Personal retirement observation

[Tailgate]

6 months in, I've noticed my media consumption has changed. Have always been a big news consumer. Read 2 daily papers and consumed a lot of local news and the daily 1/2 hour national newscasts on a daily basis (necessity..see below) Never a big cable net news fanatic and only checked in during big breaking news events.

Since retirement, I'm seeing the world differently and I've developed a slight aversion to all the negative news. We now will watch the local 5pm newscast and the 1/2 hour national news that follows, but avoid everything else. Life is much happier without all the negative stuff.

And what did I do before I retired? I ran a television station.

How do you handle all the negativity that's out there? As a normal viewer now, I feel more empowered by the remote control and the ability to just walk away and find a real activity.

 

[aja8888]

The older I get, the more I avoid negative news. Most of it has no direct impact on me or my family so I really don't care to waste time watching/listening to negative news. My retired friends have the same viewpoint when it comes to this.

 

[easysurfer]

I gone the opposite route since retired. Now I watch more news. It's news, sports or a few shows. I think the reason I watch news more is because that's still better and not as boring as all the reality tv [-]crap[/-] stuff out there.

 

[robnplunder]

How do you handle all the negativity that's out there? As a normal viewer now, I feel more empowered by the remote control and the ability to just walk away and find a real activity.

+1. Even on movie & TV show selections, I pick ones that are uplifting & funny. It's a bit of cop out but I want a least amount of stress with the rest of my life I have.

 

[Meadbh]

I have become more of a news junkie over the years but I prefer to triangulate my information to get different perspectives and get the analysis of major world developments. I cut cable two years ago. I read news and watch selected domestic and international broadcasts online.

 

[LOL!]

I just have to read the newspaper online of a major metropolitan area such as Houston. It is filled with cat pictures and little in the way of negative news.

More feel-good news is found at npr.org

One can also tailor their google news to present the kinds of articles one like. For example, if you want cat pictures, you can get news with cat pictures only.

bbc news is mostly just the facts without sensationalism, too.

 

[someguy]

I cut most news (TV or paper) and replaced it with additional exercise (I was already exercising regularly). One of my biggest improvements to overall well being came from doing this. Or, if you can't exercise, try meditation or yoga.

 

[W2R]

I don't watch the news now as much as I once did, either.

How do I deal with the negativity? Like someguy, I exercise regularly. But mostly I shut the news off and instead I play happy, stress free kiddie video games like Animal Crossing or Tomodachi Life.

People may think that is juvenile, but hey, I enjoy these games and there are no "rules" for retirement that I know of. So, I am happy and unstressed these days.

 

[serie1926]

Interesting timing, given the recent blog from Stossel.

Real news takes time...

Clueless reporters: The important news you're missing | Fox News

 

[athena53]

I have become more of a news junkie over the years but I prefer to triangulate my information to get different perspectives and get the analysis of major world developments. I cut cable two years ago. I read news and watch selected domestic international broadcasts online.

This, except we still get cable. I just don't watch the news. DH and I were in a hotel Saturday night on our way home from a trip and he had a news station on. After 10 minutes going on an on about war, young American solders getting maimed by IEDs, etc., I had to ask him to change the station. It's important for me to know it's happening but I don't need to dwell on the gory details.

I get my news from BBC podcasts as well as a couple of video podcasts in French and German. This gives me another point of view, helps me with my fluency, and allows me to fast-forward to the next item if I'm getting too depressed. We also get the daily paper so I can fill in the gaps where something got lost in translation.

Last week we were in a remote cave in Alaska (El Capitan) and the ranger there hadn't heard of the dramatic rescue last month of the caver in Berchtesgaden, Germany who sustained a serious head injury during a rockslide (he was wearing a helmet) and was finally brought out of the cave (Germany's deepest) 12 days later. I was happy to share news that hadn't gotten quite that far!

 

[Tadpole]

I figure it is time to turn the future over to the younger people. It's theirs to fix and build. It's theirs to break and ruin. I can't see choosing to be perpetually angry/sad/upset/frustrated/anxious about every little inane pop-news item that arises. I got a Roku box with Netflix and Amazon Prime. I also got a 8.9 inch Kindle HDX. No news allowed except as my husband expresses an interest.

 

[Tailgate]

Interesting timing, given the recent blog from Stossel.

Real news takes time...

Clueless reporters: The important news you're missing | Fox News

Interesting blog, but unfortunately that kind of news doesn't sell. By that I mean there is a difference in what heavy news users say they want and what will really consume.

Strictly speaking about local news, news topics and viewing behaviors of news viewers has always been highly researched. Weather always leads the way as the topic viewers most want, followed by crime. 9/11 marked the beginning of a change in what the public wants and it revolves around 'keeping the family safe' thus crime reporting is very important when it is happening in your neighborhood. With that noted, the local news operation is left to make the decision as to become the 'hard' news station with the sensationalistic approach or take a less bombastic approach. You'll generally see the #3 station in a market is the loudest (trying to get attention, like the youngest child) and the dominant station is more reserved in presentation. Some markets are hard news markets and some are more conservative... seems to relate to median income of the population just like poverty and high crime rates are related.

