'Overfeeding on Information': Roker in The New York Times

At my house, and where I never sit, but where photographer Axel Koester wanted me
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So, I'm in the Sunday NY Times tomorrow ("Overfeeding on Information," Oct 12). Yeah, I know, how fucking exciting is that? I read the Times, but you don't expect to be in it. When a friend asked if I wanted to be interviewed for a piece on political junkies, I didn't hesitate. "That's me!" I said.

Recounting for the writer how many hours I sit in front of my DVR or MacBook Pro, I realized how deep rooted my addiction actually was. Each day, I record a half dozen political shows (including "The News Hour," "Washington Week," "Charlie Rose" and, of course, "The Daily Show"). And I'm never far from the comments page on my Facebook profile, posting, chiming in on and generally trolling for any political discussion that pops up. The Huffington Post and my blog (you're soaking in it) take up any remaining oxygen in my day. Get a life, right?

Ultimately, amateur wonks like me have a pretty insatiable appetite for world events, politics specifically. Maybe, more honestly, our expanding platform fuels the fire we have to opine and debate. Not from purely an egotistical position, but because you have the privilege and ability to affect change and influence thinking. And, unsurprisingly, the more you enter the fray, the further down the rabbit hole you go.

Somebody I know recently sent me an email and complimented me on "expanding my voice." That might be the best way to describe what I get out of having a platform—as modest as it is—and why I don't mind my self-describe addiction, or even see it as a problem. Politics is an all consuming reality, regardless of of whether we chose to interact with or discuss it. For me, I'm like a moth to the flame.