I can be a bit of a news addict at times. The continual cycle either repeats every hour, with little or no update, or the running order changes – if not the entire world order these days – as some major story development breaks.
So the other day, I was speaking to someone who told me they don’t watch TV or listen to the radio – and wouldn’t have a phone either if work didn’t require it. I found that pretty extraordinary, like I was stood beside an alien or some cartoon cut-out… But I had to admire the opt-out lifestyle of a personal world without media. That has to be worth something, I thought out loud…
I mean, consider here in the UK, in just two months we had two monarchs, three prime ministers and three chancellors. Economic forecasts went from bad to worse as Sterling went through the floor; cost of living headlines changed weekly in household receipts; and Putin’s nuclear threat posture crept further beyond war games.
If I had spent the time gone fishing, I have no doubt I would be the better for it, though I may have returned thinking I’d stepped out of a DeLorean time machine.
The world passes us by whether we are in tune with it not. Although thankfully much news information and comment makes not a jot of difference to our lives and might as well not be consumed at all. Go fish… Swipe away to something that matters more…
For those that haven’t, I’ll get to the point. Because in any incident we can’t afford to be out of touch. Immediate notifications and timely updates matter if we are to stay ahead of the game – on top of the narrative – as a news story breaks and develops.
This is why we stress, always call our Incident Line number – so this alerts us instantly and we are able to respond without delay. This is why it matters to pass details correctly, although of course things may change. Information can be brief – as it is in any breaking news strapline.
The details help us search intelligently across multiple platforms. We can be reassured ourselves that news of any incident or event hasn’t broken. Or, if it has, tell you and send what there is. We can base our advice on what we are seeing – and where the story might be headed.
Consider this the DNA of Navigate Response.
I’m not sure how well we would cope without news media. It is after all why state news operations are among primary targets in any first strike scenario. I think I’d feel like Michael J. Fox stuck in 1955, if not Mathew Broderick without a dime for that critical phone call.
But two weeks fishing without a phone signal… hmmm? Maybe count me in!
