Crisis, catastrophe and coronavirus: what now?
Reading the news I am struck by the sheer volume of crisis headlines over the past few years: the country splitting apart over Brexit, refugees seeking safe haven from warring parts of Europe, climate change spawning storms and floods on our very doorsteps and the mass extinction of species, and now coronavirus. A roll call of Biblical events foretelling the end of times? Certainly I have no reason to doubt the gravity of all the situations I read about. I am left wondering “what am I to do? Which crisis can I help avert and how?” And then I stop and take a breath. I need to broaden my focus to get a sense of perspective. I realise I have been stirred up by a 24/7 rolling news feed and that of itself deserves a little exploration. News used to be a daily affair in the papers, each with its own bias and tone. News today means money: advertisers and programme makers need to show results to their funders. Funders need to see high numbers of viewers/listeners so programmes compete to