"Millions of Americans staying at home are relying on Amazon"
Stop Watching the News (2019)
11–20 of 139 posts
Re: Stop Watching the News (2019)
#12For those who still want news, I think reuters provides the most balance. They do still lean left at times though with overuse of phrases like "far right".
Re: Stop Watching the News (2019)
#13I hardly watch the news anymore. I let myself read the papers at night. But I found myself checking and checking, so once a day. (I was photo editor of my college paper, so I have a soft spot for newspapers).
I do listen to my local public radio statio. I'm in Boston and WGBH, is pretty good.
They even have a radio talk show (worst title: Boston Public Radio) which has news, events and other discussions. Lots of local (which was more relevent when there where events to discover...) I don't always listen, but it can be pretty funny when people call in.
Re: Stop Watching the News (2019)
#14I never look at CNN, MSNBC or FoxNews. I feel sites like reuters.com or apnews.com give me a good level of news without the emotional content.
I agree about local newspapers. We should worry more about what's going on close to us versus Washington.
Re: Stop Watching the News (2019)
#15Ever seen a news broadcast that said "well, nothing really important happened today, so we're not doing a show - instead here's an hour of cat videos instead"? This is 24 times worse with the proliferation of dedicated news channels.
At the same time, the recipe for click-bait has been perfected, and that's bled over into TV news as well. Sensationalism and outrage sell.
It also seems like there's a strong culture that being first is far more important than being correct, and so even when there is news I might care about, it's hard to get actual details: It's early and inaccurate information, or worse, just various "talking heads" going on for hours speculating but not really adding anything useful.
Re: Stop Watching the News (2019)
#16A democracy only works if people know what's going on. Otherwise, the collective decision-making process is no longer connected to politician's actions and the whole process breaks down.
That's the most basic theory of any regulated system: air conditioning needs a thermometer. A driver needs to keep their eyes open to stay on the road. Any such system is a feedback loop of actuators (wheels / politicians), sensors, and some sense-making equipment in between.
Yes, I know it feels insignificant to cast a ballot once every four years, as one of hundreds of millions. But that election carries a lot of power and recognising and getting over the collective action problem inherent in democracy is sort-of among the duties of being a citizen, as opposed to a mere consumer.
Re: Stop Watching the News (2019)
#17I never look at CNN, MSNBC or FoxNews. I feel sites like reuters.com or apnews.com give me a good level of news without the emotional content. I agree about local newspapers. We should worry more about what's going on close to us versus Washington.
I've figured it was always sort of true that television news was of generally worse quality than print.
They've done good work at times, but it's still TV.
Re: Stop Watching the News (2019)
#18I love this post. I rarely watch the news any more. I was surprised that during the beginning of this current era, I found myself watching news for the first time (like not just clips posted elsewhere, but explicitly seeking it out) and it's honestly degraded even more than I can imagine. Most major news networks talk to their audience like children. They provide entertainment or promote the agenda of their advertise…
+1 for No Agenda. A fantastic podcasts that helps you think about the news in other ways.
Re: Stop Watching the News (2019)
#19I work in the larger media [Canada], and I am constantly engaged with the news. I like knowing what's going on in the world. I like being current with it. Especially local news.
Just the same, it's no less than healthy to unplug... as beautifully put by one of the Nelson boys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPrPtDoaB3s
Re: Stop Watching the News (2019)
#20I've never watched the news, but I regularly read sites like HN and Reddit. I feel like from there I get the 'outrage overload' effect as well, but IDK what to do about it. I could stop going on those sites, but then I would truly feel like I'm cut off from an absolute wealth of information. It feels different from being 'cut off' from TV news channels or websites that I would only really read if I was referred from Reddit or HN anyways.