Every news source is showing pictures of an angry young man pointing a gun at me or himself. The barrage of coverage of VTech's horrible massacre was depressing enough, but now the media is showing images that are making it feel so much more personal, which makes it that much more stressful. And I'm a stress eater, so it's making me noshy. I just ate a slice of cold pizza, even though I've sworn off all cheese through allergy season.

I'm trying to avoid watching the news right now, but it's almost impossible! I went with DH to his surgeon appointment yesterday, and since the doctor was 45 minutes late, we were trapped in a room with FoxNews blaring loudly, with constant coverage of the tragedy.

I don't need to know so much about it. I don't need to know his exact timing, what dorm he lived in, the name of his imaginary girl friend. It's too painful, and it does no one any good to hear all this. It doesn't make his action make sense, it doesn't undo what was done, it just stresses me out.

Anyone else have the news blues?

alli

I watched the first day, and then was reminded of the 24/7 coverage of Columbine, Waco, and 9.11...I can't do that. I have have the deepest pain and sorrow for all involved, however, I can't be there 24/7 on the news.

One GMA this morning, there was a psychiaitrist who thought that showing the tapes that were sent to NBC constantly during the news was glorifying the assassin. It wasn't helping anyone deal with the idea anymore, it was idealizing what he had done,and should be stopped immediately. His interview was with Robin Roberts. I didn't like his tone at first, but his thought made sense. How many times do we have to see it to believe this young man was sick and we failed to help him, he failed himself? I can't believe that seeing his angry face, hearing his ramblings are helping anyone deal with the tragedy.

The Daily Show/Colbert Report and Countdown are pretty much the only TV news I get too.

I listen to NPR when I want radio news, but even the FM pop and rock stations have been talking about this non-stop in the mornings.

Then all the talk at the office...

Dawn

quote:

Originally posted by TriGirl:
The only sources of television news I watch are the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, and Countdown, because these comedy shows actually give more of a context for the news and the coverage than the supposed news shows to me.

This is generally what I do as well. I don't think I've actually tuned in to CNN/Fox/MSNBC myself for over a year. TV is for Lost, the office, and the Daily Show/Colbert Report. I get my news from the web. But then when something like this happens, it seems that everywhere I go there's a TV hanging on the wall, and they all tune into the news. Heck, I can't even walk the dog in the park without passing people who are talking about it. It's so hard to build yourself a news shelter in suburbia.

alli

I don't do well with this kind of news either. I usually just read the stories on MSNBC or CNN and try to avoid the TV whenever possible.

I'm with Sheltieguy, this 24-hour TV coverage isn't as much news as it is a twisted form of entertainment. I have read some online news stories about the tragedy, but I have tried to stay away from the television coverage, which does have a tendency to pounce on anything violent, "sexy", and heart-rending. If it bleeds, it leads.

The only sources of television news I watch are the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, and Countdown, because these comedy shows actually give more of a context for the news and the coverage than the supposed news shows to me.

Alli, if I were stuck in a doctor's office with a loud television, I'd ask the other people waiting if I could turn it down. If it was set so as not to allow you to turn it down, maybe appeal to the receptionist's sense of decency?

I hate that televisions are everywhere anymore.

DH commented Monday night that this was a really good time for TV Turn Off week. I was at the gym this morning, and it was the first time I've seen TV since Monday. Thankfully, one of the sets was tuned to ESPN so I focused on endless showings of Buerle's (sp?) no-hitter for Chicago and the Warrior getting into the NBA playoffs for the first time in 13 years.

Six years ago, when I was home on maternity leave, I had to stop watching TV because of endless coverage of the Andrea Yates case. It was a horrible thing for anyone to think about, much less a mother with a newborn. Then 9/11 happened, and I wanted to remove the thing from our house entirely.

And for what it's worth, I think NBC showed very poor judgement in releasing all that footage in the first place.

This is hard for me to answer, because...ergh. In my prison of an office (I kid, it's not a prison...we have better security...), there are multiple televisions all turned to different media outlets (not all from the U.S.), and it gets easy to block out the stuff I don't want to hear.

Without being callous, there's nothing I could have done to stop this. I *can*, though, show kindness and acceptance to people who seem to be hurting; I *can* be proof that having a diagnosed mental illness doesn't mean someone is dangerous and evil; I *can* learn from this, and always be aware of my surroundings.

I am in the camp of avoiding the news. I get enough info from just looking at the headlines. I agree with those who said that they're just giving him the attention he wanted.

He was a peron who needed some major help, it's sad to hear that several opportunities were not followed through with.

I record most TV that I want to watch. It makes it so easy to fastforward through commercials and stories that have become redundant. I have discovered that it isn't so much "News" as it is "Olds".

I didn't even know about the tragedy until I turned on the TV to watch Oprah on Monday and found Ann Curry instead.

I've gotten so much more comfortable listening to my CDs lately.

Linda

I had already been avoiding the news because I had gotten tired of Anna Nicole Smith so while I knew it happened (it was on my Yahoo home page) I haven't be deluged with details. Thank goodness for dvd players.

quote:

Originally posted by mountaingirl:
So, Alli, what are we doing with the time we would have spent watching? I'm going to my little girl's first track meet today and the sun is actually out, which is a miracle. Something to be glad about

I'm practicing my guitar. A lot.

alli

Alli,

I can totally sympathize with you on this....it is the precise reason I don't watch the news. And why I don't know many details about what happened (and I don't want to know or need to know). I know that it happened and have been praying for all that have been/are being affected by it. Several of our local universities (local as in here in California) have had bomb threats, gun threats, etc since Monday....I HATE copycats!!!!!!!!!

I did find out that a family in our church has a cousin that was supposed to be in one of the classes that the shooter went into. This is a young lady that never gets sick, but happened to wake up with the stomach flu on Monday....so she wasn't in class. Her family is all thankful, but she is dealing with the "what ifs", the guilt, and the grief of losing several friends in such a horrific manner. We also have several friends that have children in universities around the country that have been having issues with the copycat stuff.

I get my news online, by reading the New York Times, Washington Post, Reuters news wires, etc.

So called television "news" is a joke.

From Iraq, here is a recent quote that stuck with me:

"The street was transformed into a swimming pool of blood," said Ahmed Hameed, a shopkeeper in Sadriya."

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSPAR34073020070418

I am avoiding it as much as possible, and I still can block all of it out.

I feel very very badly for the victims and their family and friends, but I don't need to know all of those details about him either.

On the radio this morning they were talking about it and someone called in and said "Why don't you focus on the heroes of the story instead of this guy?"

I guess people feel like if they can figure him out, then maybe they can prevent this sort of thing in the future, but there are FBI and other agency behavioral criminalists for that.

Dawn

Alli,
I feel exactly the same way. I am a news junkie and I won't turn it on today because that filthy murderer is getting all the glory he wanted. The news hounds are like junkies for what he left for them, and I am just going to go news-free today, to the best of my ability. Frankly, it hit me last night when I saw one story on it, and I don't need to know any thing else. Imagine how MUCH this compounds the grief of those parents and loved ones, to run Cho's words and face without ceasing. I am just praying it stops or that one of the big networks will get some decency and stop glorifying him. I prayed specifically today that God would prevent copycats from being fueled by this turn in the tale.

So, Alli, what are we doing with the time we would have spent watching? I'm going to my little girl's first track meet today and the sun is actually out, which is a miracle. Something to be glad about