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Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

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Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#151

Post by james-redwood »

einpoklum wrote: post #105
0_____0 wrote: post #79

Life hack: if you do want to keep up on global current events but can't stand the breathless media circus, get your news from Wikipedia.[1] If you actually want to make a difference consider putting more into getting engaged locally, whatever that means for you. National and global scale issues are really easy to fall into a despair/paralysis cycle with. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Current_events

Wikipedia will be a short and less inflammatory summary of the "breathless media circus", which is still really not good enough.

Exactly Wikipedia’s flaw: it only holds a mirror to the sources, and even then, a distorted one at that to the whims of an anonymous editor who very well could have an inflammatory agenda and in cohort with other similar actors.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#154

Post by lifeisstillgood »

macksd wrote: post #4

I fully agree with this. Scanning Google News or a couple of the more professional international news services like BBC / Al Jazeera / Reuters I still feel pretty well informed (and confident that there's usually nothing of immediate consequence to me) but it doesn't grow into "expert analysis" or impact my feelings much. Here's another thing I noticed: how manipulated / manipulative it is. And not just news and I do…

I agree, but to quote a film, maybe it is best to spend years building up an immunity to Iocaine Powder, because surely you will be exposed to it come day.

Immunity, not addiction of course.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#155

Post by giobox »

s1artibartfast wrote: post #106
giobox wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is demonstrably nonsense. People make investment decisions for one, based on events in the news. The news every day is not required to be relevant specifically to you alone, that's an absurd notion, but it will from time to time be relevant to you, as it will be for anyone who exists in a given polity.

It is a signal to noise issue. If you are a day trader, daily financial news may be relevant. 99.9% of news isn't relevant or actionable for most people. If I can't answer the question "how will this inform a decision I have to make?" the news is purely entertainment. If entertainment doesn't make your life better, don't consume it. There is no value in having an "informed opinion" about topics that don't change your…

> 99.9% of news isn't relevant or actionable for most people.

This is what news is supposed to be though! To expect otherwise is the problem. Just because something isn't immediately actionable or entertaining that day in some measurable outcome is a poor test of "value" too, and would eliminate many other things people consider of "value".

Continuing my previous single example, financial news can affect anyone who owns a home or has retirement savings, whether they want to admit it or not, the scope is vastly beyond financial professionals and day traders. If I know interest rates are likely due to rise in March (I do! Thanks news!), I can take steps to lock a low rate now for any debts I have, like a mortgage...

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#156

Post by zonovar »

As someone living in Europe right now all the news are about the Russian-Ukraine crisis and it's very unsettling and makes you over anxious and distracted from your daily job. Problem is that working from home makes it so easy to access the news... Anyway I really needed to read these five points right now. Thank you.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#157

Post by lotsofpulp »

rootusrootus wrote: post #88
systemvoltage wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My father tells me - "Why do you care what Andrew Cuomo is doing in New York city?" and it kind of was eye-opening. I really don't. I wish I paid more attention to local news, local politics, and perhaps check-in on international news on a weekly basis. The internet changed all this. When I was growing up, my dad read local newspaper daily. National and international news were briefly covered in the local paper. He'd…

Exactly. Now the major team sport is who you want for President, even though he arguably has the lowest impact on your life. As long as he doesn't hit The Button. IMO people ought to put down social media, put down the national news, and pick up their local newspaper. Read about their own mayor, city council, whatever. And maybe even get involved -- depending on the size of your city, an ordinary individual can actua…

The president has a very significant impact on many people’s lives via judicial nominees. The biggest this year is expected to be the effects of the 3 Republican Supreme Court judges installed by Trump on many women’s access to abortions, but many other judges in the system are appointed by presidents as well that make decisions that affect many people’s lives.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#158

Post by brightball »

macksd wrote: post #4

I fully agree with this. Scanning Google News or a couple of the more professional international news services like BBC / Al Jazeera / Reuters I still feel pretty well informed (and confident that there's usually nothing of immediate consequence to me) but it doesn't grow into "expert analysis" or impact my feelings much. Here's another thing I noticed: how manipulated / manipulative it is. And not just news and I do…

Even the streaming stuff will include it subtly though. I was watching a show on Netflix with my wife the other day, Sweet Magnolia’s and it seemed about as controversial as a Hallmark channel show. But these days I notice whenever specific catch phrases or expressions are getting used across multiple news outlets and it puts me a little bit on guard if a suddenly notice a phrase being used excessively…as if the point is to normalize it in your language.

That show constantly used variations of the “Your truth” thing, which has always seemed in opposition to “the truth” or just “truth”. It’s one of the shadier expressions out there because it seems so harmless IMO.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#159

Post by queuebert »

systemvoltage wrote: post #9
macksd wrote: post #4

I fully agree with this. Scanning Google News or a couple of the more professional international news services like BBC / Al Jazeera / Reuters I still feel pretty well informed (and confident that there's usually nothing of immediate consequence to me) but it doesn't grow into "expert analysis" or impact my feelings much. Here's another thing I noticed: how manipulated / manipulative it is. And not just news and I do…

My father tells me - "Why do you care what Andrew Cuomo is doing in New York city?" and it kind of was eye-opening. I really don't. I wish I paid more attention to local news, local politics, and perhaps check-in on international news on a weekly basis. The internet changed all this. When I was growing up, my dad read local newspaper daily. National and international news were briefly covered in the local paper. He'd…

Since all the local TV stations and newspapers were bought out by conglomerates, they have been ruined. Local TV news is just random crimes and feel-good stories, and the newspapers are stories about restaurant openings and closures and sports.

Feels like meaningless dreck to fill the gaps between ads.

The Economist remains a good rag, and Wired is surprisingly good, albeit full of ads. But for true, long-form, thoughtful discussions I look to YouTube and podcasts these days.

Re: Things you notice when you quit the news (2016)

#160

Post by not_kurt_godel »

penjelly wrote: post #70
cjensen wrote: post #47

Being informed does not take a lot of time. But there are many wrong ways of doing it like reading what comes up on your twitter timeline or visiting a clickbaity site like CNN or reading any algorithmically-created newsfeed. Here's what I suggest: subscribe to The Washington Post. Once a day, scan through the homepage and read through any articles that catch your interest. When you hit the bottom of the home page, y…

> subscribe to The Washington Post. that implies no bias on the part of WAPO. > You will get a reasonable overview of the most important topics primarily focused on the US. and youll most certainly be positively or negatively affected by that news daily. which seems pointless to me? why worry about US and iran going to war if 2 weeks later its no longer relevant? Or about how good spiderman is doing in its first week…

> that implies no bias on the part of WAPO.

No news source is completely unbiased, WaPo included. But WaPo is an outstanding journalistic outlet with a long history of accurate reporting and worthy of being a singular news source if you had to pick one.

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