Turn off the News

Yes, the title of the post is accurate. I am telling you to turn off the news.

“What? How will I stay informed?”

“You’re telling me to stick my head in the sand and act like nothing is happening?”

“The world is coming to an end, and I should act like it isn’t happening?”

“Where will I get my information if I don’t watch the news?”

I get it, we all want to stay in the loop and know what is going on in the world around us. It’s natural to want to be informed and included in local, national, and global affairs. I understand.

That said, are you really getting accurate and unbiased information? How do you know that the “Breaking News” stories are accurate in their content and narrative? Does the reporting seem a bit rushed and incomplete, forcing the viewer to “stay tuned?”

I’ll say it: don’t trust the news. At least, not the headlines and first version of stories. They are inherently inaccurate for a number of reasons:

1) The focus is more on being first than being right.

The delivery methods of media have changed dramatically over the last 20-30 years. Gone are the days of waiting until the evening hours to get our local and national news delivered via our local CBS, NBC, or ABC affiliate. Those who stuck around would then get the national evening news, focused more on national and world news.

Today, however, we are bombarded around the clock by 24-hour cable news, social media, websites, videos, and related media. Being first to pop up in your feed is more important than the content being accurate. There’s a war going on, and it’s being fought for your attention.

2) Nothing is unbiased.

It doesn’t matter what side of the political spectrum you are on or which TV/web personalities you follow. A great majority of the content that we are exposed to each day is biased. We find ourselves in information silos, only exposed to stories that various computer algorithms feel are likely to resonate with us based upon articles we have recently opened. This can have a dramatic impact not only on the type of information that you are exposed to, in addition to the bias with which it is presented.

Everyone thinks their sources and shows are less biased than the other side. They’re not.

3) Facts are presented as facts, though the conclusion is far from complete.

This is the direct result of biases. Certain outlets are only going to present stories in a certain way, and only use parts of the raw data in order to present the story to you in the light most favorable to the desired outcome. The left will not present something that allows the right to look favorable, as the right will not present the left in a positive light. Don’t get caught up in this battle for your views.

Why am I taking the time to bash the news and media?

We get to see the effects of how these stories are consumed by and how they affect our clients. Our offices receive a growing number of calls from clients or prospects who just saw a news story and think that it directly applies to them.

To be fair, there are times to be concerned when changes in policy, rules, and executive orders are implemented. More often than not, they don’t apply and millions and millions of people are in a state of constant panic as a result.

For instance, the breaking news story of the day yesterday was a pause in the issuance of all immigrant visas from 75 specific countries. It was reported by a couple of news outlets, but didn’t give the whole picture about who it would affect.

Do you know who panicked?

-Green card holders in the United States and their relatives.

-Naturalized US citizens.

-Immigrants in the US legally who have pending cases before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Do you know who didn’t need to panic? All of the above.

I’m not saying that there aren’t valid concerns over the recent changes in immigration policies. There certainly are and some should be challenged for their legality.

I am saying that you should take a breath and explore the truth when you see news stories or matters that concern you. There are plenty of sources of less biased information, particularly when you go directly to the source of that information.

How hard would it be to wait until an official statement came out from the Department of State to see what was and wasn’t true? Once it was clear was the change in policy was, then it would be reasonable to form an opinion and start asking questions about how it pertains to you or others.

Most of us have enough going on in our lives where we don’t need to needlessly worry.

Take a deep breath and do a little bit of digging.

Don’t believe everything you read.