10 August – Rev’d Stephen Wright, Petersfield Methodist Church

A different kind of news

According to recent research by the Reuters Institute, more and more of us are avoiding the television news. In the UK, the numbers turning off have doubled over the last five years. Is anyone surprised? In recent times, it is almost guaranteed to be anxiety or anger inducing. No wonder so many avoid, or like my youngest son, get a bite sized summary on an app.

But what can be done about our flight from the news? There is no easy remedy; the world can be a very dark place and ‘putting our head in the sand’ about its realities is not a solution. Like it or not, we need to hear about the horror, but I would argue that what our news often lacks is any sense of a wider perspective, that there are other things to be said – maybe even positive things. I’m not arguing for more funny stories or ‘heart-warming’ episodes, though that might help.

What I’d really like to see, is more fundamental – a broader perspective which incorporates good as well as the bad. At the moment, reporting frequently focuses on the negative. Typical is how events in the NHS are reported, which invariably centres on long waits and disgruntled patients. Seldom do we hear about the thousands who are helped efficiently and speedily. Politicians rarely get a good press and yet most do an enormous amount of good work. The bad news must be heard, but we need to hear other things, if we value our sanity.

As an early Christian leader, St Paul, said to his flock, fix your thoughts on what is good. Even in an age of crisis, there is still a place for such things.