Has Anyone STOPPED Watching/Reading the News?

[ExFlyBoy5]

I came across an article by Rolf Dobelli that was written in 2010 called, "Avoid News." It was intriguing enough that I just might take him up on his recommendation to "go cold turkey" on ALL news sources. His 15 reasons seem pretty good to me and well...reading/watching ALL the wonderful news that's out there, well...it just wears me out.

So, has anyone here actually done this? If so, how did it work out? I know I have a fear of "not knowing", but truly, anything that would *actually* affect me I would hear from SOMEONE.

Here's the original article if you are interested

http://dobelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Avoid_News_Part1_TEXT.pdf

 

[ElizabethT]

Yes, largely due to this 2013 blog posting at Mr. Money Mustache: The Low Information Diet

The premise of his article, in a nutshell, is that the important stuff will always come through, so this is not the same as 'checking out.' What it means to me is that I refuse to allow the insanity of the 24/7 news cycle consume my brain, and my increasingly precious time. No matter what the breaking story, it doesn't need to be read or consumed in real time, it really doesn't. Once a week is adequate, or even less, with rare exception. Again, if it's that major of a story, it will come through in some form or another, so I have no concerns I'll be left in the dark about a truly significant real-time event.

The benefits are that I'm no longer overwhelmed or assaulted with negative energy multiple times a day. I can remain in the moment and enjoy my life without other people's insanity crowding in. The majority of what goes on 'out there' are things we have absolutely no control over, so at the end of the day what, really, is the point of letting them control how you feel?

 

[athena53]

I like the term "low information diet". For years now, I've avoided TV news, especially CNN> I hate it when its blaring in the breakfast room in a hotel where I'm staying. What a depressing start to the day.


I skim, but rarely click on, news headlines on the msn.com home page and in FaceBook. For substance, I rely on French and German video news podcasts and BBC documentaries. The Europeans will certainly cover the latest terrorist attacks, but at the same time I may learn that Napoleon's horse, Vizier, is being sent for taxidermy and may soon be on display to the public.

 

[Nodak]

I quit watching network news many years ago. Far too much of an "if you don't watch our news you are going to die" effort on the part of the networks.

 

[Dash man]

I haven't quit watching network news, but have cut back by about 90%. It's helped my diet by lowering stress levels...I eat less.


Enjoying life!

 

[Midpack]

It's our duty as citizens to know what's going on in the world, but I watch news judiciously. 24/7 news is an very unwelcome development IMO, it's led to broadcasters/webmasters making news where there's really nothing new to report. And there's way too much reported prematurely, without a complete picture, presumably being first to report is more desirable than being accurate nowadays. It's harder than ever to discern opinions and hard facts.

As for politics, I make sure I watch/listen to conservative AND liberal sources as equally as possible, and do my own follow up research. Listening to only conservative or liberal sources, as many I know do, has heightened polarization and reduced understanding in the USA. Too many people speak in sound bites with little actual comprehension...

 

[Hyper]

No tv since 2012! Only news I look at is enough to keep me informed about our horribly corrupt so called leaders but only so I can make the best effort voting.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Yes, largely due to this 2013 blog posting at Mr. Money Mustache: The Low Information Diet

The premise of his article, in a nutshell, is that the important stuff will always come through, so this is not the same as 'checking out.' What it means to me is that I refuse to allow the insanity of the 24/7 news cycle consume my brain, and my increasingly precious time. No matter what the breaking story, it doesn't need to be read or consumed in real time, it really doesn't. Once a week is adequate, or even less, with rare exception. Again, if it's that major of a story, it will come through in some form or another, so I have no concerns I'll be left in the dark about a truly significant real-time event.

The benefits are that I'm no longer overwhelmed or assaulted with negative energy multiple times a day. I can remain in the moment and enjoy my life without other people's insanity crowding in. The majority of what goes on 'out there' are things we have absolutely no control over, so at the end of the day what, really, is the point of letting them control how you feel?

I went to read the MMM article and realized I had read it a while back...all still good information. I have pretty much figured out that the information that is considered "breaking news" is often full of errors and bad reporting. I read *somewhere* that the best way to get the FULL story is when there is a follow up 2 months later...but most stories don't last more than a couple of days before you never hear about it again.

At any rate, I am glad to see that so many people have "disconnected" from the news. I am already a "little weird" being FIRE'd, so this just adds to that "weirdness".

As for politics, I make sure I watch/listen to conservative AND liberal sources as equally as possible, and do my own follow up research. Listening to only conservative or liberal sources, as many I know do, has heightened polarization and reduced understanding in the USA. Too many people speak in sound bites with little actual comprehension...

