Do you NOT watch the news?

Post Reply New Topic

I don't watch cable news or even local that much, I just read online and keep myself informed

I've gone through chunks of time when my own anxiety levels about stress factors in my own life are all I can handle, and I've had to avoid all news, because just hearing about local and world atrocities, political changes, government cuts and other bad news increases my anxiety.

But eventually I start to feel anxious about not knowing what's going on/being uninformed, both about general events and also about things that might affect me too, so I start to follow news again. Usually when I'm feeling stronger in my own stress levels. It's a balancing act and I have to keep an eye on getting overwhelmed.

I avoid the news as much as possible. Of course, avoiding it completely is nearly impossible unless I go and live in a cave away from society. I have done so for years. All it does is activate my fight or flight response, but I can't fight the horror I'm seeing but I get guilt for avoiding it as well, which causes me nothing but stress, anxiety, depression, irritability, an on and on.

The news is very sensationalist, especially the American news. 10 out of the thousands of people in the country die of swine flu OMG we're all doomed, bring out your dead.

I check the weather forecast online but not as much now because I keep seeing all kinds of disasters in the world, plus they make a mild drizzle sound like a reason to kill ourselves.

"Ugh, it's raining/snowing, how long will this terrible weather last?" Well, some people might be glad it's raining or snowing. You can stay indoors and read or draw or play games without feeling guilty like when it's warm and sunny out.

Honestly, I don't know how other people can watch the news from beginning to end and not be completely suicidal afterwards. I've asked, but I never get a straight answer.

no i do not not watch the news.
i usually watch it to see if anything is interesting like airplane accidents or tsunami's, but there is not much interesting usually on the news.

The news are usually on every evening, and I hear some of it then, but unless anything special is going on, I'm not the one who turns them on. I find that for me, news fall into 2 categories: boring and infuriating. As a result, I pay little attention, have for years now. I feel better for it, and not knowing doesn't hold disadvantages for me personally. Very few news cases are more than transitory and so they fade quickly and those that aren't I'll pick up on anyway.

^I totally agree! The morning news usually has a lasting effect on me throughout the day, so I'm trying to convince my mum not to turn it on until I'm heading out to school.

I don't watch TV.

They edit things to suit their agenda with emotional triggers etcetra.

Therefore, I go on the internet and read newspapers online instead. Headlines and representation is still biased, but it's just text so they can't use shaming tactics and guilt tripping like they do on TV.

I look at reports from various sources.

RT is good. Al Jazeera. Infowars is only good for getting the general idea. They'll always spin it in a biased way, so you can't trust them on conclusions. Also, they always try to sell you something. But they cite other sources which are good for doing your own research.

When it comes to middle east issues, read the reporting that is done from people from the middle east, not western papers.
You want Syria news? Look what Syrians say. Then compare to reporting from surrounding areas and pretty much ignore the pro-war propaganda from western sources.

You want news from Russia and Ukraine? Look at local news. Why does NATO want Ukraine? Strategic territory to threaten Russia.
Think Geopolitically. Don't just fall for the big bad boogeyman narrative. What are the geopolitical advantages of controlling a certain area, who benefits from it and what are their diplomatic ties?

This makes it an arduous process, but if you want the truth you can't just read the mainstream newspapers and take their biased views for truth. You have to look at the views from as many opposing and different sources as possible. See how they spin it to their advantage and then try to figure out what the real story really is.

I spend a lot of time on this research. The more you dig, the crazier it gets.

All I can say is, don't give in to the fearmongerings and call for wars and interventions. Wars are lucrative, for a very tiny minority that never place their own boots on the ground. To everybody else, it is detrimental.

Sorry for the essay. I got a lot on my mind

I'm like many who posted already.

I don't watch TV. Not just because of the news, but because of the overload of sights and sounds in general.
(I even limit my movie watching.)
I read the news online. However, I do have to regulate how much I read because I will get emotionally overloaded. This is why I also have to be careful with Facebook and even WP - sometimes there is too much controversy and conflict!

I prefer to read the news because I read quickly. I don't even like watching videos online for fun. I find them annoying.

I listen to NPR now and then. I prefer NPR over regular broadcasts because the stories are more in-depth and the segments last longer. Also, even if NPR has a bias (everyone does), most of the time I don't feel that the presenters are being as pushy as they can be in the regular news. In addition, NPR covers a much broader spectrum of topics.

Commercials, both on television and radio, really bother me. I have never been persuaded to buy something from a commercial. I don't even enjoy shopping, so I don't want to hear about things I don't need or want. NPR and going online allow me more control over the exposure to this barrage.

I want to stay informed and make a good judgment. It feels like everywhere I turn, no matter who is putting forth the information, they are spewing their own agenda more than presenting the actual truth. I find when I listen/watch/read, I'm thinking more about who seems the most level-headed.

the only news i like to follow is daily weather through a phone app.

nothing like: "OMG! storm kills people!"

i just want to know the temperature and precipitation for my area so i know how to prepare for my daily walks, or if i can even go out.

I usually watch the news a few times a week, and sometimes read it online.

Yesterday when I went to check the temperature there was a headline screaming about the "drastic drop in temperature". Yes, it was a lot milder out the day before, but they made it sound like we're entering a second Ice Age when supposedly the opposite is happening .

The weather where I live changes very rapidly. That's just how it is. We can have all four seasons in one day and I'm pretty much used to it.

They also had another headline that said global warming in Canada is happening twice as fast. Okay I get it we're doomed and the polar bears will be extinct in a year or so.