First off, let me make my standing on watching the news.  If it's on, I'll hear what it has to say, but I never turn on the TV to watch it.  I think that The News is a very powerful medium, and could do a lot of good.  And when I mention the news, I am really combining newsprint and visual.

So I have noticed that the media is becoming increasingly aggressive in the past few years.  You see images that they would never show before.  You hear stories over-dramatized more then they used to.  I remember when CKCO news used to run all the local stories at first... the odd house fire, car accident, and robbery.  That didn't bother me, it was the news, and they told it like it was (or as best they could).  Since their recent move-over to CTV News, along with other stations I don't follow as closely, things like the Virginia Tech shooting seem to hit the headlines for days on end.  Also, local stories seem to be more about making the idea of something happening scary, more then talking about what actually happened.  It's sick.  And I am not happy about it.  More then that, I am seriously feeling like something should be done about it.  I can see how easily some of this stuff can change people.  The news IS scary.  And it IS scaring people.  Fuck, it scares me.  However, it is over dramatized.  And many of the 'stories' are just that, they become these plot lines and universal character archetypes that will let anyone attach on.  The idea of 'this could happen to me' is no longer the case, because the news basically tells you 'this could happen to you… this is what people are trying to do to keep you safe.'

Fuck, if people weren't so wrapped up in these events, and actually spent some time living their lives, maybe we wouldn't have as many problems and news stories to talk about.  The News is NEWS.  Please save the acting and dramatic for the cinemas and literature.  Please.