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

[GrayHare]

TV news lost me around the time of their JonBenet Ramsey coverage.

 

[REWahoo]

You people avoiding the news are really missing out. Here's an excellent example to prove my point:

Farting unicorn causes kerfuffle between Elon Musk and artist

 

[jjflyman]

You are not alone. We have stopped watching the national news,as they shove politics in our face 24/7.
We watch the local news and weather, and that's it. I'm so sick of the media "deciding" what is news and how we should feel about it.
I don't miss it and we are in a much better mood

 

[Dash man]

When I was diagnosed with depression a year ago, besides the meds I was prescribed, my doctor told me to quit watching any news shows. It did help.

 

[Another Reader]

It's called the "low information diet." I cancelled cable several years ago and never got around to installing an antenna. I can get the news that's important to me in less than 30 seconds from the internet. It's no better or worse than what's on TV.

The "low information diet" has produced health benefits for me - less stress and worrying about things I can't control and for the most part don't directly affect me.

 

[Mdlerth]

Hokey smoke, Bullwinkle!

Rocket J Squirrel addressed this issue in the 1961 story arc "Buried Treasure".

The local newspaper (The Picayune Intelligence) in Frostbite Falls had run out of paper on which to print. They had, however, a huge inventory of unsold copies of editions from prior years.

Rocky advised the publisher to examine the headlines of the old editions; it turned out that they were still as applicable as they had been 10 and 20 years earlier: "International Tensions Increase", "Economic Strains Hit the Poor", etc. So the Picayune Intelligence began selling those old copies, and people bought them just the same.

The news never changes!

 

[LARS]

When I was diagnosed with depression a year ago, besides the meds I was prescribed, my doctor told me to quit watching any news shows. It did help.

I seriously considered posting this in the Healthcare section of the Forum. It feels at times like a real health issue to me.

 

[aja8888]

Let's see:

National news = Politics in Scumbag fashion.

Local News = Murders, rapes, stealing (politicians, citizens and illegals), guessing at the weather, national politics when time has not run out, other sensational bull-crap.

 

[Aerides]

I don't watch any news, except perhaps briefly local/weather coverage leading up to a hurricane. I watch very little TV at all, and nothing in real time.

I follow a few sources/journalists on twitter, so I can stay informed, and curate a feed that gives me the balance I like with the least hyperbole and slant, and with the least possible time investment.

 

[stepford]

I'm as depressed by the news as anyone, but I try not to tune out too much. Not to get all preachy, but I kind of think it's our civic duty to be reasonably well informed. I think the endless drumbeat of "Fake News!" and the desire of many to tune out both serve those who would take advantage of an ill informed citizenry.

 

[flintnational]

I'm as depressed by the news as anyone, but I try not to tune out too much. Not to get all preachy, but I kind of think it's our civic duty to be reasonably well informed. I think the endless drumbeat of "Fake News!" and the desire of many to tune out both serve those who would take advantage of an ill informed citizenry.

I agree we should be informed. But that is why I avoid the news. IMHO, they are not keeping us informed. They are keeping us engaged to sell ads. Good news and the real world don't hold our attention. IMO, the world view they present distorts our perception of reality in a decidedly negative fashion.

Edit to add: I mentioned it in post #14. A book I am reading uses UN data to point out the tremendous progress we have made improving the human condition around the world over the last 75 years. The author also discusses why this good news is information that those consuming news broadcasts will never hear.

 

[LARS]

I'm as depressed by the news as anyone, but I try not to tune out too much. Not to get all preachy, but I kind of think it's our civic duty to be reasonably well informed. I think the endless drumbeat of "Fake News!" and the desire of many to tune out both serve those who would take advantage of an ill informed citizenry.

I agree with this and it is what has kept me tuned in, but I am beginning to consider/wonder if it isn’t the next generations' problems to fix at this point. Heaven knows my/our generation has firmly put us in the situation we currently find ourselves wading through...

 

[Bamaman]

We are in the Blue Ridge mountains camping right now. I would like to check out of the news, but we still have WI-FI and cable television here. what is nice is that we're so far down in the hills that cell service is unavailable--yea.

 

[bclover]

Oh I stopped watching the news a long time ago. I still like print news , but pretty much i listen in the morning to get my local stuff.

 

[ERD50]

I agree we should be informed. But that is why I avoid the news. IMHO, they are not keeping us informed. ...

In a weird twist, I feel obliged to keep informed of what it is they are trying to misinform us about! That's why I pay some attention, and check sources when I think it warrants it.

-ERD50

 

[Midpack]

You’re not alone. I was also an active consumer of news, but I’m down to the PBS Newshour and the 5:30p NBC Nightly News. If I want more info on anything I hear there, I go online to delve further for supporting facts.

I no longer read or watch any of the common sources/networks anymore. I used to watch CNN and Fox News to get opposing views, but I can’t stand either of them now, and MSNBC is no better. Maybe the news will get better after 2020, but I seriously doubt it...

