--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But by showing us live coverage of every…" description: "\"But by showing us live coverage of every bad thing happening everywhere in the world, cable news makes life seem like it's just an endless string of di..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/gregg-easterbrook-16327_bad-thing_but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every_2044254.jpg" --- # But by showing us live coverage of every bad thing… ![“But by showing us live coverage of every bad thing happening everywhere in the world, cable news makes life seem like it's just an endless string of disasters - when, for most people in most places today, life is fairly good.” quote by Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/gregg-easterbrook-16327_bad-thing_but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every_2044254.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/gregg-easterbrook-16327_bad-thing_but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every_2044254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/gregg-easterbrook-16327_bad-thing_but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every_2044254.jpg) > “But by showing us live coverage of every bad thing happening everywhere in the world, cable news makes life seem like it's just an endless string of disasters - when, for most people in most places today, life is fairly good.” [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cable news overemphasizes negative events, skewing perception of reality and making life seem worse than it is. **In simple terms:** News focuses on disasters, making life seem worse. Key Takeaway Seek balanced information sources. Themes media bias perception negativity bias Mood critical concerned Type analytical informative When to use this quote - daily news consumption - public discourse - personal wellbeing Key Concepts agenda-setting psychology of fear information overload Questions to Reflect On - How does your media diet affect your outlook? - What steps can you take to get a fuller picture? A Different Perspective Constant negative news can cause anxiety and desensitization. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) [Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cable/) [Cable news](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cable-news/) [Coverage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coverage/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Disasters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disasters/) [Endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Live Coverage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-coverage-719451/) [Live for today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-for-today/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Strings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strings/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Cable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-cable-3820924/) ## Related quotes > [The networks initiated the discussion of live coverage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-ziegler/the-networks-initiated-the-discussion-of-live-coverage/) [Ron Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-ziegler/) > [I've anchored my share of live coverage over the years, including car chases. At MSNBC, I often prayed the 'delay switch' would actually work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shuster/i-ve-anchored-my-share-of-live-coverage-over-the-years-including-car/) [David Shuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shuster/) > [The closest I've come to being on a reality TV show is C-SPAN's live coverage of the Senate floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thune/the-closest-i-ve-come-to-being-on-a-reality-tv-show-is-c-span-s-live/) [John Thune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-thune/) > [ It's the nature of cable news that we \[TV hosts\] do a lot of clipping and quoting of other broadcasts and outlets, sometimes to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/it-s-the-nature-of-cable-news-that-we-tv-hosts-do-a-lot-of-clipping/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [The job for cable is to give the news and then also give the 'so what.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-brunt/the-job-for-cable-is-to-give-the-news-and-then-also-give-the-so-what/) [Douglas Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-brunt/) > [Cable news is 24 hours long, so you have to fill it up with something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bobin/cable-news-is-24-hours-long-so-you-have-to-fill-it-up-with-something-2/) [James Bobin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bobin/) > [Whether you are liberal or conservative, people seem to know the talking points for whatever the issue of the day is. Very rarely does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-carruth/whether-you-are-liberal-or-conservative-people-seem-to-know-the/) [Shane Carruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-carruth/) > [In general, when I watch cable news during the day, it's frustrating because it reminds me of a game show. If I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-lemon/in-general-when-i-watch-cable-news-during-the-day-it-s-frustrating/) [Don Lemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-lemon/) > [Not a lot of people watch cable news, they just don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/not-a-lot-of-people-watch-cable-news-they-just-don-t/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [Cable news tends to be talking points - you don't have that much time to substantively unpack an issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-hoover/cable-news-tends-to-be-talking-points-you-don-t-have-that-much-time/) [Margaret Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-hoover/) > [Magazines that depend on photography, and design, and long reads, and quality stuff, are going to do just fine despite the Internet and cable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jann-wenner/magazines-that-depend-on-photography-and-design-and-long-reads-and/) [Jann Wenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jann-wenner/) > [Cable news, by its very nature, by its formula, is very guest-heavy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/cable-news-by-its-very-nature-by-its-formula-is-very-guest-heavy/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [I've become very interested in the spectrum of political discourse as seen on the cable news channels that are conveniently right in a row…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-carter/i-ve-become-very-interested-in-the-spectrum-of-political-discourse-as/) [Chris Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-carter/) > [I think you could argue that President Obama could have watched a little cable news... I do think that there is value in understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-zucker/i-think-you-could-argue-that-president-obama-could-have-watched-a/) [Jeff Zucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-zucker/) > [There's discussion in athletics about how sport - where they say 'SportsCenter' has ruined the fundamentals of basketball because it's - it only applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pfeiffer/there-s-discussion-in-athletics-about-how-sport-where-they-say/) [Dan Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pfeiffer/) ## More by Gregg Easterbrook > [Seek happiness and you may or may not find it; seek grievances and you are guaranteed success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/seek-happiness-and-you-may-or-may-not-find-it-seek-grievances-and-you/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [Set aside the many competing explanations of the Big Bang; something made an entire cosmos out of nothing. It is this realization-that something transcendent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/set-aside-the-many-competing-explanations-of-the-big-bang-something/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [The science has changed from ambiguous to near-unanimous... Based on the data I'm now switching sides regarding global warming, from skeptic to convert.