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Audioscript227AUDIOSCRIPTMA:JohnSommervilleisaprofessorofhistoryattheUniversityofFloridaandtheauthorofworksonthehistoryofreligioninEngland.HehaswrittenabookcalledHowtheNewsMakesUsDumb:TheDeathofWisdominanInformationSociety,andhearguesthatbiasisfixable,buttherealproblemisn’t.Hismainargumentagainstdailynewsisthedailypart.Hearguesthatdailiness,asheputsit,chopseverythingdowntoastandardsize,makingithardertogetperspective,toknowtheappropriatesizeandscaleofanyproblem.JohnSommerville:Thatonefeaturebyitself,regardlessofthecompetenceandtheprofessionalismofthejournalist,it’slethal.Ifdumbnessistheinabilitytomakeconnections,logicalconnectionsandhistoricalconnections,thenyoucanseehowtakingineverythingonadailybasisisgoingtohurtourabilitytomaketheconnections.MA:Sommervilleprefersquarterliesandsayssomewherebetweenweeklinessandmonthlinessyoumovefromentertainmenttoreflection.Andwhilehedoesoccasionallyreadnewsmagazines,hepreferstoreadthemamonthaftertheycomeouttomaintainperspective.Asahistorianofreligion,Sommervillebelievesthereisanaturalantagonismbetweenthenews’emphasisontheimmediate,andreligion,whichpointstowardthemoreeternal.Anditdoesseemthatthoseinvolvedinspiritualpracticesareoftenthemostresistanttothedailynewsbarrage.TuptonShudrunisaBuddhistnun,ateacherandastudentoftheDalaiLama.Shesaysthatwhenyoustudymeditation,youbecomeawareofhowyourmindisinfluencedbyoutsideevents.Shesaysthemediapresentsproblemswell,butdoesn’tgivetimeorspacetothosehelpingtoremedythesituation.TuptonShudrun:AnditcreatesasenseofdespairthatIthinkisunrealistic,andthatsenseofdespairimmobilizesusfromactuallycontributingtothebenefitofsocietyanddoingsomethingtohelpothers.MA:ThevenerableTuptonShudrunsaysshereadsanewsmagazineoccasionallybecauseasateachersheneedstogetthegeneralfeelingofthecountry,butshechooseswhatshereads.She,likeWeil,advisesstudentstodecideconsciouslyhowmuchnewstotakeinandnottoassumethatthemediahasalockonwhat’simportantandhowtomeasuresuccess.Shealsosaysmanypeoplekeepthemselvespluggedinbecausetheydon’tknowhowtobealonewiththemselves.HistorianGabrielleSpiegelagrees.GS:Ithinkweliveinasocietythatoffersusvery,verylittletimealone.Andthewaychildrenareraised,youknow,setinfrontoftelevisions,theydon’thavealotoftimetobebythemselves.Whenmychildrenwerelittle,weusedtohaveathingcalledMommy’shourinwhich,youknow,theyhadtogointheirroomsandjustthinkforanhourortwoadaysoIcouldthinkforanhourortwoaday.MA:WhilestudiesshowthatthemajorityofAmericansdon’twanttodisengagefromdailynews,whenwee-mailedthenewsstaffatNPRforsuggestionsofpeopletointerviewforthisstory,wegotanenormousresponse,andasurprisingnumberwrotethingslike,“IwouldifIcould,”or“Psst,don’ttellanyone.”MargotAdler,NPRNews,NewYork.LISTENFORDETAILS(RepeatListenforMainIdeas)ListenagaintoListenforMainIdeas.UNIT1:InformationOverload2A.LISTENINGONE:NewsResistersBobEdwards:Sinceyou’relisteningtothisprogram,oddsareyou’renottakingtheadviceofDr.AndrewWeil.He’swrittenabooktitled8WeekstoOptimumHealthandherecommendsreducingyourdailyintakeofnews.AndrewWeil:AndthenIaskedpeopleoverthecourseofeightweekstoextendthistotwodaysaweek,threedaysaweekandsoforthuntilthelastweekyougetuptoawholeweekofnonews.BE:Weilisnottheonlyonetryingtogetpeopletotakeabreakfromcoverageofdailyevents.NPR’sMargotAdlerreportsonagrowingnumberofpeoplewhobringnewmeaningtothephrase“nonewsisgoodnews.”LISTENFORMAINIDEASBE:Sinceyou’relisteningtothisprogram,oddsareyou’renottakingtheadviceofDr.AndrewWeil.He’swrittenabooktitled8WeekstoOptimumHealthandherecommendsreducingyourdailyintakeofnews.AW:AndthenIaskedpeopleoverthecourseofeightweekstoextendthistotwodaysaweek,threedaysaweekandsoforthuntilthelastweekyougetuptoawholeweekofnonews.BE:Weilisnottheonlyonetryingtogetpeopletotakeabreakfromcoverageofdailyevents.NPR’sMargotAdlerreportsonagrowingnumberofpeoplewhobringnewmeaningtothephrase“nonewsisgoodnews.”MargotAdler:WhenIwasakid,IlovedabaseballnovelcalledTheSouthpaw.ItwasthefirstvolumeofabaseballquartetwrittenbyMarkHarris.Oneofthebooks,BangtheDrumSlowly,becameafamousmovie.WhatIonlylearnedrecentlywasthatHarriswrotealongessayintheNewYorkTimesbackintheearly’70sinwhichhesaidreadingadailynewspaperwasauselessaddiction.Thirtyyearslater,Harrisstillbelievesthat.MarkHarris:Somebodygetsupinthemorningandthefirstthingheorshehastodoisgetthatnewspaper,andthentheyhavetohaveitwiththecoffeeandit’skindoftwoaddictionsgotogether.MA:Harrislefthisjobwiththenewspaperandturnedtowritingnovelsbecause,hesaid,youcouldfocusonmuchmoreinterestingthingsthatareneverconsiderednewsworthy.Forexample,youcouldfocusonthepersonwholosesinsportsorcomesinsecond.Healsoturnedtoteaching.Academiaturnsouttobeaplacefilledwithnewsresisters.TakeGabrielleSpiegel,thechairofthehistorydepartmentatJohnsHopkinsUniversity.Perhapsit’sunderstandablethatamedievalistwhosaysherperiodofstudyendsaround1328wouldfinddailynews,inherwords,“ephemeral,repetitiveandinconsequential.”GabrielleSpiegel:ButIthinkmyunderlyingreasonisthat,youknow,lifeisshort.There’sonlyacertainamountoftimethatyouhavetospendonthings,andIhavealwaysbelievedthattherearetwothingsyo