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

[Koogie]

I forget if it was someone here or on Bogleheads that turned me onto the following website but I thought I would post it for other former news enthusiasts. If you enjoy better than average writing and longer, in depth stories it is for you....

https://longform.org/

Of course, not all are investigative gems but a lot are. And the source reporters or papers have biases too but consume thoughtfully and with a pre-recognition of that and you will enjoy it. I currently have 3 stories from it bookmarked to read. Just read a pretty cool expose of corporate corruption at the German construction giant Bilfinger that was reported by the english version of Der Spiegel.

 

[ER Eddie]

I WAS disengaged, for a long time, about 2 years. I've recently come back, because things are too interesting to ignore.

 

[Walt34]

I WAS disengaged, for a long time, about 2 years. I've recently come back, because things are too interesting to ignore.

I get that. It's sort of like watching a train wreck, you don't really want it to happen, but since it's gonna happen anyway, too interesting to ignore.

As in: "I wonder what that buffoon is going to do next!" or:

"Is he/she really that stupid?" or:

"OMG! They actually said that!"

The only place I watch TV or news is at the gym, the screens are right in front of the treadmills and ellipticals, one on CNN, one on Fox, and one on a local channel, so I get equal exposure to all the different slanted news.

 

[HFWR]

I quit watching when The Onion turned out to be more accurate...

 

[Al in Ohio]

I've tried to cut back on reading / watching the news for the exact reasons the OP mentioned. Not completely to the point of 'no noise' yet but hopefully getting there.

Happy events don't grab your attention. They never did. The news has always been about bad things happening. Nothing is different now compared to 50 years ago. You think things were "friendlier" or happier in the 40's during the turmoil of the start of each world war? What about the civil rights abuses? Things have not only always been bad, but they were often far worse than today. Most Americans have very short memories and are easily conditioned to opinions of fear mongers. Sorry but its the cold hard facts of history.

 

[Oz investor]

*** I don't fish, but I am seriously thinking about hanging out the "Gone Fishin'" sign for good and turn my back on all the noise. ***

then load the shotgun and wait ... someone is sure to come in and make your day

NEVER advertise your absence , remember the guy they robbed in the street

 

[misshathaway]

I spend much more time now going backwards in time to gain more perspective. Bonus is that nobody wants to read history books or really any book written a long time ago, so there are usually no waits in the online libraries.

 

[audreyh1]

FWIW I don't watch TV news either, but read NYT and WSJ daily (to hopefully cancel out ideological bias). The problem with "actively seeking" news sources is that we tend to gravitate to those sources we agree with. By reading mainstream newspapers from both sides of the ideological spectrum I hope to avoid this. Of course some believe one cannot be well informed by the NYT and WSJ as both are tools of the deep state designed to spoon feed us propaganda. If that is true, however, I fear our capacity to agree on any "objective" facts has been lost.

It’s funny that you put it that way when I specifically said actively seeking information. What you are describing in gravitating towards sources one agrees with, or whatever is the habitual channel is, I consider as very passive - just tuning into a couple of places and exposing yourself to whatever they spoon feed with all the spin to try to keep you hooked or angry/fearful. Yes, reading the news is much more active than listening, and reading is what I do as I have no patience for news delivered and packaged by broadcast especially how slow it is. If an important story comes up, I research it online. And I get to decide if it’s important enough to warrant the effort. I do not choose to scan news every day. I often research stories days after the initial breaking - usually way more info and less hype.

In terms of information and voting, watching the news daily does not in fact prepare you for selecting candidates. I always found I had to research the candidates from non-news sources to make an intelligent decision, even back when I was a daily consumer of news from conventional sources (TV, newspaper).

 

[audreyh1]

I've gone through a whole slew of presidents since Ike and regardless of party or person I can't really think of something any one of them have done that affected me directly.

Seriously? It doesn’t take much effort for me to think of something each president did that affected me directly.

 

[audreyh1]

Even if many of us have tuned out of broadcast news there remain many that give it attention. That can be more concerning than the news itself.

Why? Are you assuming these folks are completely in the dark? That there is no other source of essential information than broadcast news?

 

[Oz investor]

apart from LBJ who nearly got me involved in a war , i don't really care about US presidents , not even the real estate salesman ( i live in Australia we have enough political jokes of our own )

i search for diverse opinions , you never know where you will find a good idea or be made aware of a potential flaw in your plans .

having worked for 10 years with News Ltd , i know main stream media well enough never to blindly believe anything published or aired on the idiot box .

the internet while for from perfect does give access to a wider range of views and arguments .. i still read some books though

maybe it is the innate curiosity in me that makes me target topics rather than confirming biases

 

[marko]

Seriously? It doesn’t take much effort for me to think of something each president did that affected me directly.

Every president does something that can affect you but my comment was in the context of "did any of them dramatically change my life one way or the other?"

Might just be me, but in my case, no.

I wasn't drafted for Viet Nam, I don't take ACA and I'd be RE'd just fine with or without SS and Medicare.

Maybe I'm just too deep down in the ocean for me to feel the waves on the surface.