There was a station a few years ago that promoted a 'good news only' newscast which the viewers loudly applauded and promptly changed the channel. Only lasted a few weeks.

What disturbs me is the demise of the newspaper business model. So many newspapers are on their way out of business and with that in depth, investigative reporting will suffer and we will be left with bloggers and social media trying to fill that void. Accuracy and factual reporting are no longer standards of the Fifth Estate.

My thoughts are related to local media and not the national mass media.. that is a different ball game of which I have an opinion, but I'm not qualified to comment on.

 

[FIREd]

Except for a few newspapers of record, I shut the news out of my life. It's mostly fluff anyways.

 

[Walt34]

What disturbs me is the demise of the newspaper business model. So many newspapers are on their way out of business and with that in depth, investigative reporting will suffer and we will be left with bloggers and social media trying to fill that void. Accuracy and factual reporting are no longer standards of the Fifth Estate.

That troubles me too. I just read an article about the death of photojournalism as a career. So many have dismantled their photo staffs relying instead on the occasional photo contract or mostly on photos that people will send in for free. And the loss in quality shows.

But I feel free to turn off the bad news simply because too much gets depressing and alters one's view of life.

 

[eytonxav]

What disturbs me is the demise of the newspaper business model. So many newspapers are on their way out of business and with that in depth, investigative reporting will suffer and we will be left with bloggers and social media trying to fill that void. Accuracy and factual reporting are no longer standards of the Fifth Estate.

Amen, I saw Bob Woodward recently and that was his belief as well. Speed seems to be the only thing that counts now a days, regardless of correctness or not. In-depth investigation is dead.

 

[athena53]

What disturbs me is the demise of the newspaper business model. So many newspapers are on their way out of business and with that in depth, investigative reporting will suffer and we will be left with bloggers and social media trying to fill that void. Accuracy and factual reporting are no longer standards of the Fifth Estate.

I agree- DH and I still get the local paper even though it seems expensive and they won't give you a credit for suspending your subscription while going on vacation anymore. They still devote the time and resources to do investigative journalism piece and every once in awhile they break a very good story. As an example, they raised a lot of hackles when they downloaded the National Practitioner Database, which provided info on medical malpractice cases but without physician or patient names, then cross-referenced them against local court cases and records on whose licenses had been suspended, and found a lot of cases of repeat offenders who were still practicing in the area. (Note to all you medical people: I know bad outcomes happen that have nothing to do with the competence of the physician- my sister and an uncle are doctors. There are, however, bozos in every profession and they shouldn't be practicing.)

It was a great story, but they temporarily took the database offline and now you have to promise not to cross-reference it against other information before they let you download it.

 

[scrabbler1]

I phased out newspapers as my news source after I ERed. In 2007, just before I ERed, Newsday, our local newspaper here on Long Island, began charging to use its previously free website so I stopped visiting it. I had already stopped buying their newspaper because there wasn't really anything in there I wanted to read.

My news sources now are my local cable news station, News12, and its website, for local news; For other news I watch C-Span and PBS. Those other so-called cable news channels, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, are to me the "Chris Christie Bridgegate channel," "The Lost Malaysian Jet Channel," and "We Hate Obama and Liberals channel."

 

[CaliforniaMan]

I phased out newspapers as my news source after I ERed. In 2007, just before I ERed, Newsday, our local newspaper here on Long Island, began charging to use its previously free website so I stopped visiting it. I had already stopped buying their newspaper because there wasn't really anything in there I wanted to read.

My news sources now are my local cable news station, News12, and its website, for local news; For other news I watch C-Span and PBS. Those other so-called cable news channels, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News, are to me the "Chris Christie Bridgegate channel," "The Lost Malaysian Jet Channel," and "We Hate Obama and Liberals channel."

+1
Great post and description of the "news" channels!

 

[freebird5825]

I never was much of a news follower in any form. I cannot stand to watch it on TV on any channel, so I don't. I will read the important (to me) headlines online and the occasional article.
I let Mr B do the news watching thing for me and have him fill me in. I go to another room and do something else when he watches TV news.

 

[Balance]

I have been lurking occasionally but too busy in retirement this summer to post. However, this thread caught my eye and I thought I would chime in. These days I rarely read or watch the news. I find it negative, boring and without substance. When I take a break from being physically active, I tend to read a good book, peruse a few blogs or turn on some good music and tend to housework or cooking both of which were the domain of my DW. She smiles and says I am becoming domesticated, but I actually enjoy it and I appreciate all that she did when I was full tilt in my career. It is an amazing feeling when you disconnect from the grid and just take in what's right in front of you. Of course, this is not new, as it was our general demeanor when we were children. Ha!

