Maybe Sarah Palin was onto something with the whole “liberal media bias” stance she’s taken. I think most news is just biased in general, not just the “liberal” side. But I do wonder about why the news chooses to cover what it headlines. I’ve especially wondered about this the past few weeks.
Over the past few weeks it seems the only news getting the national attention has something to do with $$$.
Yes I’m talking about the national debt “crisis” and the stock market futility. Who cares if lives are on the line in other parts of the world if our money is in trouble right?
I’ve never been one to berate the media for doing a bad job of telling us what they think we will watch. After all, shows with bad ratings get dropped all the time. I have a hard time believing that the news would continue to focus on a story of their ratings plummeted. But is this really what we all have cared about the most over the past 2 weeks? A debate we have no say in over our national debt and the subsequent stock market upheaval?
If so, shame on us. If not, shame on the media.
Over the past several weeks there have been a number of news stories far more deserving of our attention and I want to highlight 2 of them.
- Last Saturday 31 U.S. soldiers died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Maybe you’re like me, so insulated from the wars we’re in, and you forgot that we’re actually still in a war. May this be a reminder to you that while we’re so concerned about losing a little bit of $ or our government spending more than its bringing in, people around the world are keeping us safe. Some of them paid the ultimate sacrifice less than a week ago. Pray for their families and friends.
- Over the past month, an international crisis has been ongoing despite no CNN reporter being sent to cover it. I guess they only do that for natural disasters, not international crises. In the area known as The Horn of Africa, specifically the country of Somalia, thousands of people are dying from drought and lack of food. In our current technological age, this is simply unacceptable. The UN anticipates as many as 600,000 children could die in the next few months. That isn’t a typo. Much of the reason the crisis is ongoing is because organizations have raised only fractions compared to what was raised for efforts in Japan and Haiti.
Why don’t these stories grip us for weeks on end when stories about our money do? To be honest, I have no idea.
If I had to guess I would say that these stories of death and famine make us uncomfortable. National debt we can complain about, international famine puts us in a position of response. We either do something or we’re heartless.
As a Christian, I’d much rather be inundated with the uncomfortable news where I can be a part of the solution. This doesn’t mean I don’t care about the money I’m losing when the stock market drops by thousands of points, but it does mean that I care a lot more about saving lives and praying for those effected by death more than my money.
I hope I’m not the only one.
These stories might not be what we want, but it’s definitely the kind of news of we need, because they allow us to bring the light of Christ into dark and troubled situations.
Here’s a way to show your support to our military members and here are a few ways I’d recommend to help with the relief efforts in Africa.
(Photos: UNAA Times and Fox News)
