Prozac Nation

The news has me concerned. Not just one item in particular (although I must admit to being somewhat obsessed with the miners), but the entire damn media. It seems to me there are about three things the media report on:

1) Celebrities and their misdeeds/relationships/pregnancies/children

2) W (ok, maybe this can be expanded to include politics, but not in any meaningful way, more in a celeb-esque fashion)

3) Depressing things that happened that day

No news has always been good news. It's no secret that disasters and murders make better stories than reporting on "happy" things. But lately I feel like it's out of control. Every day cnn.com has a headline about another missing child/mom/coed (nearly all of which are white - I guess non-caucasians never go missing, lucky them). Or take for example the top 3 stories posted on The New York Times website in the last half hour:

Bomb Derails Russian Train - Rail Operator

China Bridge Collapse Kills 20, Toll Set to Rise (there are 2 stories on this bridge collapse)

Cops: Mom Kills Self, 2 Kids in Fire

While I'm somewhat impressed that 2 of the 3 stories are international, take note - one of them has to do with the media's favorite topic - bombings and the potential link to terrorism. The other one is about a bridge collapse in China that has killed 20 people - not to in any way diminish the loss of those lives, but come on, since when do Americans care about 20 people that die in China - oh, that's right, when it relates to something that we just experienced and plays into our own fears no matter how unrelated to our actual risk. The media love to breed fear.

It's no wonder most of us are depressed and need to see a therapist. The news is reporting the most absolutely depressing and awful stuff. What's more, they do so in a way that is reminiscent of the gossip lady at work - just to rush to tell you first, but without any real meaning. No discussion of how to change things or what you can do, but just a report of whatever went wrong and who is to blame.

Of course there is some degree of how-can-we-prevent-this that goes on after a major disaster, but the majority of coverage focuses on pulling heart strings. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we shouldn't remember people or report on things like this, there is just something in the manner of reporting that rubs me the wrong way. And lately I feel like every day I'm supposed to be sad that someone has died. Tammy Faye Baker, Merv Griffin, the world's oldest person - really? I don't know them. I may have heard of them, and while I feel for their families, their passing has not affected my daily life - and that's fine. When I die Merv Griffin's daughter probably won't be personally affected either.

I realize that reporting on "happy" news is somewhat trite and we all giggle at the puff pieces that come on at 11:27pm on the local news. But it doesn't all have to be like that. Take for instance the piece I listened to on NPR today as I was driving around house hunting - it was a roundtable discussion about the problem of plastic bags. All sides - plastic industry, environmentalists, grocery stores, consumers, politicians - were represented. All contributed to discussion and debate about solving the plastic bag problem and the pollution it causes and tried to come to an agreement about how to make the world better.

Maybe the media think they have it right. They probably think most Americans (and very likely most of you) don't care about plastic bags (it happens to be one of my pet causes, so I admit to being more interested than most would be in this radio program). They assume most Americans don't want to go through the trouble to hear the complexities of the causes of problems or potential solutions - they just want to hear the facts, then discuss how awful it is with their colleagues and friends before carrying on with their lives.

But what if the media have it wrong - what if they underestimate the American public? What if some stories did address how to make things better or possibilities to change the way bridges are evaluated? Isn't that part of what was behind the whole freedom of speech idea anyway? Think of when the local paper runs a story on a sick kid whose family can't afford the medical bills or the abused dog that hasn't been adopted - offers of support flood in. Maybe the media should take that spin on other stories, too. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, and fair enough, but maybe they could just give it a try, report on something in a way that contributes to discussion and debate rather than just gives more fodder for water cooler gossip.