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Stop Reading News (2013)

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Re: Stop Reading News (2013)

#131

Post by platz »

afarrell wrote: post #127
cagenut wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

this is a fundamentally conservative to the point of bordering on reactionary practice. you have the privilege of not reading the news presumably because you're not a government worker so the shutdown didn't matter to you, and/or you're not a recipient of various aid programs so their cuts don't matter to you, etc etc. checking out is a luxury only the well off can afford.

"X is only available to you as a result of privilege" seems like a very weak argument not to do X. I cook most of my food at home, which is really only an option available to me because I have the privilege of being able to afford a flat with a kitchen and a short commute to work. It is still a good idea for me to do so. I go to the gym most days, which requires a monthly payment of money -- but it is still a good id…

The gist of his main point is still correct. If you focus on your atomistic individual interests you'll probably be ignoramt of the status and developments of persons in your community but not in your daily life, and so change is resisted; problems caused by incumbents grow.

Re: Stop Reading News (2013)

#132

Post by zimpenfish »

coldtea wrote: post #103
nkozyra wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't disagree, but the time that passes limits your ability to respond in the present. Don't eschew current news because it's slight, because it's invite, because it's simplistic in form. That's the point.

> I don't disagree, but the time that passes limits your ability to respond in the present. What examples are there of any meaningful "responding in the present" that happened because of news (as opposed because of directly suffering some oppression on yourself)?

> What examples are there of any meaningful "responding in the present"

Protest marches? Strikes? You could even include terrorism if you wanted.

Re: Stop Reading News (2013)

#133

Post by platz »

hycaria wrote: post #118
Datsundere wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I find almost everything in news noise now. Don't following any of that on purpose makes me feel calm. Yes, that's what ignorants do. It's easier to ignore what's happening around the world. Vietnam war could've gone longer had it not for the public to come out and tell the government to pull out of Vietnam. It's easier to ignore things and live a blissful life, but then you have the no right to complain when laws a…

Well I feel that following news for the sake of... following news ? is also very ignorant. Like people getting angry at stuff that they don't fully understand, is that reasonable ? >but then you have the no right to complain when laws are passed that don't align to your values. Who says that ever happens ?

> following news for the sake of... following news

That's not what they are asking or claiming.

Re: Stop Reading News (2013)

#134

Post by nkozyra »

douglaswlance wrote: post #122
nkozyra wrote: post #70

Do not stop reading news. Be selective with your sources. Be a discerning news consumer. An uninformed populace is a malleable one. Controlling and limiting information has long been a strategy for despots or worse. > The point is, most of what you read online today is pointless Don't read that then. Read sources you believe are important to you and deliver information that is important. Be a discerning news consumer…

News media does not inform, it purposefully misinforms. You are being shaped by the media. You are the malleable one. The line between opinion and actual reporting is gone. It no longer exists. All reporting is activism. Read books to be informed. Specifically the books that have stood the test of time and shaped history. Our media is owned by the most powerful people in the world. You are conceding your most critica…

I love this caricature of the media. It's become very pervasive of late.

I went to journalism school. I've worked in news rooms - from small to the world's largest and prestigious. What you describe is fantasy.

In good news organizations the editorial side has autonomy by design. The corporate part is intentionally insulated away from the news producing side.

I've seen fights between publishers and ad directors over content. It doesn't happen often but those conflicts are real.

I've never seen editorial lose.

Re: Stop Reading News (2013)

#135

Post by Eli_P »

If I just want to catch up, there're River5[1] and NewsBoat[2], or build-your-own-aggregator apps. The latter is a console app with a UI like Vim's; I like its fast filtering with '/'. The downside of apps is there's no grooming in comments.

[1] https://github.com/scripting/river5 [2] https://github.com/newsboat/newsboat

Re: Stop Reading News (2013)

#136

Post by apatters »

nkozyra wrote: post #70

Do not stop reading news. Be selective with your sources. Be a discerning news consumer. An uninformed populace is a malleable one. Controlling and limiting information has long been a strategy for despots or worse. > The point is, most of what you read online today is pointless Don't read that then. Read sources you believe are important to you and deliver information that is important. Be a discerning news consumer…

Ironically it's easier than ever to be informed, but harder than ever to maintain self-discipline and avoid consuming junk.

