Sometimes, I know exactly what I want to write. Sometimes, like today, my brain literally felt empty. Well, maybe not empty. More like dull. Nothing interesting to say.
I started thinking about what’s been going on in the news and was reminded of the shootings in Ohio. And I thought that i was going to do a complete rant about absentee parenting and the impact it has on so many lives. So I went to check my favorite sensationalist headline site, Drudge Report, and got sidetracked, like I usually do with a million and one links.
I read about the 2 year old baby found alive in a field 10 miles from its home after the recent tornadoes. I read about Breitbart’s death and the is-he-dead-or-isn’t-he-dead story. And I almost clicked on the link about 700 pound man who used YouTube to seek help. But I didn’t. Instead I got to pondering about the kinds of news we have delivered to us nowadays.
Today’s (Optional) Writing Prompt: Where are you lacking trust in your life? (examples: church, government, work, family, etc.)
Here we go…
—
I don’t trust the news. Not one single tiny bit.
Which news? From what source?
I’ll say it. From ANY source.
It used to be that families sat down to watch the evening news at 6pm. It was national news and we knew we’d be watching Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, or Peter Jennings (Peter being my fave). No matter what they said, we believed what they said. It was gospel.
My mom always turned on the local news at 11pm. I never cared for it much and still don’t. I’d be content to turn on the weather and turn it right back off. When I watch local news, I’m reminded by how ridiculous people are and how awful things can be right in your neighborhood.
We also had the newspapers. The local-yocal paper that always talked about who won the local high school football game and what was going on at the Rotary Club. We also had access to the Washington Post. As a child, I was convinced it was the most boring thing ever written. I don’t know how I ever learned anything about anything.
It wasn’t until I got older that someone uttered the words to me, “Oh, USA Today is such a liberal paper.”
What?!? Newspapers can’t be biased. They simply report the news.
And as I got older and a little more knowledgable about the world, that i could most definitely discern a liberal paper from a conservative one.
Now, I see the same thing on TV. And on the internet. And on Twitter.
Whether it’s professionally reported news or personally reported through social channels, I just don’t believe it until it’s at least a day old.
Davy Jones passed way – yes
Andrew Breitbart died – yes
Whitney Houston committed suicide – maybe
Obama responsible for increased gas prices – not really
Who do you trust anymore?
4 comments
I’ll bite, Fadra. I don’t usually do these things, but this was on my mind. Link goes live at 12:30am, so not sure if it works in your linky.
I love the topic today even though it fires me up:-)! I don’t watch the news, haven’t in years. My mom/dad are the type that has news on somewhere in the house 24/7, even while sleeping, UGH. They wonder why they’re tired and negative, hmmm…. Sometimes I feel as though I’m not doing my part on being informed enough, but I usually get over it. I hear about the big things anyway, how can you not in today’s world, it’s all over twitter and FB in a second.
It is really horrible that we can’t watch the news anymore. I find that more of the non-mainstream news sources (nationally and internationally) are more reliable and share stories that are off the beaten path, but still relevant.
Much better than the local and national news sharing stories about Justin Beiber’s ridiculously expensive birthday present.
I was going to go with the prompt because just the other day I posted to Facebook about how awful it was to watch the news. In fact, I think I might have mentioned something about 2 legged animals. But, I knew it would turn into a rant I didn’t want to get into. So, I suddenly thought of my own theme. But, I’m with you as far as trusting the news. It’s like I read between the lines and see they are doing and saying what they say because of ratings and awards. Oh, no, I started that rant here, so sorry.