Americans are anxious, and we think an important contributor to that feeling is the nonstop presence every day, and even every minute, of troubling news. When did our lives start becoming saturated with daily “news”? What purpose did “news” serve in the past, and how have those reasons changed over time? “News" has also been delivered by different mediums in different times, and the changing media technologies for “news” are often a key source for its changing character. Is it possible to retain our sanity and emotional balance in a news environment driven by an attention economy? What is the future of “news” and how can we be wiser consumers of “news” today?