Israelis Biggest Obsession: The News

Israelis love news. The news is broadcasted every hour on the radio, nightly on TV- at least 3 times between 5 and 11 pm- and of course in the newspapers. Israel is small in size, so small that when the weather or traffic report is given, it covers the entire country. We like to know what is going on, everywhere and at all times.

Ever since Operation Cast Lead started I have come to realize how big a role the news plays in my life.

I wake up in the morning to one of the hourly news broadcasts. True, I do not remember much (since I am usually half asleep), but the main points stick.

Then I head to the train station to get to work. The first time I entered the station since the war started I saw a group of people huddled around of the TV sets. I immediately joined the group to get my latest update. I thought that something huge had happened and like all Israelis, I needed to be informed. It took me a few minutes to realize that people were just watching the same footage that had been on the night before.

Once on the train I then pull out a copy of the free paper and browse through more headlines.

At work, I always have the online newspaper open and refresh periodically.

Later, when I get home from my day and I am making dinner, the TV set goes on and instead of the typical one hour broadcast, these days there is at least a 2 hour program of the same updates.

Israel is a small country and it is hard to get away from the news. While I think it is important to be informed, if you spend too much time reading, listening and watching, then you could just go crazy.

Perhaps the news should have a warning label: “Can be dangerous to your health in high doses.”