How do you respond to local, national, and international news? While answers to that question will undoubtedly vary, it's been said that, love it or hate it, you simply can't ignore the news. And why would you want to? News is the instrument for disseminating information important to the public. Without journalists, writers, commentators, and media outlets, global citizens wouldn't be informed of issues affecting their well–being.
That being said, the challenge for anyone wanting to obtain news from print, TV, radio, or the Web is to find reliable, honest, balanced reporting—news that has been carefully analyzed and researched. Attention–grabbing headlines as well as in–depth analysis of issues considered important enough to be presented as news demand a response from us. The question is, What kind of response?
Responding to news with negativity and despair, or treating the news as a form of entertainment rather than as a means of enlightenment, misses the mark. Good journalism—genuine news gathering and reporting—deserves respect. To me, one way of showing appreciation for esteemed newspapers such as The Christian Science Monitor is to pray for solutions that will benefit the lives of the people we hear and read about.
