No news is good news?

A fireman dousing a hotspot.

The adage, "No news is good news," implies that loved ones are doing okay.  The basis for this is that people don't readily communicate with others unless there is a problem.  It leaves us to believe that all is well with the world and those we care about.  The truth though is that we just don't know.  People become complacent in their ignorance.  Relationships erode over time and distance when contact is ignored.  In an age where it has never been easier to communicate, there is little reason to abstain from talking to one another.

Information is important for awareness and decision-making.  We receive that information from a variety of sources, but many of us rely on relatively few of them.  Facebook, for example, is a social media that is popular and allows us to communicate with many people at once instead of one individual at a time.  News, in all of its forms, can be shared with those on our collective feeds.  Personal news, world news, and local news can all be easily expressed with the click of a button.  Well, that was until a few days ago.

Collecting and disseminating information is important in our world today.  The current events in Kelowna, where I live, brings that point sharply into focus.  Fire has swept through the community and displaced thousands of people and destroyed large swaths of land and many structures.  Residents and their loved ones have been desperate for current and accurate information about the fire's growth and the need for readiness or evacuation.  Facebook could be of great value in giving its members that knowledge, yet they have refrained because of the ongoing dispute regarding Bill C-18.  Instead, they have actively blocked such information.

It costs money to produce accurate and detailed news reports.  The people that write them and the businesses that express them require financial compensation for their time and energy.  Consumers, such as myself, depend on that information in order to be aware and make good decisions.  It's true that there are other sources for such information, but not everyone can effectively surf the broad scope of the internet in order to pick out the sites and pages that carry meaning to them.  Facebook is personal; information can be shared with specific individuals and groups in a timely manner that can make a difference.  It's one source that simplifies the process of interacting with technology to acquire news, whatever its nature.  

I think that Facebook should come to the table and resolve their concerns regarding paying for news.  They should also not limit the sharing of news items with others as they are fostering ignorance and possibly harm.  Their mandate should be to help make our world a better place and equip its members with the tools that will allow them to be informed about the world around them.  

No news is good news?  I don't think so.

Thanks for reading.     

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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