:: in.a.mirror.dimly :: A theology and culture blog with the Bible in one tab and a news feed in the other.

I have wonderful news for you. I have recently learned that all of our news for the next four months can be easily summarized into a brief series of points that can be easily read and remembered, thereby alleviating the need to read the papers or watch the news in the evening.

The Economy

The economy will continue to be terrible. The White House will deny there’s a problem and Congress will debate endlessly while passing a few symbolic measures that do little to help.

Health Care

If you aren’t receiving health care through a full-time job, don’t hold your breath. You won’t be able to afford a trip to the emergency room if you pass out.

The Election

Obama and McCain will continue to run a tight race. Obama will raise more money and will win a squeaker of an election. Hillary will not get the VP nod.

The War on Terror

Iraqis will continue to gradually take responsibility for their government and security. Some America troops in Iraq will be attacked by insurgents. Afghanistan will continue to plunge into chaos since our strategy didn’t go much further than dropping bombs and electing a government. It will take years to restore the economies and infrastructures of many Afghan villages.

World News

Dictators and other corrupt governments will continue to do cruel things to their people. The UN members will pout while a few resource rich nations such as Russia and China will continue their stalemating measures. Good things will happen all over the world–far more good than evil in fact–but we’ll hear very little about it since tragedies make better news. Driving fear into the hearts of listeners ensures high ratings.

Why I’m Doing This

Of course this is just a silly exercise, but I realized the other day that all of the news is generally the same day in and day out. Dictators, corruption, war, a sagging economy, and a close election: news outlets have to keep these same topics interesting even if they generally know things aren’t going to change all that much. There’s a constant quest for a new angle on these issues and a search to drive a little fear and unease into us so we’ll keep listening.

I heard one commentator say that the 24-hour news cycle demands that we constantly dig up topics for public consumption. It’s as if we need to manufacture stories.

However, I still listen to NPR every day. I still read the news online. I’m not saying we should be ignorant. I’m just trying to point out how very little of our “news” is actually “new.”