Happy Sunday,
I am drowning in encouragement, helpful feedback, and fresh ideas after last week’s edition! Over 2,000 people replied… which is absolutely wild. I am humbled, honored, and even more excited to know this book is touching on something that resonates. (I’m also slightly behind on reading every email but will catch up this week!)
The following is another draft section of my book, Broken News, scheduled for release in ~Fall 2027.
I add/revise/cut content based on feedback from this newsletter each week, so if something stands out as wrong, confusing, or wow-that-actually-helped-please-don’t-change-it… hit reply and let me know!
Scriptural Basis
“Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.”
Philippians 4:8
How do you get your news?
Do you read it? Listen to it? Watch it? Scroll it?
When I first recognized that the news was making me angry and anxious, I reevaluated the amount and source of my news. My philosophy was (and still is) that if I consumed a small amount of politically balanced news, I could stay informed without becoming overwhelmed, obsessed, or obnoxious.
It wasn’t until later that I realized how I consume the news has a huge impact on my achieving those goals.
So, here’s my ranking of different news mediums:
Written: Articles have a clear end/stopping point. Sources are typically linked, making them easier to verify.
Podcast: Episodes have a clear end/stopping point. It’s difficult to check sources, but useful for deep dives and to better understand specific topics.
Social media: Algorithms reward being sensational and entertaining rather than accurate or thorough. Sources are rarely cited and are difficult to check. There’s no end.
Cable: The need to fill 24 hours every day incentivizes mixing the news with opinion and entertainment. Difficult to check sources. There’s no end.
I’m not sure what numbers 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, or 8 are… but I want to drive home the point that, as mediums for consuming news, I really dislike social media and cable. They have proven to be really toxic, causing me to lose track of time and emerge an angrier and more anxious person.
To head off some emails, I’ll concede that there is valuable news published through each of these mediums. But my goal isn’t to consume any news that’s valuable… It’s to stay informed without becoming overwhelmed, obsessed, and obnoxious. Achieving that goal is hardest when I watch or scroll the news and easiest when I read it.
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Your homework: Spend the next week only reading the news (no watching, no scrolling, no listening). See if it impacts how much news you consume, and whether you feel less overwhelmed or obsessed.
Was this valuable? Was this heretical? Do you have a rebuttal? Should it not make the book?
Please hit reply and let me know! Your replies are such a huge help. I don’t have time to respond to each one, but I personally read every email—even when 2,000 of you reply!
Recommended*: If you’re looking to log more time with Jesus… try Dwell. While leaving the house to walk the dog, I opened up Dwell and began the Book of Mark, read by Austin, at 1.25x speed, with soft piano and cello in the background. I turned it off after making coffee and breakfast, 11 chapters later. I do not have a simpler way to increase your time in God’s Word. Everyone should try Dwell.
*I’m fortunate enough to be paid to promote products I actually use and genuinely recommend. Dwell is one of them.
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