Inspired or Terrified? Why I Avoid Fear-Based Journalism

Journalism, whether through newspapers, magazines, television, radio, or the Internet, has power. Power to inspire, to motivate, to change people's lives, and to inform. But sadly, the very stories meant to inspire often leave me uninspired, or worse, terrified.

For instance, I recently borrowed O's Big Book of Happiness from our library. The book, published in 2008, is a compilation of magazine articles originally published in the Oprah Magazine. It's divided into different sections for various areas in our lives. I read the diet/fitness section and loved the articles. They were funny, smart, and full of interesting research. My mood? Happy.

I then read the next several articles and found my happiness plummeting. One article was about a victim who'd been sexually assaulted and warned her town that the man was still at large. Another discussed two women with AIDS who are still alive (but with compromised immune systems) more than twenty-five years after their diagnosis. A woman recounted how as a ten-year-old she avoided being kidnapped by a serial killer. Then another article involving sexual assault, except this time the woman accused the wrong man and sent him to jail for twenty years. From there, the articles headed into bi-polar issues, cancer, more cancer, before settling into the story of a woman who went for a walk one morning and returned home to find all four of her children dead--they'd been killed by her ex-husband.

Don't get me wrong--these articles described women overcoming devastating life events. They were well-written, expertly researched, and meant to be inspirational.

But I didn't find them inspirational. 

Maybe it's my overactive imagination or my sensitivity, but a layer of anxiety settled on me after reading them. I started worrying about my safety, my family's safety, cancer, AIDS, serial killers--you name it. Anything I'd read became very real and very possible in my brain. 

I didn't sleep well, and I decided I've had enough "happiness" from Oprah's book. I'm returning it to the library.

Maybe my idea of happiness is off, but none of those stories made me feel happy. Many years ago, I stopped watching the nightly news for the same reason. I had trouble sleeping, and I worried about tragedies befalling our family.

We're all wired differently. You  might have read the articles and found them not only inspiring, but empowering as well. Not me. Still, my faith keeps me strong. I've never been a Christian who believes bad things only happen to other people. I know God would get our family through any tragedy that could befall us, but I'd prefer to not have the tragedy to begin with.

Does fear-based journalism inspire you? Or are you like me and get unduly terrified after reading about tragedies?

Have a fantastic Monday!

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