Am I alone? Or do others find themselves trying to actively disengage from the news?

[Midpack]

My sister found this and passed it along, right or wrong.

Guess there might be a few top center I could try out. I’ve never sought out AP or Reuters directly, but I see them used as sources all the time.

[misshathaway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helena I love history, and I have my favorite eras. You've heard the old saying... "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." But most of the history that we know was written by the victors. .

Fake history! But it is illuminating to read many accounts of the same era and first-person from people who lived through different events.

Media presentation seems so black and white, then you go into the history of any current issue, and it's not like that. Vague but I don't want to start any disputes.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack My sister found this and passed it along, right or wrong. Guess there might be a few top center I could try out. I’ve never sought out AP or Reuters directly, but I see them used as sources all the time.

I've used Reuters as my home page for a long time.

[Aerides]

Midpack, that's a great chart.

I rarely stray out of the "green" for news. Once I do, I know I'm going for a take or more entertainment and opinion than actual information.

[marko]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack My sister found this and passed it along, right or wrong.

I think there is a correlation between how much people care and their frustration level with the news.

I find the less I care, the less the news--what little I see anymore--bothers me.
Never had much of an empathy gene in the first place but I find my blood pressure is a lot better by not taking any of it too seriously.

[Cobra9777]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack My sister found this and passed it along, right or wrong. Guess there might be a few top center I could try out...

Hmm... NPR is pretty high and center, considering all the bashing earlier in this thread.

I don't listen very often, but it seems like pretty intelligent, factual reporting... and definitely more in-depth than you typically get elsewhere. Yes, there is a liberal bias, but I've always thought the discussion and analysis were remarkably balanced and civil.

[ExFlyBoy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HGTVfan I try to stay away from the news but as a retired journalist, it's hard. No broadcast news and I cut cable so no cable news for the most part. I did make an exception when I saw online about the shooting at the Capital Gazette. Turned on CBS News streaming for that and have felt very upset the last two days.

Your quote brings up the perfect example of why I try to ignore the news. In the case of the shooting, it is very sad, and making one sad for even a single day adds very little value (all negative) to my life. The fact is that in a country of 330 million people, bad things are going to happen. Nothing will stop it. Hearing about these (and similar) stories will do nothing for me but make me depressed about something I can do NOTHING about.

Since there are so many choices for "news", the outlets can tailor the stories for the audience they wish to woo for their advertisers...and they do. No real way to stop that, either.

[John Galt III]

Quote:

Originally Posted by youbet Absolutely agree! Our local NPR radio station here in the Chicago area clearly has a focused political agenda and they sell it all the time. Most of the time, as you say, it's subtle. Sometimes, not so much. But it's always there. The guests they have on, the subjects of discussions, the words they use to describe things or situations, folks they chose to interview, all point in the same direction.

+1. NPR, the condescending Ivory Tower Cocoon where everyone has the same entitled trust fund baby accent, lol, and the guests all answer each question with 'So,....'. I find them annoying but I must give them an A rating for their coverage of the 2008-2009 economic debacle. I was very impressed with their accurate and in-depth and relevant coverage and explanations, even predicting it before it happened.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack My sister found this and passed it along, right or wrong. Guess there might be a few top center I could try out. I’ve never sought out AP or Reuters directly, but I see them used as sources all the time.

When I research a specific story, I often run into the Reuters and AP versions and read those. That’s a good example of how the broadcast news will change things, because they “summarize” these stories into sound bites with their favorite spins and speculations.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko I think there is a correlation between how much people care and their frustration level with the news. I find the less I care, the less the news--what little I see anymore--bothers me. Never had much of an empathy gene in the first place but I find my blood pressure is a lot better by not taking any of it too seriously.

Personally I think there is manipulation by the broadcast media to make you think that you “should care” about every little bit they bombard you with. Just like the commercials do. It’s not a lack of empathy gene - it’s a matter of perspective. Of course you have to step back and decide what is really important.

[MichaelB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Personally I think there is manipulation by the broadcast media to make you think that you “should care” about every little bit they bombard you with. Just like the commercials do. It’s not a lack of empathy gene - it’s a matter of perspective. Of course you have to step back and decide what is really important.