 

[FIREd]

Yep disengaged and happier for it. The vast majority of news is unactionable (at my level anyway) so it is nothing more than a distraction. Sometimes I still find myself drifting towards news websites while mindlessly browsing the interwebs. So I am now actively blocking them on all my devices. Now I just have to avoid talking to the news junkies in my life...

 

[Rosie]

I think the endless drumbeat of "Fake News!" and the desire of many to tune out both serve those who would take advantage of an ill informed citizenry.

^ This.

Although sometimes I wonder, why should I care? I don't have children, so it's not like I have to explain to my offspring how my generation sat back and allowed current events to unfold.

 

[Cobra9777]

...Once you step away, the world is a pretty good place.

I am reading a book by Hans Rosling, Factfullness. He discusses all of the progress the world has made in the last 75 years. Much lower rates of hunger and disease and much higher rates of democracy and education. He also points out, you won't hear any of this by watching the news. His opinion is, we get a distorted view of the world from the news.

+1. The world is an amazing place, but you'd never know it watching the news.

Journalism is not what it used to be. It's big business and negativity sells. They're just giving people what they want to get ratings and sell ads. Don't be mad at "The News." Be mad at all the people who can't get enough negativity in their daily life, so they turn on the TV for more. There are plenty of positive things happening in the world and I want to be informed about them. I don't avoid negative news altogether but I want a balanced diet.

I use Google News and I've configured it for specific topics and publications so that it feeds me only the news I want. I also "train" it on an ongoing basis. There is a pull-down button on every story that allows you to ask for more or less of stories like that. So now I read about gravitational wave detections instead of whatever shenanigans is happening in DC this week. I also glance at the local small-town paper (online). I like to keep up with what's happening in my little patch of suburbia.

 

[Redbugdave]

I have done the same as most of you. I have tuned out on the TV news. I do get the morning paper and keep up on local stuff, though. Basically I have tuned out on TV altogether. All the shows nowdays are crap and I am tired of the commercials selling drugs. I don't care about things I have no control over.

 

[mpeirce]

Two answers:

1. I almost never watch national news. I don't get cable TV any more so I don't watch any of those networks. Our local news is pretty good - it really isn't all crime reports - and I like their weather reports. They get awful when they start covering national news - always an agenda on that.

2. I've always read more news than watch. I've been reading the WSJ ever since I was in college. I let it lapse when I noticed more editions piled up than I could ever catch up on. A couple of years ago they got good publishing news via their app (one of very few news apps that is quite good - many are very awful!) and I reengaged. I spend about a half hour a day reading it most days on my iPad. I still take the local morning paper and scan it during breakfast.

I love the wide range of news sources on the internet. It takes a bit of effort to ferret our their prejudices, but it gets easy with a little practice. I especially like international sources. I read a couple of English newspapers via their websites and like to sample other English language papers too.

There are a bunch of other sites I check each morning - it's easy and fast to glance at them to see what's up.

I honestly don't see much in the way of "hate" since if a source starts in that direction I drop them.

That being said, I never glance at Facebook or other places that are trying to force-fed news to me. No thanks.

 

[RobbieB]

I like the local news, don't follow national news and avoid CNN like the plague.

 

[Chuckanut]

Rocket J Squirrel addressed this issue in the 1961 story arc "Buried Treasure".

The local newspaper (The Picayune Intelligence) in Frostbite Falls had run out of paper on which to print. They had, however, a huge inventory of unsold copies of editions from prior years.

Rocky advised the publisher to examine the headlines of the old editions; it turned out that they were still as applicable as they had been 10 and 20 years earlier: "International Tensions Increase", "Economic Strains Hit the Poor", etc. So the Picayune Intelligence began selling those old copies, and people bought them just the same.

The news never changes!

Finally, another person of great intelligence and culture who appreciates the profound humor of Rock and Bullwinkle. One of the best quotes ever came from the rich ship owner who was sending Rocky and Bullwinkle out to defeat Maybe Dick, a huge whale who was swallowing ships whole. "No price is to high to stop Maybe Dick. Especially if somebody else pays it."

IMHO, most of the popular news shows have had their staff shot with Goof Gas. It's probably the stuff left over after Boris Badenov found that somebody else had already shot the Congressmen with it.

 

[Chuckanut]

Rocket J Squirrel addressed this issue in the 1961 story arc "Buried Treasure".

The local newspaper (The Picayune Intelligence) in Frostbite Falls had run out of paper on which to print. They had, however, a huge inventory of unsold copies of editions from prior years.

Rocky advised the publisher to examine the headlines of the old editions; it turned out that they were still as applicable as they had been 10 and 20 years earlier: "International Tensions Increase", "Economic Strains Hit the Poor", etc. So the Picayune Intelligence began selling those old copies, and people bought them just the same.

The news never changes!

Finally, another person of great intelligence and culture who understand the profound humor of Rock and Bullwinkle. It wasn't until I became an adult that I truly appreciated Rocky and Bullwinkle.

 

[braumeister]

I have the complete set of Rocky & Bullwinkle. Actually I have two complete sets. First on VHS tapes, then on DVD. Times change, don't you know?

They are what I watch when the weather is so bad I have to stay indoors and use the dreadmill or the rowing machine.