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I Hate the News (2006)

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Re: I Hate the News (2006)

#61

Post by kortilla »

dryanau wrote: post #8

It's alright for one person to think this way, but if everyone did we'd be in a bit of trouble as a society. I think the reality is in the middle anyway, i.e. very few people are desperately gripped to each and every story, and if you think you're supposed to care about every story then you're missing the point of the news. Chances are enough people will care about each story to make it worthwhile running, even when…

> For most people there's something in there worth knowing.

Your distribution is way off.

If we’re talking national US news like the NYT or WaPo reports on, there is actually worth knowing. The only value it provides is “sounding informed” at a party.

It has a huge negative downside too. It’s some watered down biased version of what’s going on in the world that fits narratives of the editors, with barely any relationship to reality.

National news is absolutely propaganda-loaded trash that serves a severely negative value for society overall.

Local news has a better hit ratio, but it’s still like 5% maybe at best on any given day.

Re: I Hate the News (2006)

#63

Post by [deleted] »

kortilla wrote: post #61
dryanau wrote: post #8

It's alright for one person to think this way, but if everyone did we'd be in a bit of trouble as a society. I think the reality is in the middle anyway, i.e. very few people are desperately gripped to each and every story, and if you think you're supposed to care about every story then you're missing the point of the news. Chances are enough people will care about each story to make it worthwhile running, even when…

> For most people there's something in there worth knowing. Your distribution is way off. If we’re talking national US news like the NYT or WaPo reports on, there is actually worth knowing. The only value it provides is “sounding informed” at a party. It has a huge negative downside too. It’s some watered down biased version of what’s going on in the world that fits narratives of the editors, with barely any relation…

[deleted]

Re: I Hate the News (2006)

#64

Post by Shared404 »

kortilla wrote: post #61
dryanau wrote: post #8

It's alright for one person to think this way, but if everyone did we'd be in a bit of trouble as a society. I think the reality is in the middle anyway, i.e. very few people are desperately gripped to each and every story, and if you think you're supposed to care about every story then you're missing the point of the news. Chances are enough people will care about each story to make it worthwhile running, even when…

> For most people there's something in there worth knowing. Your distribution is way off. If we’re talking national US news like the NYT or WaPo reports on, there is actually worth knowing. The only value it provides is “sounding informed” at a party. It has a huge negative downside too. It’s some watered down biased version of what’s going on in the world that fits narratives of the editors, with barely any relation…

> Local news has a better hit ratio, but it’s still like 5% maybe at best on any given day.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZggCipbiHwE

Local news isn't immune either.

E: Apparently I posted twice when I tried to edit the Youtube link to the main site. Deleted the dupe.

Re: I Hate the News (2006)

#65

Post by mistermann »

strken wrote: post #44
dryanau wrote: post #8

It's alright for one person to think this way, but if everyone did we'd be in a bit of trouble as a society. I think the reality is in the middle anyway, i.e. very few people are desperately gripped to each and every story, and if you think you're supposed to care about every story then you're missing the point of the news. Chances are enough people will care about each story to make it worthwhile running, even when…

I'm not sure this is true. Social networks, as in the underlying human phenomenon of communicating with other people, do a phenomenal job of spreading information. Consider personally important news: some combination of ground-shaking global events, plus stories specific to one's interests, plus some local news. We hear about these things anyway! I heard about the war in Ukraine from friends and acquaintances before…

One advantage of this approach is that it largely short circuits the ability of the various power players and organizations to direct your attention to where they want it when they want it, as well as reduces the chance of you getting your story from a doctored version. I think any approach that messes with potential behind the scenes coordination is just good old-fashioned risk management.

Re: I Hate the News (2006)

#66

Post by mistermann »

thenerdhead wrote: post #32

I also hate the news (and advertisements). The news will never teach you how to think. It will tell you what to think. I love books though. Books don't tell lies to you because you have to think for yourself.

> The news will never teach you how to think. It will tell you what to think.

Oh I disagree with this...presumably you notice lots of people have the same "facts" based on what's in the news, but have you not noticed that the "logical reasoning" that accompanies these "facts" is also quite similar, and typically not very logical?

Re: I Hate the News (2006)

#67

Post by scelerat »

> But finally, I’d like to argue that following the news isn’t just a waste of time, it’s actively unhealthy. Edward Tufte notes that when he used to read the New York Times in the morning, it scrambled his brain with so many different topics that he couldn’t get any real intellectual work done the rest of the day.

We've come a long way since 2006.

Re: I Hate the News (2006)

#68

Post by fsckboy »

NovaDudely wrote: post #47
killjoywashere wrote: post #19

If you think the news has no impact, you just haven't been the one in the news yet.

This goes to the core of what Mark Twaine said "Don't those that buy paper by the ton and ink by the barrel."

(there was a typo)

"Never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel and paper by the ton."

- Mark Twain

Re: I Hate the News (2006)

#69

Post by scelerat »

For perspective, this was written by an extremely precocious 16 year old. And I think for most people, the front page of the New York Times may indeed contain nothing of practical use. You're effectively paying for general up-to-date worldly knowledge and social currency.

Nevertheless, at some point in your life, knowing current events, even remote ones, and knowing how events have unfolded in the past, has great practical value in making decisions about personal actions or decisions which affect many people, or financial decisions.

Re: I Hate the News (2006)

#70

Post by mtlynch »

scelerat wrote: post #69

For perspective, this was written by an extremely precocious 16 year old. And I think for most people, the front page of the New York Times may indeed contain nothing of practical use. You're effectively paying for general up-to-date worldly knowledge and social currency. Nevertheless, at some point in your life, knowing current events, even remote ones, and knowing how events have unfolded in the past, has great pra…

>For perspective, this was written by an extremely precocious 16 year old.

Small correction: Swartz was born November 8, 1986, and this was published October 20, 2006. He was three weeks shy of 20 years old.

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