And not to get political, but I was sad to see Al Jazerra America go away. To *me*, they seemed to be about middle-of the line, whereas the other cable news providers have distinct leanings left AND right...and they had some pretty good documentaries. And this opinion comes from a "good 'ole southern boy" who spend 20+ years in the military....probably not the demographic you would *think* watched Al Jazerra.

 

[audreyh1]

I came across an article by Rolf Dobelli that was written in 2010 called, "Avoid News." It was intriguing enough that I just might take him up on his recommendation to "go cold turkey" on ALL news sources. His 15 reasons seem pretty good to me and well...reading/watching ALL the wonderful news that's out there, well...it just wears me out.

So, has anyone here actually done this? If so, how did it work out? I know I have a fear of "not knowing", but truly, anything that would *actually* affect me I would hear from SOMEONE.

Here's the original article if you are interested

http://dobelli.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Avoid_News_Part1_TEXT.pdf

YES!!!

It's definitely better this way!

And, yes, if it is really important you will find out soon enough from someone or some forum.

We have no TV (internet streaming only) or newspaper or magazine subscriptions. We don't frequent news sites online. DH does scan the online local paper occasionally but rarely mentions anything to me. And those tend to be short and factual.

I pick up on news events via remarks on forums like this or on Facebook (fortunately only a couple of my Facebook friends post news related things, so there are only occasional posts, and they are often of interest. I've worked hard to train FB not to show me the news junk). Or even seeing a flag at half mast may be the clue that motivates us to take a quick look.

I occasionally might see something from one of the financial sites/apps I use, but I usually ignore the news feeds.

When something is hinted at that I want to know more about - then I go looking for the news on it. When my curiosity is satisfied, then it disappears. I am not bombarded by repeat exposure.

For voting - again I am proactive about researching candidates and issues. News media coverage was usually too shallow to inform me anyway. So avoiding the political coverage crap is wonderful.

As a result we are usually blissfully ignorant of current events. I know several FB friends found some recent events very upsetting. I quickly found out what happened. But I was not bombarded by this as I could tell they had been. I can only imagine the constant focus and speculations by news organizations.

I remember because out on small ship trips when passengers expressed concern at being shut off from outside news and "not knowing". This struck me - why did someone feel so compelled to "know" when they would find out soon enough join their return? Reason - news programs have trained us to think we must constantly informed so we keep coming back for more.

 

[MichaelB]

Not me. I get real time news all day long from Facebook, then at night on the Daily Show. In depth analysis from The Onion.

 

[Dawg52]

I definitely watch less. If something is happening I see via the internet, I might turn to CNN for an update. But as far as watching network evening news, very rare.

 

[audreyh1]

Years ago I got to where I couldn't even listen to NPR anymore. It would just make me anxious. And we totally stopped all financial TV and radio.

I have a Bloomberg app on Apple TV where I can tune into for live TV if I really want. I turned it on to watch the market open after Brexit. What a waste of time that was! Useless! The apps with tickers is all you need.

 

[HadEnuff]

there is very little news available. There is a glut, however, of opinion pieces from sources whose opinions are already well known, disguised as "news".

I try to avoid watching such "news" programs, which leaves very little to choose from.

 

[Sojourner]

I have to admit I'm still a bit of a news junkie, reading things like Google News and watching CNN for a little while almost every day. But... with each passing year I'm feeling that it's not as enjoyable and definitely not beneficial for my mental well-being. I especially have been feeling that way with all the recent atrocities (like the horrific attack in Nice last night) that are covered 24/7 by the media for days on end. On the one hand, I want to be informed about what's going on and know some of the details so I can hold an intelligent conversation about current events with people. But the sheer awfulness of so many big news stories is getting harder and harder to take these days. It's really kind of soul-crushing. So... maybe better to be a bit in the dark?

 

[frayne]

Not me. I get real time news all day long from Facebook, then at night on the Daily Show. In depth analysis from The Onion.

Ditto with bits and pieces of the Golf channel blended in, here and there.

 

[MBAustin]

I rarely watch TV news - got out of the habit when we lived in Europe in the 90's and never started up again. I do start my day listening to NPR and that's what's on 90% of the time when I'm in the car, and we get both the local paper and Wall St. Journal. The more in-depth stories in the papers and on NPR are far more interesting to us than TV news soundbites.

 

[HFWR]

I watch local and national news, albeit infrequently. Most media outlets are "okay" at telling what happened, but are not so good at the why...

 

[RetireAge50]

Never watch the news. Also now my only transportation is motorcycle so never listen to the news either.

I do have the internet to research things I am thinking about.