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/the-science-has-changed-from-ambiguous-to-near-unanimous-based-on-the/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [I'm working seven days a week in the fall. I couldn't possibly keep that up. This is only for the fall. In the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/i-m-working-seven-days-a-week-in-the-fall-i-couldn-t-possibly-keep/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [A spacecraft is a metaphor of national inspiration: majestic, technologically advanced, produced at dear cost and entrusted with precious cargo, rising above the constraints…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/a-spacecraft-is-a-metaphor-of-national-inspiration-majestic/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [When television producers say it is the parents obligation to keep children away from the tube, they reach the self satire point of warning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/when-television-producers-say-it-is-the-parents-obligation-to-keep/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [For what I wrote that started this whole controversy, I deserved to be criticized, and I felt bad about writing it. I felt bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/for-what-i-wrote-that-started-this-whole-controversy-i-deserved-to-be/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [How many times have you bought something thinking it would make you happy, and found it does not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/how-many-times-have-you-bought-something-thinking-it-would-make-you/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [But if you could make that mistake and press the send button and the entire world sees it forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/but-if-you-could-make-that-mistake-and-press-the-send-button-and-the/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [Even though Rush is not me and the situations were very different, I think, in the Rush Limbaugh thing, ESPN was criticized for not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/even-though-rush-is-not-me-and-the-situations-were-very-different-i/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [Inevitably, these sorts of things are going to come back to blow up in people's faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/inevitably-these-sorts-of-things-are-going-to-come-back-to-blow-up-in/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [If our goal in legislating against carbon releases is not simply punishing the West and its power companies but truly trying to reduce the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/if-our-goal-in-legislating-against-carbon-releases-is-not-simply/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [“The Blue Hose of Presbyterian College and the Ichabods of Washburn University are perhaps the most amusing nicknames in collegiate sports; Blue Hose refers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/the-blue-hose-of-presbyterian-college-and-the-ichabods-of-washburn/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [... the consensus of the scientific community has shifted from skepticism to near-unanimous acceptance of the evidence of an artificial greenhouse effect. Second, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/the-consensus-of-the-scientific-community-has-shifted-from-skepticism/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) > [Jewish persecution is a historical memory of the present generation and people fear it in the present day, and that's why those references are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/jewish-persecution-is-a-historical-memory-of-the-present-generation/) [Gregg Easterbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) [Explore all 40 Gregg Easterbrook quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/) ## More Bad thing quotes > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [I think the people I talk about are generally so stupid that they don't even know I'm saying bad things about them. I've run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/i-think-the-people-i-talk-about-are-generally-so-stupid-that-they-don/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [I'm not going to pretend that bad things don't happen. I just hope my daughter has enough understanding that when they do, just give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-krasinski/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-that-bad-things-don-t-happen-i-just-hope-my/) [John Krasinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-krasinski/) > [I've heard some pretty bad things in my life. I'm just one of those people I've gotten to a point where I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-bush/i-ve-heard-some-pretty-bad-things-in-my-life-i-m-just-one-of-those/) [Sophia Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-bush/) > [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [Be Thankful for all things in life. Even for the bad things. SOMETIMES the worst situations in life turn out to be the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-thankful-for-all-things-in-life-even-for-the-bad-things-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In my business, you should be very strong in mind. You have to be sure about yourself and about your work and your career,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irina-shayk/in-my-business-you-should-be-very-strong-in-mind-you-have-to-be-sure/) [Irina Shayk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irina-shayk/) > [“I don’t know why I latched onto the idea of being friends, but it sits right with my gut. I want Hartley in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-watt/i-don-t-know-why-i-latched-onto-the-idea-of-being-friends-but-it-sits/) [Erin Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-watt/) > [I'm just grateful to people who are willing to admit how bad things feel for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-furman/i-m-just-grateful-to-people-who-are-willing-to-admit-how-bad-things/) [Ezra Furman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-furman/) > [I love it when television is shot in a cinematic way and I think to aspire to that is no bad thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-rhys/i-love-it-when-television-is-shot-in-a-cinematic-way-and-i-think-to/) [Matthew Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-rhys/) > [“Dear Delphine, When you are older I want you to find Chinua Achebe. I want you to read Things Fall Apart. Don't be hardheaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-williams-garcia/dear-delphine-when-you-are-older-i-want-you-to-find-chinua-achebe-i/) [Rita Williams-Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-williams-garcia/) > [Lobbying is not a bad thing. I'm not trying to say that we shouldn't have lobbyists or we shouldn't have lobbying to petition our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/lobbying-is-not-a-bad-thing-i-m-not-trying-to-say-that-we-shouldn-t/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [In life, we don't know why things happen. I believe God is not responsible for the bad things that happen to you. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-brannaman/in-life-we-don-t-know-why-things-happen-i-believe-god-is-not/) [Buck Brannaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buck-brannaman/) [Browse all 2,889 Bad thing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But by showing us live coverage of every bad thing happening everywhere in the world, cable news makes life seem like it's just an endless string of disasters - when, for most people in most places today, life is fairly good.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gregg Easterbrook" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every-bad-thing-happening/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad thing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every-bad-thing-happening/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/gregg-easterbrook-16327_bad-thing_but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every_2044254.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/gregg-easterbrook-16327_bad-thing_but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every_2044254.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/gregg-easterbrook-16327_bad-thing_but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every_2044254.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But by showing us live coverage of every bad thing happening everywhere in the world, cable news makes life…” — Gregg Easterbrook", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gregg Easterbrook", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-easterbrook/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But by showing us live coverage...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every-bad-thing-happening/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-easterbrook/but-by-showing-us-live-coverage-of-every-bad-thing-happening/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```