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I have a digital subscription to the NYT and read it pretty thoroughly on a daily basis. I also scan the local paper online in the a.m. (briefly) just to see what is going on nearby. I find in retirement that I have no interest in the TV news. I turn on the TV shortly before 7 p.m. now, to watch Jeopardy. In time, I am sure I will cancel or whittle down to basic level my costly cable TV connection.

 

[marko]

I've slowly come to realize that the only "truth" on TV/Newspapers is 1) the stock market and 2) sports stats (of which I'm not really interested).

You can't fake/change the facts that the market did X% today or that XOM was up/down X%. Love him or hate him, you can't change Derek Jeter's batting average.

I've found that there is too much spin in the news and/or items of omission if the item doesn't fit into the editor's philosophy. As far as I'm concerned, it's all either 1) propaganda 2) nonsense or 3) crap.

 

[Tailgate]

As far as I'm concerned, it's all either 1) propaganda 2) nonsense or 3) crap.

I think you might be painting all media with the same brush and I couldn't disagree more on some levels.

Re: National Mass Media- ABC, CBS, NBC, big newspapers (Gannett, etc)- too much money and power at stake to believe that everything is on the up and up. The are probably agendas that we will never ever know about. Most likely not entirely 100% credible since Cronkite years.

Re: Cable nets- Fox,CNN, MSNBC etc... I agree with you. The agendas are blatantly obvious. To feed the beast 24/7 there must be bullshit and talking heads and thus philosophies are served to those who are already predetermined believers. If you love Fox you hate CNN and vice versa...or you believe neither.

Re: Local news- Mostly good people trying to get it right, but believing that being first is more important than being right. Also failing to confirm facts because of the urgency to be first. Making simple mistakes because of inexperience and youth in the newsroom in most markets outside the top 50. Pressure for ratings on air and page views online has trumped the basics. Still, on the local level, the publics 'right' and 'need to know' wins most of the time. My experience is that locally there are few personal agendas, but the world has become sound bytes and breaking news rather than connecting the dots and asking the right questions.

Again, my experience and opinions only. Peace and Love

 

[kcowan]

We watch the NBC News at 6 pm in Seattle, and CBS Sunday Morning at 9 am. I also watch a one hour business show weekdays via PVR. Even at that, there is a lot of duplication: The Costa Concordia floats again! Obama uses Executive Orders. Hamas bombs Israel.

In Mexico, we are isolated from local news because our Spanish is not good enough for their rapid-fire delivery. We feel that contributes to our enjoyment.

 

[2B]

I think you might be painting all media with the same brush and I couldn't disagree more on some levels.

Re: National Mass Media- ABC, CBS, NBC, big newspapers (Gannett, etc)- too much money and power at stake to believe that everything is on the up and up. The are probably agendas that we will never ever know about. Most likely not entirely 100% credible since Cronkite years.

I wouldn't go so far as making Cronkite "100% credible". He was a outspoken liberal after his retirement. I find it hard to believe he didn't tilt his coverage based on this. His "I don't see how we can win this" (paraphrase) comment on one of his nightly news broadcasts is considered a turning point is US public opinion on Viet Nam. This isn't a specific slam on ol' Walter but I don't believe personal opinions or incentives won't tilt everyone to some level or another.

Re: Cable nets- Fox,CNN, MSNBC etc... I agree with you. The agendas are blatantly obvious. To feed the beast 24/7 there must be bullshit and talking heads and thus philosophies are served to those who are already predetermined believers. If you love Fox you hate CNN and vice versa...or you believe neither.

Re: Local news- Mostly good people trying to get it right, but believing that being first is more important than being right. Also failing to confirm facts because of the urgency to be first. Making simple mistakes because of inexperience and youth in the newsroom in most markets outside the top 50. Pressure for ratings on air and page views online has trumped the basics. Still, on the local level, the publics 'right' and 'need to know' wins most of the time. My experience is that locally there are few personal agendas, but the world has become sound bytes and breaking news rather than connecting the dots and asking the right questions.

Again, my experience and opinions only. Peace and Love

There's a big difference between news and commentary. If a station keeps them reasonably separated you just have to realize that things for what they are. In CNN's case I hate the "big story" concept where they will swarm the same story or small group of stories and repeat them endlessly.

My biggest pet peeve is the lack of news in both local and national news. As a classic example there was the "selfie" of some kid with Warren B and Paul M in the background. How is it a "selfie" since he didn't take it? Why is it news? Why should anyone care? In any event I lost at least 5 minutes of my life yesterday on this that I'll never get back. We have seemingly replaced the news (current events that might matter) with cutsey crap, apartment fires, car wrecks and meaningless trivia.