Thursday, August 07, 2008

News

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD…He will have no fear of bad news (Psalm 112:1, 7).

I’m not much of one for spending a lot of time on the news. When I was growing up, my parents subscribed to both of Milwaukee’s daily newspapers, but I hardly ever looked at either of them. I’ve never watched shows like 60 Minutes or the 700 Club. I watch local and national news programs several times most weeks, but there are some days when the only news I get is from the radio as I’m eating a meal or driving to an appointment.

It’s not that I don’t care about what’s going on in the world; I restrict my diet of news simply because there is far too much of it to take in and remain mentally healthy. The bulk of what’s reported is demoralizing—terrorist attacks, tainted food, political corruption, people afflicted with incurable medical conditions, homes destroyed by tornadoes and wildfires and hurricanes—the list just goes on and on. If you let it happen, the news can convince you that things are spinning hopelessly out of control.

What good does all this knowledge do you? Can you find or capture a terrorist leader? Can you overturn a judge’s bad decision? Can you cause the cost of oil to go down? Jesus said, who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? (Luke 12:25-26) Sometimes newspeople try to worry us about things we simply can’t control. Such news does far more harm than good, and for the most part should be avoided. My mother remembers listening to the radio on December 7th, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was attacked; the newsman reported what had happened, and then the radio network just went back to normal programming. Contrast that to the reporting of the 9/11 terrorist attack, coverage so pervasive that there was no way to get a moment’s relief from it.

But some news is worth paying attention to. It is good to know what politicians are up to, so you can vote wisely during the next round of elections. It is important for the safety of your family to find out when a dangerous product has been recalled. And it is always good to know when someone needs help—being aware of another person’s troubles gives you the opportunity to pray for them. The news can serve a useful function, when there is something you can do in response to it.

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