Rebuilding Rob

As WordPress continues to recycle old prompts, I pulled another prompt from The Coffee Monsterz Co to respond to today

How do you balance staying informed with world news & local news without getting trapped in the negativity.

There’s an old axiom in journalism: “If it bleeds, it leads.” It’s a cynical rule, but an accurate one. If a story is violent, depressing, or sensational, it’s deemed newsworthy. While it’s easy to sound flippant about this reality, the constant onslaught of negativity has a real-world impact on our psyche.

The Cycle of Fear

I saw this firsthand with my mother. When she was still in her home, she would get sucked into the CNN loop, especially on days when “Breaking News” unfolded in real-time. She would watch for hours, absorbing the same tragic updates over and over. When you subject yourself to that—watching a tragedy on a loop—you begin to believe the world is nothing but a dark, horrible place.

I’m not immune to it, either. I remember January 6, 2021. My school was holding a virtual staff meeting on Microsoft Teams. I did something I rarely do: I turned off my camera, muted my microphone, and watched the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol unfold in real-time. I was absolutely riveted, caught in the same gravitational pull I watched my mother struggle with.

I’ve come to believe this onslaught is intentional. It often feels as though certain forces want us in a perpetual state of fear—frightened of the world and, more importantly, terrified of one another.

Reclaiming the Antidote

The antidote I’ve found is simple: stop giving the madness a voice.

I rarely watch CNN anymore, and I’ve almost entirely cut out local news, save for the weather. The problem with the 24-hour cycle is that stories are reported before the facts are even gathered. Speculation fills the gaps where information should be.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I found a middle ground. I avoided the frantic pace of 24-hour outlets and turned instead to the network evening news. These broadcasts offered a “slow news” approach—summarizing what actually transpired rather than speculating on what might happen in the next ten minutes.

Choosing what we consume in this way is an act of reclaiming our own peace. By refusing to let the “bleed” lead my day, I am choosing to see the world through my own eyes rather than a screen.

The Power of Being Powerless

For a great example of what happens when we are forced to turn off the noise, I think back to the Northeast blackout of 2003. Living in the Detroit area at the time, I was right in the middle of the affected region. Millions of us were simply powerless. Even the few people who had home generators had limited resources.

This meant that, for the most part, we all went without television. And then, we did the greatest thing we could do in that moment: we stepped outside.

I personally remember seeing neighbors who hadn’t spoken in months finally talking—and actually listening—to each other. People sparked up their barbecues and slow cookers, calling out to anyone walking by: “Hey, I’ve got a freezer full of food that’s about to go bad. Would you like to have dinner with us?”

What began as a crisis ended up becoming one of the greatest communal experiences of my lifetime. Without the glow of the screen to distract us, we finally saw the people standing right in front of us.

Looking Toward the Horizon

The best way to combat the madness is to stop listening to the noise and start listening to each other. There is a power in looking up from the headlines to have a real conversation with a neighbor. We find the true pulse of the world in the people we meet, not the pixels we watch.

I’ve traded the 24-hour cycle for the long view—and when you finally look toward the horizon instead of the headlines, it looks a lot less frightening.

The next time you feel the pull toward a ‘breaking news’ loop, ask yourself: Is this giving me facts, or is it just taking my peace? I challenge you to ‘break the news’ for the next twenty-four hours. Put the phone down, turn off the notifications, and look at the world right in front of you instead of the headlines. You might be surprised by the potential you find when you’re no longer looking for the tragedy.

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment, and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related (and perhaps, not-so-related) posts:

• The Christmas Pivot: Road Trips, Kid Hangovers, and Part Two
• Breaking the Breaking News
• The Cost of the License: Why I’m Done Performing
• A Trekkie’s Christmas Wish: The Audacity of Human Potential
• Dark Windows and Crowded Driveways

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The article “Breaking the Breaking News” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.