The first step is admitting you have a problem. I have a problem. I am a complete news junkie.
At first I thought it was just because I wanted to keep up with the latest happenings and not get lost in conversation. I've always taken an interest in politics and social commentary. I applauded the invention of the crawl.
But now, it's just gotten worse. I am a fairly well-connected individual, meaning that I have a tv with cable and a gajillion various news channels. I will admit to watching Fox News, but only to scream at O'Reilly and satan herself. It's actually a very good stress reliever. I only listen to NPR on my drive to and from work, which is pretty much the majority of my vehicle's use. Not only do I always have access to the internet via pc and/ or mobile phone, I've got freaking news podcasts uploaded into my iPod. I have an awful habit of checking CNN.com every 10 minutes, just waiting for the little red banner to appear with "Breaking News: {insert latest news-obsesssion here}". I don't even know why I bother checking, especially when I've already get their e-mail alerts.
And the news? It's never good. That's the nature of the business. War, hurricanes, the lastest stupid human tricks, it's all awful. But I can't help but take part of the blame (and my sister - she gets a whole bunch of blame, too). I think the news business knows that there are people like me who just can't stop watching/listening/reading. Like a fucking trainwreck.