All news and current event programming has this as a core objective. They are telling you what is relevant and on what topics you should focus your attention. Some media outlets do it better than others. This is why it is critical for us as individuals to have a clear sense of priorities, take the initiative to look for news and information that is relevant and pertinent to our priorities, learn to focus and filter.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExFlyBoy5 Your quote brings up the perfect example of why I try to ignore the news. In the case of the shooting, it is very sad, and making one sad for even a single day adds very little value (all negative) to my life. The fact is that in a country of 330 million people, bad things are going to happen. Nothing will stop it. Hearing about these (and similar) stories will do nothing for me but make me depressed about something I can do NOTHING about. Since there are so many choices for "news", the outlets can tailor the stories for the audience they wish to woo for their advertisers...and they do. No real way to stop that, either.

This is a good example of a story I have chosen not to be informed about other than knowing it happened. We have so many mass shootings in the country, and apparently many by mentally disturbed individuals. I don’t need to know the details ad nauseam of every single one.

[nwsteve]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 This is a good example of a story I have chosen not to be informed about other than knowing it happened. We have so many mass shootings in the country, and apparently many by mentally disturbed individuals. I don’t need to know the details ad nauseam of every single one.

+1 Well said!

[capjak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack My sister found this and passed it along, right or wrong. Guess there might be a few top center I could try out. I’ve never sought out AP or Reuters directly, but I see them used as sources all the time.

I would not rely on this Meme/Graphic it certainly is biased as well.

[ERD50]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midpack My sister found this and passed it along, right or wrong. Guess there might be a few top center I could try out. I’ve never sought out AP or Reuters directly, but I see them used as sources all the time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aerides Midpack, that's a great chart. I rarely stray out of the "green" for news. Once I do, I know I'm going for a take or more entertainment and opinion than actual information.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobra9777 Hmm... NPR is pretty high and center, considering all the bashing earlier in this thread. I don't listen very often, but it seems like pretty intelligent, factual reporting... and definitely more in-depth than you typically get elsewhere. Yes, there is a liberal bias, but I've always thought the discussion and analysis were remarkably balanced and civil.

Quote:

Originally Posted by capjak I would not rely on this Meme/Graphic it certainly is biased as well.

IM(biased)O, the chart is a decent approximation, though I'd shift the whole thing a good bit.

But I also think it doesn't really matter. Best to assume everything you read is biased, and if it matters to you, research it. Even if a certain outlet is considered to be not so biased on average, any particular article may be very biased. You can fall into a trap that way.

I was thinking of the "Trust, but verify" quote, but really, when it comes to the media, it is best to say "Don't trust, verify".

-ERD50

[Redbugdave]

The purpose of the "news" is to get attention, sell their stories, and make money through advertising. Shock value, push button issues, and keeping things stirred up are good ways to keep people coming back. Same as the TV shows. Only with TV...guns, sex, and violence keep viewers attention to coming back each week. The National News and TV shows are mainly about entertainment to me anymore. Local news is still mostly news around where I live.

[Rianne]

Yes, I'm quite sure news is filler for advertisers.

[ER Eddie]

I don't find the news per se all that interesting, but I do find commentary and analysis interesting. That can be enlightening.

[harllee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 This is a good example of a story I have chosen not to be informed about other than knowing it happened. We have so many mass shootings in the country, and apparently many by mentally disturbed individuals. I don’t need to know the details ad nauseam of every single one.

I too have decided to avoid all the mass shooting news. But the fact that I am doing that really bothers me. I think the really right thing for me to do is to be outraged by all the mass shootings and protest in the street and work to get things changed (I have tried all this in the past). But I find it just to emotionally disturbing and the protesting I have done in the past does not seem to do any good. I am deeply disturbed by this.

[ownyourfuture]

I agree, but I don’t think we can afford to ignore it.
Here's a story from today.

Driver says Eagan couple ‘freaked him out,’ so he ran them over, according to charges.

A man charged with fatally striking a husband & wife in an Eagan parking lot last week told police they “freaked him out” so he deliberately drove “fast and hit them hard,” according to the criminal complaint.

If that's not bad enough, towards the end of the article, we find this.

Officials say he was on probation for 3 other felony convictions, including vehicle theft, third-degree assault of a correctional officer, & fourth-degree assault of a psychiatrist.

https://www.twincities.com/2018/07/0...ng-to-charges/