{"id":2901,"date":"2013-07-31T07:00:06","date_gmt":"2013-07-31T11:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.susanvogt.net\/blog\/?p=2901"},"modified":"2018-05-01T15:54:50","modified_gmt":"2018-05-01T19:54:50","slug":"36555-cutting-back-on-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.susanvogt.net\/blog\/36555-cutting-back-on-news\/","title":{"rendered":"365+#55: – Taming My News Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Days<\/a>I\u2019ve finished my \u201cnews fast\u201d – week without newspapers, e-news, radio*, or TV (well, not no<\/i> news but only indirect news gained from other\u2019s comments). When I reconnected with the world I learned that I missed the birth of the royal baby, that Edward Snowden was still holed up in the Moscow airport, and that there was still unrest in Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the US Congress was still stalemated on almost every issue.<\/p>\n

SOME THINGS I LEARNED:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. It was an easy week<\/b>: Since I was at a conference for most of one week and hosting our 4-year-old granddaughter the next, this probably wasn\u2019t a true test. I had very little discretionary time during which I would normally read the paper or listen to news. Instead I tried to address issues like how to strengthen marriages, reform our Church, and persuade a 4-year-old that broccoli was tasty and that too many s\u2019mores were not.<\/li>\n
  2. What I didn\u2019t miss:<\/b> Perhaps this was a slow news week but there did not seem to be any late breaking, earth shattering news that I missed. The troubles of the world continued without me knowing the \u201clatest.\u201d Another random week might have been very different \u2013 but then someone would have probably alerted me to pay attention.<\/li>\n
  3. What I missed<\/b> was the news analysis that I usually get from NPR, the NYT, and Charlie Rose.<\/li>\n
  4. \"Days<\/a>E-mail:<\/b> I didn\u2019t miss the interminable email \u201cnews\u201d flashes (usually political) asking me to support this cause or that and peppered with requests to support a worthy cause with a donation. By the time the week was over, the urgent Senate vote or \u201cWalk for ??\u201d had passed and it was too late. This gave me a guilt free pass to delete a bunch of emails even though I agreed with the cause.<\/li>\n
  5. \"Days<\/a>Facebook\/LinkedIn\/Twitter<\/b>: Although I have a limited connection with these social media, I do occasionally pick up helpful information like links to short inspirational articles or YouTube videos. I also appreciate seeing photos of our kids\u2019 latest exploits or clever remarks. I don\u2019t know if I missed anything important here since it was probably buried by birthday wishes, changing FB profile pictures, and other\u2019s vacation photos. A lot of people wanted to link to, endorse, tweet, or friend me. I\u2019ll never know about those who don\u2019t. It doesn\u2019t impact my life much.<\/li>\n
  6. The Weather:<\/b> Although I don\u2019t have any control over the weather, knowing generally what it will be like, helped us plan when to do the campout with our granddaughter or what kind of clothes to take on my trip. I think checking the weather is a worthy use of news.<\/li>\n
  7. Habits:<\/b> I typically listen to radio news when dressing or in the car. I read the newspaper while eating breakfast or waiting for appointments. I listen to a bit of Charlie Rose at bedtime. When I returned from my conference, I found myself ready to automatically resume some of those habits. It took some self-discipline to continue the \u201cfast.\u201d I wondered what I was missing, but then the urge passed and I realized I was still alive and hadn\u2019t suffered unduly, and indeed got a little more sleep.<\/li>\n
  8. \"nothing\"<\/a>Silence:<\/b> By not turning on the radio or TV, I had a little more silence. This was good. I needed it as a respite from the barrage of \u201cWhy do insects bite us? Why can\u2019t I have another story? Why do I have to go to bed?\u201d questions. It was hard enough to find a quiet time for prayer and reflection when traveling or when arranging my schedule around someone else\u2019s needs. These snippets of silence became a refreshing prayer time for me.<\/li>\n
  9. What I\u2019ll keep:<\/b> I think I\u2019ll keep most of the media I interact with since I learn about important developments in my work, the world, and family. I already limit my FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn time to a few minutes a day.<\/li>\n
  10. What I\u2019m not sure of or have decided to change: <\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n