Dialing Down My News Consumption

I don’t know what led to my being so interested in following the news. Graduating from college and living on my own in the 1960s, I always wanted to be informed about what was going on in the world- progress in civil rights and women’s rights, protests about the Vietnam War, and the optimism of the Kennedy presidency-  all seemed important to know about, and watching the 11o’clock news on TV was one of my daily rituals. News-watching continued in subsequent years, supplemented by my reading the NY Times,  checking in on CNN if I were home during the day, watching the 6 o’clock news, and listening to radio news broadcasts when I was in my car.  My husband enjoys news magazines, so after we got married I also read Newsweek, Time, and other news-focused magazines.  Since retiring several years ago, I continued news-watching, often referring to myself as a news junkie.

But I have started to cut down.

Several things have led to this. It started with the Trump era, when the divisiveness in our country seemed to escalate and the reporting I heard on the news became less about events, policies, and ideas, and more about personal attacks and mud-slinging. I didn’t want to keep hearing about this. But reducing my outside activities during COVID, I watched even more TV for a time, following the various phases of the epidemic and the efforts to lessen its impact. Unfortunately, this was also filled with divisiveness, at times fueled by fear and ignorance. In the 2020s, reporting of racial injustice and police brutality, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and other events were certainly all important to learn about,

But I started asking myself why I was watching so much of it? Did I need to hear about this several times every day?

National news is full of the horrors of mass shootings, more than one a day in the US just since the beginning of 2023. Local news has disturbing reports about my beloved New York City – including robberies, shootings, and people pushed onto train tracks. I remembered that when I lived in NYC in the 1970s and 80s, it was considered very dangerous, and in fact crime now is less than what occurred at that time. I realized that some of the reported news was selected to cater to the audience’s fears rather than accurate reporting of events.

And now, in what is considered the post-COVID period, I am eager to again fully enjoy what the City has to offer. But I find the news even more disturbing, and see that some of my friends have become reluctant to venture out and even warned me against it.

So despite, or even because of, some of my own trepidations, I recently did some local Manhattan sight-seeing and exploration. I went to Pier 57, a new attraction on the Hudson River near 15^th street. It is a James Beard-curated food hall, with a rooftop park, and wonderful views of the Hudson and nearby Little Island Park- overall a great place for people-watching and trying some good food.  A few days later I went to the Guggenheim museum and saw exhibits of the work of Gego (Gertrud Goldschmidt) and early paintings of Picasso. Wonderful art, reminding me of the many treasures in my city that I have yet to visit. The weather was cool and sunny, and lots of people were out, enjoying themselves, locals and tourists. And the following week I took a train to Astoria Queens – a train! – transportation that some people had warned me about. I went there for a reading a friend did from his recently published book. I enjoyed this developing neighborhood- lots of people out, lovely coffee shops, and the sense of dynamic energy that made me glad to be there.  Yes, when I waited for the train I did not stand near the edge… but I never did in the past.

 And I thought about all the people who stay home, watching the news, adding fuel to their growing fears about venturing out in the city.  I think this news-induced fear particularly happens with older people. Perhaps because they watch more TV news, and already feel vulnerable to the potential threats that come with aging.

Each of us, regardless of age or concerns about the “state of the world” must make our own decision about where and when to venture out. I find that I feel exhilarated, and even inspired, when I experience the culture and the people of the city. So while I will continue being informed of the news, I will lower my dose, dialing down on the frequency and sources of information.