Media Health, part 1: turn off the firehose

The last few weeks of January 2025 has seen a torrent of news stories coming down the pipeline, and it can be daunting and exhausting, and deeply healthy. Perhaps we need to think of this in terms of our media health, in the same way that we have physical health and mental health. We’ll make this distinction from things like media literacy, which is talking about something different, though still related, and focus on practical steps that can help maintain a healthy interaction with the media.

And, as indicated by the “part 1” in the title, this will be a series. It’s one that likely should have been shared more widely over the last few years, but while the best time to start was 10 years ago, the next best time is now.

Let’s get started with a summary of some steps for dealing with the flood:


Turn the firehose off. The flood of information is done by design, to overwhelm you, to give a sense of inevitability and omnipresence. Stay vigilant, but don’t doomscroll.

Don’t check the news first thing in the morning. Check a trusted source of information at an appropriate time: end of the workday or after supper. Not right before bed (bad for sleep) or first thing in the morning (uses up all your spoons early, and you’re back to scrolling or wiped out).

If there are “news” feeds or influencers that trade in rage bait for views, delete or block, and if you find you’re more on edge after seeing a particular creator, block or mute too. This might include “friendly” sources of info. Find a digest or summary version rather than a firehose. I can’t stress this enough. Within the attention economy, stuff that looks like it’s on your side can still be utilizing tactics that are not in your best interest.

The one place you (may) want to make an exception is for local news sources, as this will have a more significant impact than the national flood. Stick with a trusted local source, that doesn’t fold in all the national stuff, and keep your ear to the ground for the stuff that affects you.


Alright, now that the firehose is off, how do you start dealing with the accumulated flood? I think we’ll need to deal with that in part 2.