My original post was going to be about New Kids on the Block/NKOTB or some such nonsense, but writing it felt forced and inane given the terrible events in Boston on Monday. I have tried to stick with the entertainment theme, and I guess the news can be considered entertainment sometimes.
So, today’s N is for news.
As in, I refuse to watch the news on TV right now. I’m writing this approximately five or six hours after the incident that occurred at the Boston Marathon. Explosions. Bombing. Horrific. Terrorist. These are the words that are being tossed around. I scanned my Twitter stream for updates and looked at a couple of news articles. But other than that, I honestly don’t care to see or hear the news outlets describe and attempt to explain what happened.
Please don’t take that to mean that I don’t care about what happened. Of course I do. Three people are dead, including an eight-year-old, and more than 100 people were injured. But there’s not enough information available right now (9pm Eastern time on Monday) to accurately explain what happened and to give a plausible reason. I’m kind of sick of the talking heads on the “news” shows making statements before they really know what they’re talking about.
The myriad ways we can get our news now is truly mind boggling. I wonder how long it will be before newspapers, magazines, TV, and radio news are all obsolete, in favor of Google, Yahoo, and social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook.
But how much of the news is true? Which sources can we trust? How much information is too much? A lot of people are angry at the people posting, sharing, and “liking” photos on Facebook that were taken at or near the scene of the explosions. I agree and I don’t think that my first instinct if I were in such a situation would be to snap a picture with my phone. Either help somebody or get out of the way!
This wasn’t meant to be a rant, and of course I realize that there were plenty of unreliable news sources around before the Internet came along. Things are just a lot more complicated nowadays, especially since nearly anyone with an Internet connection or a smart phone can become a “citizen journalist.”
Thinking of everyone affected by yesterday’s cowardly act in Boston. May the person(s) responsible face swift and appropriate justice.
A Common Sea 
I’m torn between watching and not watching the news right now. It’s important to stay informed, but too much just seals a sense of hopelessness. I’m a conservative, so I tend to watch FOX news, but I check in with the other networks for some balance. Very sad, what has happened.
Posted by Mare | April 16, 2013, 09:45I agree, it’s hard to decide when enough is enough.
Posted by katietesta | April 17, 2013, 09:52I get really down and disturbed after reading too much news, but man, my work requires me to be in touch with current affairs.
Incidentally, who was your favorite NKOTB? 😉
Posted by mel | April 16, 2013, 11:03Mel, it must be tough to be bombarded with bad news all the time. At least there are some hopeful stories out there every once in a while. Anyway, Donnie. And yours? 🙂
Posted by katietesta | April 17, 2013, 09:53I totally agree with you. I watch enough to get the initial facts, I did follow a twitter stream for a bit, but posting pics on fb…. really, that’s too much. Yours was not a rant, but a Necessary News given the Nature of the event !
Posted by Sugar & Spice & All Things ? Nice | April 16, 2013, 12:40Thank you for that! I guess there was no way to avoid the topic. I have mixed feelings about Facebook and sharing “news” that way. There’s so much misinformation out there.
Posted by katietesta | April 17, 2013, 09:57