Breaking News?

I used to watch the nightly news religiously. I was up to speed on local, national, and international news. I always knew what was going on around the world.

Then came September 11, 2001. Like every other American I was glued to the TV and internet for days waiting for the smallest scrap of positive news. On September 14th, a hurricane blew over our house and we lost power. I sat at the kitchen table listening to the national memorial services on the radio. I sat there alone crying while the boys played quietly in the other room. That’s when I decided to turn off the news.

I haven’t watched a TV news broadcast since. I listen for the weather and traffic on the radio and then change the station when the news starts. I don’t even bother with the newspaper anymore (except for the coupons I swipe from my parents).

Instead I get my information from the internet. I’ve learned that I can scan the headlines and then pick and choose what I want to read. If I want more information, I can easily do a search. Like everything else on the internet, I see the news as a self-select item. It’s not jammed down my throat like the evening news on TV.

With my method of receiving information I still manage to stay on top of current events enough to satisfy myself. I’ll admit that I’m not big on politics or what’s going on in the Middle East. If I have question, I find it easier to ask my Sweetie or Mr. A since they’ve probably already discussed it at some point.

There is a drawback to online news. Fluff. I use Yahoo for my personal email so the first headlines of the day usually come from Yahoo News. Yahoo incorporates feeds from their Entertainment, Sports, and Health news pages into their daily headlines. Sometimes I find great recipes for weekday meals. Last December I read a report about how Echinacea is better at fighting a cold than Vitamin C. A month or so ago I learned that Olympian Greg Louganis is now coaching diving. All stuff that I find interesting.

However, over the past few days I’ve notice two items that appeared under BREAKING NEWS that made me wonder.

Last week it was announced that Angelina Jolie has a new tattoo of map coordinates on her arm. This news lead to wild speculations on whether or not she’s adopted another child.

Then just today Natalie Portman announced that she had given up veganism in favor of vegetarianism while she’s pregnant because her body was craving eggs and cookies baked with eggs.

How are either one of those items BREAKING NEWS???

And yes, I will admit that I read both items simply because they were labeled BREAKING NEWS and I thought there might be something profound in the article.

So now I can either be grumpy that I got sucked in by the internet news or I can be glad that I’m current on my pop culture. Actually, I think both of those tidbits fall into the category of useless trivia.

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Your Turn
How do you get your news? Are you up-to-date of world events? Do you prefer politics or entertainment news? Can you think of a reason why the articles on Angelina Jolie or Natalie Portman would be BREAKING NEWS?