Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I did not want to hear about the new variant in the United Kingdom. I really, really did not want that information, and neither did anyone else who heard about it. In our woman's group is a person who's daughter and family are there, and I'm sure her heart dropped. Now that we are getting a bit less noise from Trump other terrifying news pops up, could keep our adrenalin high, and our hope crushed. I know, on some level, the journalists feel they are doing their duty to inform us. But they are also scrambling for our attention in exactly the same way Trump is. And for the same reason: it benefits them financially. Right speech is not necessarily rushed speech. More research and facts would aid our understanding, but we seem to be on a path where the stories are vomited out compulsively, then adjusted later (well, not in Trump's case). I don't see the careful workup that major stories in the news used to have. These newspapers and TV stations etc are owned by conglomerates. Grow, grow, grow is the impulse. I try not to participate, but my phone is against me, and what little I read is hyperbole. How do we protect ourselves by taking in only what we can handle? I try, but get blindsided constantly. The only tool I have is to pray for everyone's well being, and stay in the moment with those prayers. I can still experience joy in nature around me, the Facetimes with my grandchildren, the little interactions with my husband, friends and animal life. As long as I don't jump ahead to expectations, and keep the mantra Don't Know. But it's so hard, so wearing, so harmful. News is poison right now.