Back to Basics on The Nightly News

I can't really stomach television news much anymore, mostly because of the content itself -- there's so much negativity and hostility in the world. The old saying "30 minutes or less" that used to apply to pizza delivery, is one I now apply to the news. Unless there's an important, developing story, 30 minutes is about as much as I can take. It's just enough time to stay informed, which is certainly important, without getting oversaturated. Same goes for web, print, and other news sources. A little goes a long way.

If you're going to listen to the doom and gloom, it helps if the messengers themselves don't annoy you. Lately, you hear about so many of them getting into their own hot water and it puts an even worse taste in your mouth. So, it was refreshing to hear that Lester Holt has taken over for Brian Williams as the regular head anchor on NBC Nightly News. I've been a huge fan of Lester since his work as part of MSNBC's 9/11 coverage and I knew he'd get a shot to move into a lead anchor role someday.

Time will tell what, if any, dirt will be dug up on him but for now, it's good to see someone at the anchor desk who still knows the nightly news is about the news and not the person presenting it.