The Media Bias Chart is a good tool for assessing the quality of sources: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/

Select one or two sources at the absolute pinnacle of the chart (bias score of between -6 and 6, quality score of 56+). Once a day, spend 10 minutes scanning the headlines in their Top News sections.

Once a week, select a source with a quality score of 32+ and set aside an hour or two reading their opinions/analysis columns. For bonus points, alternate between the left and right sides of the pyramid.

On a few hours a week you will quickly become, by far, one of the most well-informed people you know. You'll develop a balanced and even-minded view of world and local affairs (if you're currently stressed out about the state of the world, this will have a therapeutic effect). You'll rarely get sucked into clickbait, filter bubbles, etc. and when you do you'll recognize them quickly.

The opposite of this strategy is to spend several hours a day consuming "news" from Facebook, Twitter, and the "sources" on the far left and right of the pyramid. This is what the OP warns about. Abandon all hope ye who enter here. This will warp your view of reality and damage your mental health.

If you want to have a healthy body you need to select a diet of quality foods. If you want to have a healthy mind you need to select a diet of quality information. (In both cases, some light fasting can be beneficial too.)

Re: Stop Reading News (2013)

#137

Post by skh »

zimpenfish wrote: post #129
casefields wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For those that don't know, here is Michael Crichton's speech where it comes from: "Briefly stated, the Gell-Mann Amnesia effect is as follows. You open the newspaper to an article on some subject you know well. In Murray's case, physics. In mine, show business. You read the article and see the journalist has absolutely no understanding of either the facts or the issues. Often, the article is so wrong it actually pres…

> then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate about Palestine than the baloney you just read Surely that only works if the same combination of journalists and subeditors work on all the stories? Just because Margaret has written some pop-sci junk about robots doesn't suddenly make Malcolm's commentary on Botswana any less valid.

An expert read articles in his area of expertise and found them to be rubbish. Thus his anecdotal evidence is that the reporters get it wrong and so he shouldn't be so willing to accept as correct articles in areas outside of his expertise. If newspapers get it wrong in areas you know about then why should one think they get it right in areas you don't know about?

Re: Stop Reading News (2013)

#138

Post by [deleted] »

lwf wrote: post #47
jstewartmobile wrote: post #9

Bloomberg terminal is $24K/yr. Mainstream news is practically given away. The hidden cost--whatever that may or may not be--I leave to the philosophers.

Doesn't most/all news on Bloomberg Terminal make it to the public sites, with some delay? The cost of the terminal includes expensive hardware, high quality support, multi-language API bindings, etc. c.f. https://www.quora.com/What-is-so-special-about-the-Bloomberg...

[deleted]

Re: Stop Reading News (2013)

#139

Post by nkozyra »

zimpenfish wrote: post #132
coldtea wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't disagree, but the time that passes limits your ability to respond in the present. What examples are there of any meaningful "responding in the present" that happened because of news (as opposed because of directly suffering some oppression on yourself)?

> What examples are there of any meaningful "responding in the present" Protest marches? Strikes? You could even include terrorism if you wanted.

Pending legislation? Environmental, economic peril?

Our ability to react to news is often personal, but it can operate on a macro level as well.

Re: Stop Reading News (2013)

#140

Post by weliketocode »

This article is right on.

- Avoiding the daily news likely will NOT make you any less informed.

- Avoiding constant media consumption will NOT give power to a central authority and reduce your rights.

A lot of the counter arguments here are seemingly from individuals defending the amount of time they spend consuming content.

To those who read the news religiously, what was the last news item that you, personally, took action on? Can you remember it? Ok. GREAT!

--> Now, be objective with yourself. What % of news items did YOU take action on? Did it give you a >0 return on invested time?

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