In recent years, the ways of consuming entertainment have changed drastically. We see more and more households cutting the cord on cable television to subscribe strictly to streaming services. Television news has taken an enormous hit, driving viewers to ask a ringing question…

Is news still needed? 

You might think, “Well, I don’t watch television news anyway. I don’t consume news.” That’s where you’re wrong.

News is everywhere, whether you like it or not. How did you learn about the death of the Queen? How did you keep track of COVID-19 cases? Did you search for it on your phone? Even if you’re not sitting on a couch watching the nightly news, you’re still consuming information. 

iPhone users get headline advertisements automatically. That’s news. Twitter has a trending tab. That’s news. Someone out there is still putting together news in one coherent, convenient form for you to understand. That still counts as news. 

Imagine a world where you did not know these things. How would you have learned about the Queen’s death? Would we have ever even known COVID-19 was a thing? If we fully put a stop to the spread of news, we’d end up being an uneducated society that didn’t learn from history happening across the world.

According to an article in “The Reference titled “Why Is the News Important?” from April 2020, the world is constantly changing. Having news allows the people of the world to have access to information about what’s going on locally and worldwide.

So we’ve established that news is necessary. That drives another question…

Is the news good or bad?

This can be a sensitive topic. 

I have seen plenty of friends and family members get so angry at the news that they turn off the television. I’ve watched them roll their eyes at their phones because of political articles. I get it. Most news that is published is negative. 

An article titled “Is Watching the News Bad for Mental Health?” from 2020 by Sara Lindberg, M.Ed, on verywellmind.com even dove into the possible effects of news on mental health. One key takeaway from Lindberg’s article was, “Trying to strike a balance between being informed by news media and not becoming overwhelmed by it is difficult…”

A large focus of the article is finding that balance where you’re understanding what is going on in the world, but not letting it consume you. Being informed is responsible, but understanding that not every bit of news will affect your daily life is crucial. 

So the news can be good and bad. 

It’s important for the world to know what is happening. It’s good to be knowledgeable about current events. But you also have to know when to turn the news off. You have to decide for yourself what your perfect balance is.