The seawall on my street that protects my house was built by FDR's CCC corps back in the 30's...maybe that counts?

 

[Oz investor]

was just a fraction young for our version of National Service but i was reviewing my options in case the war dragged on for another year .

i didn't have a choice on retirement .. the first words my cardiologist said to me were 'take these pills or you are dead by Xmas ( 2016 ) said August 2016 , little did he realize the problem was more complex than he feared , so now to grow that nest egg WHILE retired in case i outlive the predictions ... 2026

but i needed something to do while retired so it is not all bad ,

 

[Toocold]

I actively avoid national news anymore. I do watch business related news such as Bloomberg and CNBC. I cannot stand the political discourse that's happening now.

 

[Golden sunsets]

Until this week DH and I have been avid watchers and readers of the news, as in "must watch/read TV/print news" and what-no breaking news yet today and it's 5pm already?, how can that be! But starting about 10 days ago, we find that our hearts are sick and it's just too much to take in. It's all too devisive. Identity politics at its worst. Time to tune out for a while as I find I have too much hate in my heart.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[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.

 

[flintnational]

Until this week DH and I have been avid watchers and readers of the news, as in "must watch/read TV/print news" and what-no breaking news yet today and it's 5pm already?, how can that be! But starting about 10 days ago, we find that our hearts are sick and it's just too much to take in. It's all too devisive. Identity politics at its worst. Time to tune out for a while as I find I have too much hate in my heart.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Welcome to the other side. The sun shines brighter, the children laugh more, and the rainbows have more colors over here. I think you will enjoy it.

 

[target2019]

I don't fish, but I am seriously thinking about hanging out the "Gone Fishin'" sign for good and turn my back on all the noise.

I have no answer for you, just can say that many people are torn between tuning out, vs. trying to be part of a solution. This has been mentally exhausting. The signal to noise ratio is very low. Somewhere in the daily vomit is a kernel of truth, a fact. Then you get the blue or red perspective, and an argument breaks out.

I prefer the world view, that globally we are a leader, and should pay attention to the problems. But it is probably not sustainable for ordinary citizens to keep looking deeper, to understand problems. Our view is skewed, since we know people from around the world.

On one hand, humanity has progressed greatly over a very long period of time. Think medical advances since 1900. But, some of the technology we now have is not 100% beneficial. We are getting better at detecting the next big meteor, but it probably is best that we not know the date of impact. How do you get ready for that?

I go back and forth between wanting to know, and just wanting to hide.

 

[Oz investor]

if i take notice of the news ( at all )

first i decide if the 'noise ' is big enough to move a share i am interested in

IF that share were to move ... what would be a good plan .. buy , reduce or wait longer

since i am a contrarian by nature , i do not normally have to worry about being at the front of the line ( i might easily be the only buyer/seller that hour )

apart from news 'noise' i prefer to observe trends and watch for early indications

i don't mind buying into a downtrend or selling into a rally ( rather than picking peaks and bottoms )

 

[ER Eddie]

One reason I pay (some) attention to the news is so I can talk (somewhat) intelligently about it with other people. Seems like politics comes up a lot in conversations. Back when I wasn't paying any attention to the news, if the subject of politics or current events came up, I wouldn't have anything to say. Now at least, I'm halfway informed.

I don't keep up on a daily basis, though. It's just an occasional thing.

I get most of my news from Youtube channels or google news roundups. I wouldn't say I'm well-informed (except on pet subjects of interest). But I like knowing something rather than nothing.

 

[REWahoo]

Back when I wasn't paying any attention to the news, if the subject of politics or current events came up, I wouldn't have anything to say.

And there is something wrong with this?

 

[Oz investor]

politics , the last person who caught my interest was Paris Hilton , who could resist a sense of humor like that , damn shame she didn't actually run

Australian politics is in a very bad place and Australia is approaching darkest Africa as a geopolitical risk factor in investing ( all the major parties are substandard glory seekers )

so apart from their ability to increase market instability , they really aren't worth discussing , the mainstream media is often advertorials dressed up as 'news '


there is just nothing to see here , folks

if others want to talk politics or worse fight over them , i just walk away and let them

there will be nothing intelligent said

but the question is will you be informed or distracted from important things

 

[harllee]

I can certainly understand tuning out the news and noise. I am doing some of that myself. However, I still hope smart people like those on this Board will research the candidates and issues and VOTE.

 

[ER Eddie]

And there is something wrong with this?

Well, I like being able to offer thoughts and opinions about what's going on in the world. It makes for more interesting conversation. If I'm not paying any attention to the news or politics, then I don't have anything to contribute to the conversation, if it comes up.

I also find that you can learn a lot about people, by talking politics. You can get a glimpse of their core values and the way they think about the world. So it can be an interesting conversation, sometimes.

It can also just be funny, especially lately. There's a lot of comedy in the news. So it can be fun to laugh with other people about that.

 

[hesperus]

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...

Same here. Used to watch opposing views to try to thread the needle with viewpoints, but it's so divisive and partisan now, that I can't stand them.
I now just watch the PBS newshour, but like to also watch washington week right after.