It’s a crushing statistic for a journalist to have to acknowledge. A new survey of our news habits indicates more than half the country is avoiding the news, some or all of the time, mainly because it makes us depressed.

The saddest thing is I completely get it. I used to consume every piece of news material I could lay my hands on, like a voracious vacuum cleaner of current affairs. But these days I would count myself as one of the avoiders. I actively avoid the news I don’t have to consume.