Things you notice when you quit the news (2016) • Hacker News Board

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

#581

Post by bradgessler » Wed, Feb 23, 2022, 5:52 AM UTC

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…

That just scratches the surface! The other crazy thing about news websites is how much invasive garbage they inject into their content: ads, everything is “BREAKING!”, subscribe for alerts, etc.

I basically wrote a manifesto about it at https://legiblenews.com/about and built a news website that strips away all the insanity and link to source material and Wikipedia articles.

It’s absolutely insane that it came to that, but it did.

I'm currently working on a weekly news digest that people can view on the web or get emailed to them so they can skim the news even less. If there's something you'd like to get out of the news that's not insane please open an issue at https://github.com/legiblenews/community/issues.

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

#582

Post by seanmcdirmid » Wed, Feb 23, 2022, 5:54 AM UTC

Swenrekcah wrote: post #261

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 can fully attest to the quality of the Economist but I caution anyone to subscribe because they don’t provide any way to easily unsubscribe. It’s either to call some phone number or attempt it via live chat. I tried the second option and the representative just went on with the script trying to fatigue me out of it, no matter what I said.

My favorite Saturday night activity when I was living in Lausanne was to go to McDonalds with that week’s economist and just read it over a prolonged dinner. With was 2006, and both the magazine and meal cost me 10 CHF each! The Economist’s BigMac index was pretty accurate and, at the time, very ironic to me.

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

#583

Post by seanmcdirmid » Wed, Feb 23, 2022, 5:55 AM UTC

brewdad wrote: post #532

usefulcat wrote: post #420

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I were going to subscribe to a print magazine, I'd pay via check, assuming they will allow that.

Be careful with that. There may very well be fine print that allows them to continue taking funds after the initial period, same as with a credit card. A personal check (in the US) contains all the info a company needs to debit your bank account.

Pay with a cashier check or money order.

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

#584

Post by wallfacer120 » Wed, Feb 23, 2022, 5:58 AM UTC

I think the value-added of journalism to society has changed drastically since the Internet. If I'm interested in a topic or issue I can find writing by people who actually practice it, and I can find the primary sources if at all possible.

In particular, I question the need for giant journalistic institutions like the New York Times or Fox News or any other. If anything happens anywhere I tune to the local news first, because I'd rather read that then the NYT copy/pasta from that, along with some quote from some friend-of-a-former-professor expert.

That said, the news fills a valuable function even if you don't read it. When Alzheimer's gets cured, I will likely learn about it from a headline.

I am torn on this issue, partially because I don't want to let my past deeply unhealthy relationship with reading about current events affect how I view it vis a vie society.

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

#585

Post by seanmcdirmid » Wed, Feb 23, 2022, 6:04 AM UTC

Melatonic wrote: post #235

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…

Family member of mine wanted to turn on TV news the morning of Thanksgiving just to get an update on "the weather". The immediate and visceral negative reaction of everyone under the age of approximately 40 was pretty hilarious. After not having cable for 10+ years broadcast news just feels like an incredibly arduous waste of time compared to what I can read in just a few minutes. I started subscribing to a fairly la…

> After not having cable for 10+ years broadcast news

You mean cable news right? Broadcast news preceded cable news, when you got your news at 6PM during the prime time news slot or at 11PM during the late night news slot, and was broadcast over radio/TV waves rather than cabled into your house.

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

#586

Post by trompetenaccoun » Wed, Feb 23, 2022, 6:06 AM UTC

lostinroutine wrote: post #487

butwhywhyoh wrote: post #387

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like OP would disagree with you strongly and had a rather intense reaction to the state of media in 2022. Do you have anything to offer a counter opinion?

