Fixing the News With a News Fix

We have just come out of another heat alert. It was humid and hot and wildfire smoke just added to it.

Last week, Toronto had the worst air quality in the world. Out here in Port Stanley, I could feel it in my throat and lungs. The air came in like it had particles the size of glitter in it.

This is More Than Just a Whine

I read a news story about the growing number of people who have eco-anxiety. They’re losing sleep over climate change. The number of wildfires is growing every year. It’s getting hotter. It doesn’t matter what you personally believe is the cause, facts are facts.

I don’t have anxiety about it but I wonder whether I’m going to become a summertime shut-in. I simply can’t stand getting overheated. I think it’s because I run hot most of the time anyway. And then there’s my need to stay out of the sun for skin protection reasons. Add in a dash of asthma and you’ve got Lisa staying inside for days at a time. I joke that I’m becoming a mole person. But I am wondering whether my distaste for going outside on the hottest days of summer is only going to get worse. I powered through oppressive heat in Italy two years ago because, well, Italy! “When in Rome…” But here at home, the same stifling heat doesn’t seem worth enduring when it makes me wheeze.

Are We Past the Whine Yet?

So many of us feel helpless to do anything about big issues like the slow-boil the earth is experiencing. Throw in the insanity of politics, the rising cost of everything, and it’s a lot. But we’re not seeing the full picture every day.

On the one hand, Canadians are relying less on sources like Facebook for their news. Perhaps it’s sinking in that social media sites give us more of what we click on, so we don’t get a true picture of the world. Not to mention the ban on sharing links to news that’s still in effect in Canada. (Which in itself proves that most of what we’re seeing isn’t really “news” at all.)

A Balancing Act

What we need is balance. And one day on CBC radio I heard about a newsletter that offers just that. It’s not just about positive news. It’s news about progress, and there’s a difference. Fix the News is based in Australia, and doesn’t cover pet rescues and acts of kindness. (Although those are important for the soul!) It’s about the things humans are doing around the world to make it a better place.

It’s about diseases being eradicated, scientific discoveries, people being lifted out of poverty. It covers the globe with stories that make you go, hmmm, it’s not all bleak out there. Good people are putting genuine effort into righting some wrongs, saving lives, and improving the planet.

I subscribe to the free version of the newsletter. It arrives once a week with a bunch of concise stories about progress around the world. (There’s a more robust, paid version, too.) I don’t get anything out of sharing it here except the wish that it might bring some hope to your inbox. If you subscribe to some newsletters like I do, it can get awfully dark in there. I look forward to scrolling through Fix the News for a, well, fix of inspiration I wouldn’t have otherwise found.

Check out the website: Fix the News.