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anyone else stop watching/following the news?

#21
+1 being informed, which requires you to know your sources and take the information accordingly. You can do that and still play in bands and have hobbies. It's not like it takes my whole day to read a few articles or throw on the news while I eat breakfast.
 
#22
How much information can be gained from the national cable news networks regarding politics? If you hold certain political beliefs in today's polarized system whatever the "other guy" says will either be disregarded or viewed as skewed.

Again, I stated earlier in the thread that I now rarely watch the big networks and rely on getting my info from local affiliates and less political Internet sources. People say newspapers are biased. Well, stay off the editorial and opinions pages. Demonization makes lots of $$ so add another log to the fire.
 
#23
I don't do TV full stop, let alone the news, but it's important to stay informed. For me that's a combination of an Economist subscription that lives in the bathroom for those daily reading breaks (for the right-of-centre part of my diet) and NPR during my commute (for the left-of-centre part of my diet). Between those I feel I get pretty good coverage of the important issues.
 
#24
No I don't really, I've stopped watching tv.
I tend to read the paper at work if one is left lying around, just to pass the time during tea breaks.

It's kind of strange, cause my parents ask 'have you heard about this, or that', and I'm like 'erm nope'.

It's hard not to hear news with people posting stuff on facebook.

But a lot of news now days is just BS, never believe everything you hear.
 
#25
those of you who think that it is irresponsible to bury your head in the sand need to realise that much of what you get on the news is distorted by political or economic bias or simply by what is covered over what is not. If you only get your world view from the news then you are irresponsible or just plain naieve. In this country, the UK, the intelligence services hold weekly meeting where they issue 'D notices' to the press to stop them from reporting on 'sensitive' issues. Sensitive to whom tho'? When was the last time you heard about the number of Palestinian ambulances the Israeli's have destroyed for example? Do you not wonder wether there is anything positive going on? You seldom get good news that's for sure. The sad thing is people want someone to blame or to hear something sensational. The tabloid papers here are just comics for poorly educated adults. They are also full of propoganda but then thats nothing new either. Don Mc Cullin, the war photographer finished his career at the Observer after risking his life to bring some pretty grim footage back for his paper only to find a new editor in charge. He was told that he was out of fashion and that people no longer wanted to see starving Biafrans etc and instead wanted to see 'lifestyle' i.e. advertising.
'Truth' is often what you want it to be but if you want to know what's going on then you should look further than the news. It depresses the hell out of me so I tend to avoid it but I read a lot around the issues that matter to me and try to get different perspectives even by using shortwave radio. There was some good news tho recently.. Charlotte Church was awarded compensation after scumbag 'journalists had tapped her phone when she was a child and published her personal details to the 'news' hungry masses. It's also good to know when corrupt politicians get caught out even if the lack of punishment is depressing.
watch the news by all means but see it for what it is and don't get all superior of those who choose to give it a miss. you are no good to society if you get ran down by the negative image the world often portrayed by the news. Whatever happened to that 'Good News paper? Oh yeah, no-one bought it.
 
#26
I stopped watching the news many years ago. My thoughts are something along the lines of garbage in/garbage out. I don't fill my head with negativity when I don't have to. It irks my friends and colleagues to no end. They always end up telling me the headlines anyway. Same philosophy applies to t.v. shows. I try not to watch stuff that isn't positive, uplifting, practical, etc.
 
#27
Guys the news is educational and relevant. What happens over there really does matter over here. Saying that it doesn't affect you makes you come off as a cold and uncaring person. Put yourself in their shoes, pretend that it happened to people you know or that it happened in your back yard and you might just start to care a little more about your fellow man.
I get my news from the internet
npr, bbc, der spiegel, al jazeera (english)
mostly I read the quips that sum up the story. If its interesting ill dig deeper.
I feel alot of people are being misinformed or have a bad opinion simply because they don't want to do the research.
Cable tv is entertainment! So their news is gonna be entertaining.
Don't take the news at face value. I mean if bbc reports a story about africa then check out some african news sites. Get both sides, research a little and find the truth for yourself.
Be a free thinker
 
#28
I am not sticking my head in the sand. All I'm saying is that all of this stuff, ALL OF IT, is beyond my control, and all of our control at that. We can't stop wars, wall street, gay marriage from being banned or ok'd, etc etc. If we could then we wouldn't have the problems we have, and we wouldn't have elected leaders who have turned this country into one big plutocracy. If only we would organize, overthrow the government, and put in a completely new one, but then as evidenced by the USSR's two overthrows and numerous other countries doing the same thing, it never works. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss sort of thing.

I'm only PO'd because I hate everything that's happening and it gets me mad that I can't change a damn thing. The news creates that environment for me.
 
#33
If you can't tell that FOX and MSNBC are on opposite ends of the news/information spectrum then maybe the news isn't for you. Pick up a coloring book. People complain so much about how X/Y/Z is so biased. Well, apply that filter to what you hear and see.
 
