, but it doesn’t need to be in the headlines, just to sell papers and stuff!

I realize you are trying to find a better news source, but would you hear me out in the following paragraphs? Because it might be important to you.

Personally, I don’t agree however with people who say that the BBC are ‘balanced’ and ‘unbiased’. While they might not be so sensationalist like other News TV, they are however ‘anti almost everything’, meaning ‘anti Bush & Blair’, anti-Christian (some of their output undermines the Lord’s teachings in his Bible), and as a fellow Christian yourself Scott I’m sure you wouldn’t like that aspect! They are also increasingly being against Israel and their reporting is seemingly heavily biased in favor of the Secular religions there (and here in the UK as well I might add).

Also whenever America try to help out other poorer nations, almost no-one thanks them for it - instead the Media seem to only listen to people who are very often miss-informed about your Government’s efforts and who sometimes ‘hate’ America and the West too! This is what UK TV viewers are being ‘forced by law’ to pay for, each and every year in our License fees! Even Bill Clinton and a few CBS correspondents have questioned the BBC’s way of gathering news on world events sometimes I might point out!

If you want to read a ‘more informed’ view on world politics, may I suggest Michelle Malkin (www.michellemalkin.com She is a FOX correspondent and author, and while she might be regarded by some as being controversial, she isn’t afraid to tackle hot topics!

Take care and see you next week on PhotoshopUser TV!

Anonymous on February 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pm

^#90

http://www.happynews.com/ a better way to start the day - at least that’s what I’ve found.

Janet on February 23rd, 2008 at 3:43 pm

^#91

I was sitting in my Journalism ethics course a couple years ago and I mentioned that the fear mongering that was going on in the paper concerning the bird flu epidemic was, to me, unethical. I told the class that there was no actual epidemic and there was no reason to portray it on the front page as a huge killer about to sweep America.

The class looked at me like I was an alien from another world. “How should we portray it,” the teacher asked? I told her that it was worthy of being reported but not as an extreme problem that everyone should fear. I didn’t know what else to say.

The mantra in journalism is “if it bleeds it leads.” Perhaps that sells more papers but I think it is interesting that news subscriptions are falling while celebrity magazine subscriptions are rising. Maybe people are looking for an escape from all this “news.”

Todd on February 24th, 2008 at 1:07 am

^#92

Hey Scott,

Totally agree with you, I’m a new junkie myself and the news sources that you refer to, that is pretty much all they talk about.

Try:
New York Times - still the best in my opinion
Washington Post - Politics Politics Politics
CBC.ca (I’m canadian) - like the BBC, a much more balanced broadcast of news. In the US you have a hard time finding balanced news because the papers and tv are all owned by the company’s and politicians that they are writing about.

Google is also very good!

Happy hunting

Matt on February 24th, 2008 at 1:43 am

^#93

Even though I support you Scott in the idea that news is way to focused on tragedy I am somewhat perplexed over the lack of perspective you display when saying you rather hear about things you can do something about rather then women and children on your “own street” getting beaten and killed.

I am curious as to what in the Middle Eastern conflicts you find easier to fix, and why you haven’t told anyone about it, then to walk over to your neighbor’s house and ask how they are doing when you hear the sound of domestic violence.

Scott you have the media spotlight well and firmly on you, with that come responsibility. I doubt you can change the networks news policy but you have get a few thousand of your website fans to realize they can and should care about the people around them, and in so doing will give the news media less domestic tragedy to write about and thus making you not having to read about it.

Sebastian Bjurbom on February 24th, 2008 at 4:13 am

^#94

I totally agree with this and have watched this for years. My wife always hears me saying something should be done, but how do we change a giant company that is corrupt. It is time for some interesting, happy news bits. It might not be as interesting, but putting some good in the news would encourage people to think positive and live their lives with a different frame of mind.

It is the American way to fill them with fear and control them. As much as people think they are free, they are not. America is not the land of the free anymore. It is the land of fear.What better way to control people then pump them up with depressing fearful media

It is election time people!! Fill them with fear, say you got the answer and get the VOTE!

