I have shunned the news for a week now

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

And I feel much better for it! There is so much hurt in the world and nothing I can do about it. So I read comic strips instead.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

You're not missing anything with knowing. Enjoy your comic!!

 

[ChrisFL]

Same...I try to avoid most news these days because it's almost all pretty bad...that and most social media with lots of arguments and doom and gloom....just brings my mood down and doesn't help anything.

 

[Snowysmom]

Good idea! I watch just enough news each day to get a quick summary of what is going on. That takes about 5 minutes and I am done. I am less stressed and anxious. Old comedies and Hallmark movies work for me.

 

[leebee]

I feel like I'm walking on a knife-edge. Watching too much news depresses and frightens me, but if we DON'T pay attention and stay involved, this lunacy will wash over all of us and pull us into its undertow. Look how much has changed in this country in a few short months!

 

[HeatherC]

I stopped watching a long time ago. There is no such thing as unbiased news anymore. EVERYTHING has become political and I am sick of hearing it. Even on these boards people manage to spout their political crap even though no one is changing anyone’s mind.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

Good idea! I watch just enough news each day to get a quick summary of what is going on. That takes about 5 minutes and I am done. I am less stressed and anxious. Old comedies and Hallmark movies work for me.

And that is how i believe it's how it is supposed to be. It's why the news used to come on once a day. Now it's 24 hours of bombardment of bad news. Your brain isn't supposed to be subjected to an endless stream of doom and gloom.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

I stopped watching a long time ago. There is no such thing as unbiased news anymore. EVERYTHING has become political and I am sick of hearing it. Even on these boards people manage to spout their political crap even though no one is changing anyone’s mind.

I've also sworn off the Controversial Board, save for my Snoopy thread. There were some very nasty, snide people there, just not worth the increase in blood pressure. Now I'm all about the fluff!

 

[cedricandsophie]

I go between not reading the paper or watching news to desperately wanting accurate facts. Whenever I read anything I try to verify it at least in two places. And usually the craziest stuff which I think in my head can’t be real IS. But I don’t think we can just throw up our hands and say there’s nothing we can do so I’m going to ignore it. My belief…stay informed…check the facts..,become an activist in whatever way you can. My husband and I are leading a group of parents in our community about an issue related to our special Olympics athletes. I’ve appeared before city council three times, written multiple emails, picketed the mayors campaign event. By becoming more involved I’ve found out how this city really runs and it’s appalling. I’m 75 and I figure it’s about time I got more involved in the world around me before it’s too late.

 

[HannaBelle]

My son is a therapist, and he has a theory about 24/7 worldwide news coverage.

Humans have developed and evolved in small groups for 1,000's of years with very few people traveling beyond their home. Just in the past 100 to 150 years has it become more common for people to travel and to learn about events beyond their home.

Now, we have up-to-the-minute news about everything happening anywhere in the world. Our minds are not programmed to handle this amount of negative information. If there was a local issue, we felt that we could make a change. Now, we feel powerless to enact change when hearing about problems around the world. It negatively affects our mental health.

I don't watch the news, it is just too much negativity. I follow a limited number of new sites online.

 

[easyas123]

My son is a therapist, and he has a theory about 24/7 worldwide news coverage

I think he's making a excellent point, there is no way our brains can evolve at the pace of all the information is being fed into them.

I go back & forth, and I do like to stay up to date & informed so I find it hard not to check in on the news. Plus I keep the local news/talk radio show on all day in my office as background (unless there is a Orioles game on, then I switch to music!). With that being said I do have stretches of times where I purposely don't look up any news or media sources, or even turn on the TV for nonsense shows -on the weekend mostly.

 

[Cadiewampus]

I stopped watching a long time ago. There is no such thing as unbiased news anymore. EVERYTHING has become political and I am sick of hearing it. Even on these boards people manage to spout their political crap even though no one is changing anyone’s mind.

I stopped along time ago. When reporters thought it was their job to be part of the story and also to tell me their opinion or tell us how we should think. I don't care what your opinion is, just give me the facts as they are known and I will decide what I should think.

 

[Simba's Mom]

And I feel much better for it! There is so much hurt in the world and nothing I can do about it. So I read comic strips instead.

Early in the Covid shutdown I had to do that. I had been watching the news every day, recording and comparing figures; and had to stop totally. Just take all the precautions I could, and not watch the news. Like you, I felt much better, so I totally agree with what you're doing now.

 

[jimmymc]

You've gotta balance things. Just being completely ignorant to the news isn't socially responsible, but watching too much news from networks whose only goal is to keep your eyes on screen is bad for you.

 

[BrianL]

I stopped watching a long time ago. There is no such thing as unbiased news anymore. EVERYTHING has become political and I am sick of hearing it. Even on these boards people manage to spout their political crap even though no one is changing anyone’s mind.

Technically, there was never such a thing as "unbiased news" - it has always come from the perspective of the writer. The issue now is the constant stream of it and the need to provide more and more to fill the air and the Internet and to keep eyeballs on your content. That aplififes everything up to 11 as ragebait is the easiest way to do just that. It's a sad state of affairs, but that's what audiences want. Much like with Disney live-action remakes, we get the news coverage that we deserve.

 

[HannaBelle]

You've gotta balance things. Just being completely ignorant to the news isn't socially responsible, but watching too much news from networks whose only goal is to keep your eyes on screen is bad for you.

I agree. What news stations do you prefer?

I like NPR.