When people talk at the office I have no clue what they are talking about because it is about the news or tv show or similar.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I can understand why people don't care about the news, but I read the Chicago Tribune online every morning. I also scan news.google.com a couple of times a day. I'll flip between msnbc and fox and cnn if there's heavy duty breaking news. I don't watch network news on TV though. In the car I like a news station or talk radio or NPR. I don't follow any online blogs though, news or social media style--I want just the facts ma'am. Most of the people I know are much more up on current events than I am and are always interesting to talk to. Maybe it's the nonengineer in me.

 

[W2R]

I still read the news, although I have cut back substantially. I don't watch TV news at all any more. Also, we don't have a daily paper newspaper in New Orleans any more.

Occasionally I read the news online, though. Right now my homepage is Reuters, so I notice the big stories there, like the truck killing so many people in Nice. Also, I glance through a couple of news subreddits and some other news websites each day. Our local newspaper has a website which I glance at, but I think the "reporters" are unpaid; anyway, their articles are both illiterate and heavily biased. The comments are entertaining.

I don't read even ten percent as much news as I read fifty years ago, because good news sources are harder for me to locate. I miss the "good old days" when we could simply pick up and read a newspaper containing actual, substantive news written by competent journalists who were familiar with English grammar and spelling. I'm glad that I am old enough to remember the good old days.

 

[audreyh1]

I have to admit I'm still a bit of a news junkie, reading things like Google News and watching CNN for a little while almost every day. But... with each passing year I'm feeling that it's not as enjoyable and definitely not beneficial for my mental well-being. I especially have been feeling that way with all the recent atrocities (like the horrific attack in Nice last night) that are covered 24/7 by the media for days on end. On the one hand, I want to be informed about what's going on and know some of the details so I can hold an intelligent conversation about current events with people. But the sheer awfulness of so many big news stories is getting harder and harder to take these days. It's really kind of soul-crushing. So... maybe better to be a bit in the dark?

Except it won't seem dark. In fact, your view might seem considerably brighter!

 

[Dreamer]

We do watch the evening news and receive a newspaper. I click on news items on MSN and unfortunately my DH has Breaking Fox News app on his Iphone. My DH is affected by Anxiety and Depression. He told me this morning that he is getting so tired of everything that is going on in this world. I just read both of the articles and I think that it is time for us to take a news break. I record the evening news and I am going to stop this. I am going to ask him to uninstall his Fox News app on his phone. I think that I am only going to look at Facebook once a week, instead of daily. It will be an interesting experiment. I will let my Facebook friends who message me, that if it is something I need to know, to phone me instead. If the world is coming to an end, I am counting on you guys to let me know a month before, so that I can spend some of the stash.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

But the sheer awfulness of so many big news stories is getting harder and harder to take these days. It's really kind of soul-crushing. So... maybe better to be a bit in the dark?

I think that's my biggest issue with it. It's almost always depressing and generally speaking, there is absolutely NOTHING I can do about any of it.

In the article I posted the author said:

Out of the approximately 10,000 news stories you have read in the last 12 months, name one that – because you consumed it – allowed you to make a better decision about a serious matter affecting your life, your career, your business – compared to what you would have known if you hadn’t swallowed that morsel of news.

The point is: the consumption of news is irrelevant to the forces that really matter in your life. At its best, it is entertaining, but it is still irrelevant.

So, I put some thought into that and I really couldn't think of more than about 3...and all of these "stories" I would have heard through organizations that I belong to that send out legislative action items.

unfortunately my DH has Breaking Fox News app on his Iphone.

Oye. I am very sorry to hear this. Perhaps you can print out the article and give it to him. There are several salient points as to WHY watching news is just not good for you. There is nothing more annoying than "breaking news". So little of the news out there is BREAKING in any manner. As my Dad say, "When will the breaking news finally be BROKEN?"

And Facebook? Ugh. Talk about a time waster. I have deleted it from my phone and my tablet and check it maybe once a week. Even that is a pain...our upstairs computer doesn't like Facebook (it crashed the video driver) so I have to use my office computer that is turned off most of the time. Funny thing about it...even when 2 or more weeks go by, when I do finally catch up, well, like the news...I really haven't missed much of nothing.

 

[MRG]

Great topic. DW insists on the local and national "news". I see no value in it. If it's truly news we'll see it via net. The crap that's on the news is hardly news to me.

Of course reading any news stories on the net is difficult. Seems there are more teasing headlines that direct the reader to a on camera interview or commentary. I won't ever click on those, interrupts the reading.

 

[marko]

Things that are going on in my little town affect and impact me considerably more than what goes on at the state and national level.

I always feel like I'm being manipulated to feel that the latest national election/scandal/event is more important than the things that touch me directly.

The actions of my mayor have a far greater chance of affecting how I live my life than that of a national figure or event.