By: Alexandria Addesso
News is everywhere, no longer just in the paper but on the radio, television, social media, and all over your phone. Up-to-date, minute-by-minute, soundbyte-by-soundbyte, in your pocket, and in the palm of your hand.
The news is fed to the consumer at the slant deemed appropriate to the outlet and its backers. Objectivity is no longer the standard the news that is at our fingertips is usually perpetuated to further a particular agenda. It is truly sad times for journalism and the consumers of such information as well. And it is not just the news industry that is suffering, but also the consumer.
After the 2013 bombings at the Boston Marathon a survey was done on how the news coverage affected people. The survey sample included adults from Boston, New York City and other parts of the nation just under 5,000 participants. Of those who reported watching more than six or more hours of news coverage during the 2-4 weeks after the attack were 9 times more likely to report suffering from high acute stress levels than those who only reported minimal media exposure. Those who were actually present at the scene of the bombings, although they did suffer from trauma, reportedly were affected by less high acute stress levels than those who only watched news coverage for long periods of time. A repeated viewing of such traumatic images, have been linked to fear circuitry.
“There are so many factors one needs to consider—prior life history (trauma, stress, health, social, family circumstances), ongoing post-Boston Marathon Bombing stressors, coping skills, and emotion regulation skills,” said E. Alison Holman, PhD, head author of the study. “It is possible that this could happen, although I would caution that many people have acute stress symptoms that dissipate over time. We are currently looking into the question of quantity versus content that might predispose someone to developing lasting posttraumatic stress and other mental health issues. At this point, all I can say is that it seems that both really matter.”
So how can such trauma triggering content be avoided? Should we become oblivious to world events and shun the news completely? Obviously this would not be a good option because it is good for an individual to stay informed and to avoid all such bad news, one would have to cut off contact with society completely and become a hermit (not that there is anything wrong with being a hermit).
Once attaining the information you need to stay abreast of current events, issues, and activism, simply shut off the TV, put down the newspaper and the smartphone. Do not become consumed by it. If you need to be plugged into graphic news coverage for work, add leisurely, stress-relieving activities to your schedule. But it is also important to never let news desensitize you, never become immune to human suffering because in doing so you can lose your own humanity. Also, always question your news sources.
News is everywhere, no longer just in the paper but on the radio, television, social media, and all over your phone. Up-to-date, minute-by-minute, soundbyte-by-soundbyte, in your pocket, and in the palm of your hand.
The news is fed to the consumer at the slant deemed appropriate to the outlet and its backers. Objectivity is no longer the standard the news that is at our fingertips is usually perpetuated to further a particular agenda. It is truly sad times for journalism and the consumers of such information as well. And it is not just the news industry that is suffering, but also the consumer.
After the 2013 bombings at the Boston Marathon a survey was done on how the news coverage affected people. The survey sample included adults from Boston, New York City and other parts of the nation just under 5,000 participants. Of those who reported watching more than six or more hours of news coverage during the 2-4 weeks after the attack were 9 times more likely to report suffering from high acute stress levels than those who only reported minimal media exposure. Those who were actually present at the scene of the bombings, although they did suffer from trauma, reportedly were affected by less high acute stress levels than those who only watched news coverage for long periods of time. A repeated viewing of such traumatic images, have been linked to fear circuitry.
“There are so many factors one needs to consider—prior life history (trauma, stress, health, social, family circumstances), ongoing post-Boston Marathon Bombing stressors, coping skills, and emotion regulation skills,” said E. Alison Holman, PhD, head author of the study. “It is possible that this could happen, although I would caution that many people have acute stress symptoms that dissipate over time. We are currently looking into the question of quantity versus content that might predispose someone to developing lasting posttraumatic stress and other mental health issues. At this point, all I can say is that it seems that both really matter.”
So how can such trauma triggering content be avoided? Should we become oblivious to world events and shun the news completely? Obviously this would not be a good option because it is good for an individual to stay informed and to avoid all such bad news, one would have to cut off contact with society completely and become a hermit (not that there is anything wrong with being a hermit).
Once attaining the information you need to stay abreast of current events, issues, and activism, simply shut off the TV, put down the newspaper and the smartphone. Do not become consumed by it. If you need to be plugged into graphic news coverage for work, add leisurely, stress-relieving activities to your schedule. But it is also important to never let news desensitize you, never become immune to human suffering because in doing so you can lose your own humanity. Also, always question your news sources.
