The public interest

Sometimes I wonder, really I do. In my cranky old trout-dom I question (some of) the freedoms of the press. I even find myself thinking that there are some things that need not be put in the paper or any other news medium.
There's stuff we'd rather not know but we need to know: corruption and other semi-private misdemeanors when they impinge on public performance. I have little interest in any politician's sex life, but I do see that a criminal sex life is relevant, for example.
There's heart warming human interest too. By all means share with me the miraculous rescue of any person and most animals. It helps to break up the advertisements at least.
When it comes to crime and disaster coverage, I'm mystified. Yes, I do need to know if crime rises or new types of crime begin to occur. I probably don't need to read glamourisation of criminals or the glorification via condemnation of their acts.
Also, seeing I've mounted a hobby horse here, how is this stuff in the public interest? The crime rate is generally holding steady - there aren't actually more bashings of frail pensioners, just more column inches devoted to them. Yet many older people are terrified and terrorized by such reportage.
Is my interest served by reading about people who have murdered their children? Yes, people do such things and most of us find it hard to understand. All I get from reading about these crimes - which I actively try to avoid doing - is a harrowing of my soul and an exaggerated sense of hopeless about the future of humanity.
The same goes for reading about failed rescues in the recent Queensland floods. I understand that it's not in the public interest to sanitize the facts, people lost their lives and that was utterly terrible. I just wonder whose good is served by a dwelling on the pitiful and pitiable circumstances surrounding those deaths,,,? Apart from the news producers', naturally. They've convinced us that its our duty to look, but I'm not sure I buy that.
My good is not served, nor is the good of the bereaved family and loved ones. Unless the death has a training purpose, then the less said the better. In extraordinary circumstances like the floods or Victoria's bushfires two summers past, or a building which terrorists have just blown up, there isn't much of a 'takeaway' beyond hoping you're never in that circumstance, and if you ever ARE, doubtless you'll do your best under those circumstances.
The real news produces more than enough anxiety and depression without the ghoulish relishing of (others') misfortune. So if war breaks out or interest rates rise again, somebody poke me. I won't be consuming any news sections for the time being.
This is post 3 of 43 posts.
Sent from my iPhone