Does the Constant News Cycle Give You ‘Issue Fatigue?’

Reporters Jake Neher and Cheyna Roth talk about political ramifications of being bombarded with too much information.

National Wildlife Federation

A recent political cartoon floating around the internet says “My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.”

WDET’s Jake Neher and Michigan Public Radio’s Cheyna Roth talk about the political ramifications of being bombarded with too much information.

“We see this with the Flint Water Crisis,” says Roth. “There are people on the ground in Flint living there saying this has been a tragedy… we’re tired, we want to move on from this.”

“You even hear lawmakers in Lansing refer to the issue as ‘Flint fatigue.'”

Roth also points to Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline controversy, saying attendance at public meetings about that issue has dwindled recently.

Roth and Neher talk about what causes this phenomenon and what can be done to combat it.

Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.

Authors

  • Cheyna has interned with Michigan Radio and freelanced for WKAR public radio in Lansing. She's also done some online freelancing and worked on documentary films.
  • Jake Neher is senior producer for Detroit Today and host of MichMash for 101.9 WDET. He previously reported on the Michigan Legislature for the Michigan Public Radio Network.