What Is News Fatigue?
News fatigue occurs when an individual is emotionally and psychologically exhausted from consuming the news. Keeping up with current events leaves them feeling anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, or simply burnt out. Oftentimes, it occurs because of overexposure to the news. More than ever before, the news is at the tip of our fingertips. Staying in-the-know with what’s happening in the world has never been so accessible across mediums including podcasts, social media, television, radio, and the internet. But, consuming the news 24/7 means also consuming the emotional language that convinces readers or watchers to stay tuned.
Why News Fatigue Is Increasing
According to Pew Research Center, 68% of Americans are exhausted by trying to keep up with the news. While news fatigue isn’t new, it also isn’t improving. Keeping up with your favorite news topics is easier than ever. There are TikTok reels, Facebook posts, YouTube livestreams, podcasts, commentary videos, free news articles online, and more to keep people up-to-date. This also makes it easier to overconsume the constant stream of news, and all that screen time can negatively impact mental well-being.
But, it’s not just the constant stream of news that leaves people exhausted. Oftentimes, the news uses emotionally charged language to hook the audience. Using tactics like “fear mongering” and “rage baiting” makes the audience react, but also keeps them wanting to know more. After too much of this, the audience is left exhausted and overwhelmed. This is the type of emotional language, also referred to as sensationalized news, that can begin right from the headline.
Are you looking for a way to stay up-to-date on the news without feeling burnt out afterwards? Recognizing sensationalized news is the best way to pick and choose which articles help you learn the facts without the fluff.
Here are some ways to recognize sensationalized news:
- They use “scary” headlines that prioritize fear first to pull a reader in
- They use false experts to prove the points they want to make in the article
- They use anger-evoking headlines to convince readers of a certain viewpoint, as opposed to only covering the facts
- Bold headlines that overuse red, all capital lettering, or oversized font for even minor news articles
- They use “click bait” techniques like vague headlines to catch a reader’s attention
- The news article focuses only on one side of a story, while presenting itself as wanting to cover both sides
While recognizing sensationalized news is a great way to avoid it, it isn’t always easy to do. Using a news source that is unbiased allows the audience to consume the news without the emotion. An unbiased news source presents facts from a neutral, analytical, or objective perspective. Reading unbiased news lets the audience learn about current events without putting their own emotional feelings into the writing. This lets the audience choose for themselves how to feel about a news story.
Is There Such a Thing as Unbiased News?
Unbiased news takes the emotion out of reporting. It shares facts about a story or measurable data points with the audience. These news articles often lack the extra motives that cause a news source to include biased content. Depending on the news outlet that a reporter works for, they might be persuaded to include biased language due to market pressures, corporate agendas, political polarization, government influence, or other narratives.
Unbiased news does exist. Although it’s difficult to find, it’s not impossible to find. It begins with an understanding of what to look for: fact-focused reporting, neutral language, and coverage that presents all perspectives without steering the audience towards a certain one. It also requires being intentional about where you get your news, rather than defaulting to whatever news shows up to you first.
