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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)

#211

Post by s1artibartfast »

giobox wrote: post #155
s1artibartfast wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 o…

>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".

Where do you think the value of news comes from, if not helping people take better actions to navigate their lives?

>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.

My point is that information doesn't matter even if it will or could affect you, unless you will take some action based on it. If someone realistically thinks they might sell their family home or cash out their retirement, then by all means, pay close attention to financial news. If not, they would be better off ignoring it entirely.

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

#213

Post by damnyankees »

1270018080 wrote: post #122
damnyankees wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Why do you care what Andrew Cuomo is doing in New York city?" In and of itself, I don't. Unfortunately, the local politicians toe the party line and ape the Big City / Big State politicians, the Cuomos and the Garcettis of the world. Suppose you could paint it at some level as "know thy enemy" (pardon the abrasiveness of the wording) because those states are something of a test bed for what to expect from the loca…

Self awareness and the phrase "rage-bait" could do you wonders.

Frankly, I don't follow.

Perhaps of these issues the only one that could be construed as a non-serious issue is the topic of statues. At the same time, I find it rather queer that when I take a stroll through the local park I am confronted with the statue of a man who wanted to kill everyone with my skin tone in a time where we are supposed to be seeking some sort of harmony.

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

#214

Post by chris_va »

BeetleB wrote: post #209
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…

> Scanning Google News or a couple of the more professional international news services like BBC / Al Jazeera / Reuters I still feel pretty well informed I once spent several years diving deep into news, and one of the lessons I learned was that scanning headlines (or even summaries) is a very good prescription for being misinformed. There's the obvious selection bias - you only see the headlines they put on top. But…

Copy editors generally write the headlines, and reporters write the body.

... probably one of the worst industry practices of all time.

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

#215

Post by yojo »

ROTMetro wrote: post #143
yojo wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a firm believer in quality over quantity when it comes to news. Google News has gotten increasingly annoying though, forcing me harder toward the "personalized" results, the kind of filter bubble I'm intentionally trying to avoid. What worked well for me was getting a print subscription to the Economist. They definitely have a bias (particularly in their editorials), but it's mostly of the "free trade" variety, w…

I used to find the Economist great, but with the corrosiveness of everything this last bit, they seem to sneak agenda into articles now days in a way I feel like this whole post is trying to move away from. Maybe as a lost Libertarian who can't stand the control everyone's lives progressives I feel that has crept quite a bit into the Economist. It's funny it bothers me as I have reached a point where I feel Libertari…

I haven't noticed this kind of bias in the US reporting, but my personal views skew moderate liberal so it might be hitting a personal blindspot.

The main stances that seem to go against coastal US media I've seen are:

1) Trans rights, particularly with youth transitioning. The Economist seems to have an article every week or two talking about health implications, controversy in female sports, or detransitioning.

2) Free speech. The Economist is very critical of any perceived censorship, and will frequently cover perceived excesses from the left in the US, particularly in higher education.

Generally I do not think the Economist does a great job of visually separating their editorial content from their news content. In many cases visual treatment of a column looks very close to a regular article, and the editorials at the front of each issue look (at a glance) indistinguishable from news stories. Each issue will also have a larger "briefing" on a prominent world issue that definitely blurs the lines between news and opinion. As a reader of many years, I've taken to skipping the editorial content, skimming the briefings, and taking the columns case-by-case. But I can imagine occasional readers having a different experience than I do.

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

#216

Post by damnyankees »

wonderwonder wrote: post #136
damnyankees wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Why do you care what Andrew Cuomo is doing in New York city?" In and of itself, I don't. Unfortunately, the local politicians toe the party line and ape the Big City / Big State politicians, the Cuomos and the Garcettis of the world. Suppose you could paint it at some level as "know thy enemy" (pardon the abrasiveness of the wording) because those states are something of a test bed for what to expect from the loca…

Quoted post unavailable.

No, you just have differing politics and beliefs. In my twelve years of browsing HN I've read many comments of that sort. Personally, I tend not to leave a comment unless I feel there is a substantive element to my reply.

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

#217

Post by throwaway284534 »

kipchak wrote: post #123

I thought it was odd when YouTube started implementing a "Covid-19 News" feed to the home page that couldn't be disabled. I get why they would implement such a feed as a default, but not letting people turn it off and let people watch cat videos or whatnot in peace seems like a bad idea.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who finds this “feature” annoying. Most of the videos are the same polarizing guidelines we’ve heard over the past two years, only now they’re regurgitated through a seemingly endless list of new channels I have to keep marking as not interesting.

I’ve already gotten vaccinated thrice and still contracted covid. When can I stop being harassed about what I’m already doing??

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