But does what of Dobell’s example that “In 1914, the news story about the assassination in Sarajevo…was just one of several thousand stories in circulation that day…”? We could say the same of a day in November, 1963. For some events in the news we do need to pay attention whether it be the death of a president or a neighbor or a tragic earthquake in Haiti.

for if the above were true, then why make all/most high school students study calculus? or world history? or art? or music theory?

why collect stamps? why develop knowledge of gardening? or trigonometry?

it seems clear to me that anything can be made into mere entertainment. but anything can become a window into truth, beauty, and goodness. including the news.

But the constant imbibing of the information that passes for “news” doesn’t really add to that, and has its own bad effects. A friend once commented to me that “ignorance is bliss” when I suggested that constant feeding upon negative news probably didn’t do her any good or accomplish anything. I didn’t get the chance to explain to her that I wasn’t suggesting that people not be informed, just that constantly imbibing news and “being informed” are not precisely equal concepts.

I suspect part of the appeal of being a news junkie is feeling superior to other people. It also may gain the admiration of others, who believe that following the news is a sign of being smart.

I vaguely remember an anecdote from George Weigel’s biography of Pope John Paul that may be helpful here. According to Weigel (as I remember it–I couldn’t find it quickly in the book), the pope usually didn’t follow the latest news closely until at some point he was convinced that he had some obligation to read the newspapers. So he did, and found that it wasn’t worth the effort because he quickly grasped the fundamental questions and enduring points and the rest was just noise.

To me, that a model worth emulating.

http://wehrintheworld.blogspot.com/2011/03/trivia-competitions-and-good-life.html

But then I remembered my goal. I think Don’t be good at trivia is a good mantra to live by because it provides a surprising amount of guidance on what to avoid. If you look at the things you do in an average day and ask which of them are most improving your trivia skills, I’d bet you’d also say those are some of the least valuable uses of your time.

That includes, of course, sitcoms and celebrity gossip but also things like news, sports, and politics.

Discerning readers need not be bothered by any on-site reporter’s delusional and vain efforts to interview anyone involved in a conflict. Remember: If content purports to be news, you have better material to write about.

Untold numbers of other bloggers will thank you for delivering more deeply informed opinions on news-free content. You may have less to write about, but you will no longer be part of the problem, even in a derivative manner.