Am I (or you) a news junkie?

I have come to realise that listening to the news may well be having a negative impact on my life.

What do I mean by that?

It has become clearer to me that 'the news' media seek to create the maximum amount of drama out of any given situation; a Government minister resigning is not just a man resigning it is a 'crisis for the Government'. Someone dying is not simply sad it is a 'tragedy' (it is for him and his family but is it for me?). News by its current definition is almost universally the imparting of bad rather than good news. My very unscientific view is that 90% of what we hear as news is profoundly negative in content and style of delivery.

So 90% of the time that I spend watching a TV news program I am being subjected to a stream of very negative programming about how awful the world is today. That much programming has to have a negative effect on my own thoughts processes and ability to think rationally about the world around me.

So for the next seven days I am going to try a 'no news experiment'. I will avoid watching all TV news programs (that should claim back a few hours of my time each week) and avoid the current affairs programs on the radio when I travel in the car.

I'm doing this because I feel as if I have become a bit of a news junkie. I routinely get up at 5am, at 5.30 I'll watch the financial news (that is never good), then I 'll catch 15 minutes of breakfast TV (rarely good) and if I'm travelling in the car I'll listen to a current affairs program on the radio (mostly bad but some good spots). If I don't get my 'fix' I think I may have missed something important, so I keep listening or watching; no wonder there are times when it get me down!

All this negative programming can really only raise fear and anxiety and there is already plenty of that to go around; So I'm boycotting bad news.

I'll let you know how I get on but I wonder if you are a bit of a news junkie too?