Not the poster, but I concur that things weren't all that different in 2017. I would say that OP's reaction is caused by selectively remembering the state of the world. Living in the environment where mass media is ubiquitous, you don't quite realize just how bad things are or the negative effects it has on people. You only become aware of that after being removed from it for a period of time (e.g. being in prison) a…

As a counterpoint, most living in a given system rarely notice even significant changes when they happen gradually over months and years. Being removed from a place cuts you off from being a part of that, when you return all the changes will hit you at once full force. But someone who never left will just shrug their shoulders and go "haven't you heard?". It can't seem so strange to them because they've been conditioned into it, it's become normal.

I hear similar stories from people who move abroad and return, I wouldn't simply dismiss them.

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

#587

Post by lIl-IIIl » Wed, Feb 23, 2022, 6:08 AM UTC

TootsMagoon wrote: post #383

gizzlon wrote: post #376

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks :) My favorite is Delayed Gratification : A print magazine that writes about events after the fact. Deep dives into a few topics and great infographics "The world’s first Slow Journalism magazine. A beautiful quarterly publication which revisits the events of the last three months to offer in-depth, independent journalism in an increasingly frantic world." https://www.slow-journalism.com/

This is a great find! Just what I have been looking for. Thank you.

I do this manually - after a big event, I don't read the news articles about it since I know much will be wrong. If I still remember it 6 months later, I read the Wikipedia article about it. If I don't remember, well maybe it's not that important to me.

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

#588

Post by seanmcdirmid » Wed, Feb 23, 2022, 6:10 AM UTC

salty_biscuits wrote: post #338

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…

That was really shocking for me the first time I went to China and watched their version on state sponsored television, around 2005. The contrast between the doom version of the news back home, to china's overly positive "15 people are missing in a coal mine but we are trying our darnedest to get them out" was really confronting. Made me realise that it has entertainment/manipulation as a goal, not providing informat…

There is a joke in China that a foreigner calls the hotel desk to tell him his TV is broken, it is stuck on the same channel. “No sir, it’s just the 7PM national news, which is required to be broadcast on every channel right now.”

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

#589

Post by themacguffinman » Wed, Feb 23, 2022, 6:10 AM UTC

ethbr0 wrote: post #552

themacguffinman wrote: post #547

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Awareness of current news allows you to see that a shift is happening at all.

Does it? It feels like current news would be a poor method for tracking multi-year cultural changes.

Yes I think so. Current news gives you a sense of what mainstream culture considers important this year, then you compare it with what you observed in previous years. It's common for there to be a common cultural trend or debate that is hammered non-stop in mainstream media, you won't have to breathlessly follow news (ie. you just don't have to quit the news entirely, casual check-ins are fine) because it'll be breathlessly reported. That's what you watch for and you watch the conversation change from year to year.

More importantly, news gives you a mainstream perspective beyond typically dry work conversation or your highly selective filter bubble of personal relationships. What's acceptable to say amongst friends is not necessarily the same as what's acceptable in the mainstream.

You don't want to be the CEO who lost his job in the span of a couple of days because he didn't realize that anti-abortion stances are no longer publicly acceptable in the creative mainstream [1]. Poor guy probably had friends and family who didn't have any problems with his views.

[1] https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/09/gaming-ceo-ousted-aft...

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

#590

Post by seanmcdirmid » Wed, Feb 23, 2022, 6:12 AM UTC

ravel-bar-foo wrote: post #500

salty_biscuits wrote: post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was really shocking for me the first time I went to China and watched their version on state sponsored television, around 2005. The contrast between the doom version of the news back home, to china's overly positive "15 people are missing in a coal mine but we are trying our darnedest to get them out" was really confronting. Made me realise that it has entertainment/manipulation as a goal, not providing informat…

I didn't watch TV in China, but was struck by how all the subway ads were "public service", like "here's a picture of our traditional culture." It felt calm and reflective in comparison to those of Korea or Europe, but of course the goal of the ads was to build a sense of collective consciousness.

If you can read some Chinese, the red banner slogans they have hanging from foot bridges and on buildings everywhere have the best comedy value, like “let’s all work hard for a harmonious society.” Very old school.