Paul B on February 24th, 2008 at 2:57 pm

^#95

Yep I just have to agree. I moved to the UK from Australia in 2004 and noticed how negative the news was so I just stopped watching it and I felt so much better.

Now I am back in Australia, I do the same. I don’t watch the news and I hardly read the paper. It kind of drains me of energy. Besides if I do that its less time on photography.

As Eckhart Tolle has said, the news is there to sell negative emotion.

James on February 24th, 2008 at 9:48 pm

^#96

I produce “The Prosperity Podcast”. We have often commented on our show about the sad fact that the daily news is mostly negative with only the occasional positive or inspirational story. Self-help guru, James Arthur Ray, says that he stopped watching the news 10 years ago and hasn’t looked back. In fact, I question the need to be informed on a global scale. As a teacher of spiritual practice, I encourage my listeners to deal with what is immediately present in their daily lives and to make that the best it can be. Eliminating exposure to the negative and fearful mindset of most mass media would be a giant step to a happier and healthier life for all.

Ira Ellenbogen on February 25th, 2008 at 6:38 am

^#97

It just goes to show that tragedy sells papers, and drives ratings. It is a reflection of our society, who craves and feeds off this type of reporting. Certainly there are a few people who turn the channel or skip the story, but Americans love this type of sensational and tragic reporting. Have you seen Hotel Rwanda? I love the quote from Joaquin Pheonix’s character.

Whenever I get depressed about the news, I listen to Jack Johnson’s song “news.” It cheers me up, along with the rest of the album.

James on February 25th, 2008 at 4:04 pm

^#98

Hello scott,

I couldt agree more, I was reading you article and we have the same problem in France, I dont where to look for non depressing infos. I actually felt a lot better in my life when I didnt watch the news for a couple of weeks. At the end I just read the news I want from RSS feeds on the net on the subject of my interrest. The press whole economical basis is based on the fact that more you shock people, more you draw they attention and more they read, hence you can sell advertisement. But I refuse to beleive that theory been true, I believe that a lot of us would prefer to know about all the wonderfull stuff hapenning in the wolrd today. Someone you start a Good news show, Im sure it would rock !

Serge Ramelli
from Paris

Ramelli on February 25th, 2008 at 4:25 pm

^#99

I am among those who long ago stopped paying any attention to the news. My own life and personal relationships keep me supplied with enough intellectual and emotional stimulation and challenges that I have no need to go seeking more from the world outside.

Beyond the “tragedy sells papers” aspect of the whole thing, I know too that there are such things as mass consciousnesses (the awkwardness of that word notwithstanding) that are formed whenever two or more people come together, and I’m certain that if our consciousnesses, both mass and individual, were not so relentlessly burdened with negativity from the media, the world would be a radically different and far better place for our having a much happier and more positive outlook. Like Scott, I don’t think we should ignore negative things that happen and about which we can do something positive, but I think the key is being able to do something positive in the end. If there’s no possibility of that, then there’s no constructive purpose served by dwelling on the injustice. Optimism, not pessimism, is the catalyst to achievement. Let those local to the injustice, who can do something about it, do so, and let the rest of us deal with the injustices that present themselves to us in the courses of our own lives, rather than pay people to bring us news of injustice from afar. Nature tends to provide the balance of positive and negative influences that each of us needs in order to learn and grow and achieve what we need to achieve; when that balance is thrown off by several metric tons of negativity imported by freight carrier from distant lands, we get thrown off, distracted and depressed, and have a much harder time maintaining what positivity we need in order to keep going, being reasonably happy and productive.

Oh, I’m prattling…partly because there are so many facets to this discussion that I don’t know which ones to address where in order to present a cohesive view. But I think Scott’s really done that already anyway. I really just want to say that I wholeheartedly agree, and think that if we take his line of thinking on the matter to its logical conclusion, our selves, our personal relationships, our communities, our towns, our states, our nations, and our world will all be better places.

Tiger Darson on February 25th, 2008 at 5:00 pm

^#100

My Daily News Sources Are Depressing Me

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