One can certainly consume news without entering a state of permanent anxiety. If one does, I think that suggests an independent condition rather than a problem with the news. A healthy stoicism does not demand ignorance.
Almost everyone overestimates their ability to be aware of and manage their emotions. While it's important to work on how we react to things, it's also important to be clear-eyed about our in-built fallibilities and how difficult they are to overcome, as well as just how hostile the environments we encounter are.
With a great deal of goal-directed effort, an individual could get there, but realistically getting our existing population to effectively adopt any meaningful level of reduced emotional reactiveness to these triggers would require a massive culture shift and billions of billions of hours of therapy and related activities. In other words, it's not a realistic short- or medium-term position at the population level, so it's at best only a small part of any solution.
I read the news every day without stressing out about it, and I did not have to go to therapy or whatever to be able to do so. I can't help but think that finding the news stressful is irrational. In the grand scheme of human suffering mainstream news is table stakes. Read about what life is like in North Korea, Afghanistan, Venezuela, or South Africa. When reading an article about US healthcare, think about what healthcare options are available to mothers in sub-Saharan Africa. When reading about the ending of Affirmative Action, remember that 70% of urban Chinese students are admitted to college, compared to only 5% of rural ones.
This isn't to say that finding the news stressful is some sort of moral failing. It's irrational, but humans are irrational. If reading the news stresses you out, then sure, don't read the news.
It is quite bizarre to be told by multiple commenters now that I really have entered a permanent state of anxiety and that I've just overestimated myself. Are you that confident that reading news inspires such a state in everyone?
Personally I can't remember the last time I experienced anxiety reading the news - and I read an hour or two's worth daily. So I have trouble relating to those who do, but I don't insist that they must be "underestimating" themselves.
People have to spend their time somehow - reading news seems likely more valuable than watching sports, arguing on the internet, gambling, watching cat videos, or playing cell phone games. All those are common time sinks for people.
Seems odd to question the value of reading news, considering.
