News and current affairs


Is it just me or has the news become less news and more entertainment (slipping towards the gutter at a fast speed).  I don’t know about you, but I watch the news on TV to watch "news".  What is happening locally, nationally and internationally.  I do not want to hear about the latest love nest between an ex cricket player (Shane Warne) and a B grade actor/model (Liz Hurley).   All last week on the news  one of the lead stories was about Hurley — who spent a romantic week with her lover.  The fact that both have children, that Hurley has only recently separated from her husband and Warne is divorced doesn’t seem to matter. No one seem to see anything wrong with this story at all.

For me it demonstrates how far we have slipped in society towards such a sinful way of life, that a very public affair — a lustful fling — is considered newsworthy and acceptable.  Children watch the news (more so older children) and what message are we giving them — that this is ok as it appears on the news. 

Even the newspaper contains content that you would not want your child to view .  Next to me is my local newspaper and it contains the story of the Italian Prime Minisiter and his antics, yes this is newsworthly as his behaviour could remove him from power, however the major problem with this article is the large photo of the prostitute in all her “work clothes”.  Not a photo that you would want your child to find as they innocently flicked through the newspaper.  This same story was run on the news and for some reason the media outlet thought it was important to show the bosums of this women at very close range.  Why?  It doesn’t add to the story — the viewer knew the woman was a prositute, we didn’t need to see her.

I am fed up with news being sensationalised, dumbed down (mindless) and turned into entertainment.    I find myself more often these days only watching the headlines and then turning it off. 

Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1Thessalonians 5:22 

I will set nothing wicked before my eyes
Psalm101:3 (NKJV)

~oOo~


Comments

  1. Jo: the news so disgusts me these days I very rarely watch it. Apart from the sexual antics of people who are really only important in their own eyes I was sickened by the cheapening of peoples devestation after the floods & cyclone as the media rushed round in a frenzy shoving cameras in people's faces & asking personal questions all in the name of *news*. It wasn't news. Not sure what you'd call it but not news. Where are the unbiased facts about things that impact the world [not Warnie & his Hurley]? Actually I now watch little t.v, rarely listen to radio talk, & screen what I gleen from the computer ~ but I belong to a generation that was taught how to hear/see the manipulation of emotive words & phrases in reporting & it drives me bonkers; bonkers enough to not subject myself to it except in dire emergency.

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  2. I don't watch the news. I don't read newspapers. I don't read magazines. (All of them are gossip-mongers and not much else)... Occasionally I glance at the headlines online, but VERY selectively choose what I will and won't read. Most of what I do read has to do with health, houses, and "opinions columns" (and only the 'clean' and interesting subjects of that). You are right, it's sickening what the general population likes to dwell on with their minds and eyes. It should be no surprise to us - all humanity is degenerating, and if it weren't for the Christians and the Holy Spirit, it would be even worse. Thank God for His restraining power!

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  3. You are right! I am sick of the reporters asking stupid and innane questions like "After seeing your son swept away by the flood, how did you feel?" time and time again insensitive and stupid questions were asked in the name of news! And of course, we have the salacious details of sordid affairs and divorces splashed on our screens too. Good post. Blessings, Glenys

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  4. I'm with you Jo!
    I rarely watch the news, just blitz through the important headlines when I'm online.
    Besides all the sexual antics etc most of it is just plain bad news which I don't want to fill my mind with, it can get quite depressing watching too much sad / bad news. When we do watch the news we have remote in hand to flick / turn it off quickly.

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  5. I also do not watch the news and we don't buy newspapers, but I do read the news on the internet.

    Not just news, but other current affairs programs, can be inappropriate for children. My 7 year old happened to walk into the living room last night while HB was watching the beginning of 60 minutes. I then had to answer 1000 questions about '...what happened to that little girl? What did her dad do to her?' (the story of Zara Baker). It really wasn't a good thing for my daughter to be dwelling on at bedtime. Or any time, I suppose.

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  6. Mum-me - I have watched some "news stories", in particular ones about animals being treated cruelly and it causes me grief, what would it do to a child. Sadly many children watch TV unattended, so many children watch these news and current affair programmes - I wonder what affect it has on them.

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  7. News is the States is very, very political, which is what bothers me, as well as the filth. These days I tend to get my news from public radio. While there is some partisanship, the truth is that there is much less filth and mud slinging in it than the other options.

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