#34
I think the extremes in bias hardly makes it burying one's head in the sand. If we look at the Zimmerman case, people were ready to riot and we didn't know jack about cold hard facts. The people ate it up and the media was playing on this. This was exactly what I despise about the media and viewing public.
 
#35
anyone else stop watching/following the news?
Click to expand...

Yup.., for some golden rule-related reasons I can't get into here. :hiding:

I stopped consuming the predominantly scripted drivel offered by the mainstream media/TV in March of '08. IMHO the Internet is f-a-r more enlightening.

A long-winded example:

After leaving the hospital as an outpatient in February, if it weren't for what I've learned about cancer treatments on the 'Net, I'd have went for my oncologist's "I have a 50/50 chance of curing you" persistence in trying to increase the four rounds of chemotherapy I've already had to eight - thus doubling my exposure to the involved toxic & carcinogenic drugs (Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine) - with the "there are other treatments available as well" fall-back of radiotherapy (which is also carcinogenic). :spit:

Instead I opted for the '50/50 chance' of taking one of the *herbal cancer treatments highlighted in the documentary...

Cancer – The Forbidden Cures – YouTube (92:47)

...and have tried to improve my diet in accord with what I've learned from:

G. Edward Griffin - A World Without Cancer - The Story Of Vitamin B17 (55:14)

I'm feeling better & getting stronger with each passing week courtesy of the fine care I received months ago augmented by the more recent non-toxic treatment approach I stumbled upon by Googling about. It is unlikely that I would've learned of the above (and much more) by merely watching - and believing - what is said by/on the monopolized media/television. :rollno:

*Note: These treatments don't cure anything. All they allegedly do is to help purge the body of toxins so that one's immune system is in a stronger position to combat disease. Thus an across-the-board adoption of a healthier diet & life-style is essential to increasing the odds of an improved prognosis.
 
#36
Pilgrim said:
Avoiding news reduces your knowledge of the world around you and therefore reduces your effectiveness in decision-making and functioning in society. If you're going to be a citizen and vote, you need to pay attention to the world around you. Personally, I consider it a citizen's responsibility to be informed. However, many people abdicate this responsibility.

TV news is certainly not as comprehensive as NPR, PBS or newspaper coverage, but at least it gives you some concept of what's going on in your area. It is often shaped by entertainment value, but it's better than no news at all. If you don't like it, simply seek other forms of news which are more comprehensive - even online sites. Just don't spend your time getting political propaganda from publications, radio stations or websites which are highly partisan on either end of the spectrum.

My basic sentiment: ignoring the news is hiding your head in the sand. Spend at least some time being aware of what's going on.
Click to expand...

+1. This is especially true in this day and age.
 
#38
MatticusMania said:
The idea that we cannot enact change is false. It may not be easy, and we may need to be more organized and effective, but it can be done and is not out of our grasp.
Click to expand...

Let me make a few modern points:

War protesters- did absolutely nothing to end the Iraq war. Protested for years, and Bush simply did business as usual.

Occupy Wall Street- did absolutely nothing.

Electing Obama- all the hope and change got a man elected who was supposed to save our country. He did almost nothing of what he said he would, except get the troops out of Iraq. I, like everyone else who voted for him, actually believed the guy. Fools, all of us.

I believe you when you say we need to be more organized and effective. Problem is, that's not going to happen. We seriously need the ENTIRE country to come together and put a stop to all this nonsense, but we're all so busy arguing that not enough people can agree on anything, form a political party, and get the right people elected.

Remember what had to happen LAST time we didn't like the way the country was being run? I honestly believe that's what it's going to take, and I don't even own a gun.
 
#39
TV news is extremely negative and sensationalized. It is not good for you. A prominent psychological newsletter calls it "psychically damaging". The bottom line - AVOID TV NEWS shows. There is nothing to be gained from them and the news is always disturbing. I stopped watching TV news about 2-3 years ago and in general feel much happier and positive. Remember - these people ONLY want to sell air time - they have no real concern to give you anything of value.

If there is anything really important going on you WILL find out about it. Read the papers and find some good online news channels to provide both sides - especially foreign news sites.

In addition - avoid watching TV in general before going to sleep, especially in bed!
- the flashing blue light excites the brain, making it harder to sleep well
- things in the news or TV shows will stay with you also affecting your sleep.
 
#40
It's part of my job to be informed about what's going on in the world, although more specifically in our mission area. Without going too deeply into it, it's interesting working on projects that end up on the news shortly after it's success.

I try to vary my sources and get the story from every angle. I rely almost exclusives on internet sources now cause TV news is largely becoming irrelevant. I can find out what I need on the internet quicker than they can come up with it on the news. They have these 24 hour news networks with not enough news to fill them. When your programming consists of greater than 50% editorial pieces, you cease to be a news network. You become an opinion network.
 

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