News Flash: There's Too Much "News"

"Laws are like sausages; it is better not to see them being made." --Otto von Bismarck 

I recall this insight from the founder of the German Empire every time I open a newspaper, check my email, or turn on the TV or radio. With apologies to my journalist friends, I am tired of hearing the so-called "news" about politics. There's too much of it. After a while it's just noise. 

Before the days of the 24-hour news cycle, we got a summary each evening from the likes of Walter Cronkite, Ted Koppel, or Peter Jennings and a somewhat more detailed account in the next morning's paper. 

But now we have scenes like these, with reporters crowding around politicians for juicy soundbites about "up to the minute" developments. 

 

Here's a news flash for the media: you're being used.  I understand that you're just doing your job and that “an informed citizenry is the bulwark of a democracy”—thank you, Thomas Jefferson—but how well informed are we, really?

Politicians seldom contribute substance in these impromptu sessions. They just spout “talking points” and try to say things that will gain them votes in the next election. They should be in their offices or in a committee session working to do what we elected them to do: solve problems.

And here’s a news flash for the politicians: you’re being used too. Your soundbites will help publishers sell newspapers and airtime and gain readers/listeners. Then social media (aka “weapons of mass distraction”) will take your soundbites, distort them, and use them for their own disingenuous purposes. Which will fire up the crazies of the world, distract us from the truth, and create more soundbites. The news cycle is a vicious circle.

Finally, here’s a news flash for everyone: we’re all being used if we let ourselves get sucked into this vortex. We mistake posturing for importance. By way of contrast, consider what happens in labor negotiations. When the parties get serious, they call for a news blackout, roll up their sleeves, and get down to work.  

The Hermit Philosopher recommends this approach for people on Capitol Hill.