Should we stop reading the news

it does seem an outdated concept when you think about it, something for old people I guess?

We need to know all about Gaza and the abomination that the state of Israel has morphed into. So we can avoid all business and contact with these pariahs in the future.

I used to wake up fairly content but by the time I'd listened to the news and "it says in the papers" I'd find myself to be in a deep and existential funk.

So about March last year (around the time of the earthquake in Turkey?) I stopped listening/watching to all news media as an experiment.

It's a bit disconcerting at first but you get used to it and you realise quickly that you can live quite happily without being constantly bombarded by "news".

I did get some pushback from work colleagues who said that it was a mistake and that I "needed to stay informed"

My argument back was that there are tribes in the Amazon jungle living quite happily for years without ever "needing to stay informed"

I also feel that unless something lands at my front door and affects me or my family then it's largely irrelevant to my day to day living.

I still hear bits and pieces of news second hand so I'm aware of the recent Crotty trial etc but as far as Gaza/Ukraine goes I've no idea of any occurrences there for 12 months or more.

I've seen friends and family upset and annoyed over what's happening in Gaza but why put yourself through that?

It seems to me any news item will either annoy you or agitate you so why expose yourself to that on a daily basis over something you can't change or control?

It's funny when you haven't seen Sky news for months and catch a glimpse in a doctor's waiting room, the shouting and urgency of the newsreaders is actually quite obvious and amusing.

So many people have a prejudice depending on where they hear their news. BBC viewers have a warped view of different topics, the same as some who watch Russia Today. Propaganda still rules the World. The funny thing is that so many don't realise how easily they are influenced.

Can you prove the BBC is better than Russia Today?

Nothing at all wrong with it. But whereas once I believed being informed and interested in what's going on was a better way to spend your downtime rather than living on Netflix etc, I'm now not so sure. The world is absolutely fcuked. Peak capitalism has stacked the deck against young people. Corporate power has an iron grip on the western world and it's only getting tighter. Democracy is getting shakier by the year and populism is becoming the norm, fueled by social media. We don't even need to mention the climate and the very real physical and social threats that that has in store for us all.

My admittedly pessimistic view is that this ship is holed below the water and it's only a matter of time. My thinking now is, it's probably better to focus on yourself and those close to you and just keep an ear open for whatever else is going on beyond that. Comsuming vast amounts of news thru various platforms to the extent that it becomes your daily and nightly diet of tv/internet, is probably not the best use of ones time.

I said some BBC viewers have a warped view on various topics, the same as Russia Today viewers. The other poster can't show how he thinks the BBC is any better, can you?

The reason why people need to look at the news and read about what's going on in the world including negative stuff is because if you don't you could end up posting something like this. This post makes me worried about the future of human beings.

That's like asking me to prove the earth is not flat, your asking a very childish and silly question. If someone thinks something the BBC says is incorrect you can make a complaint to Ofcom and the BBC would have to be able to verify their story, they have guidelines they have to follow and their journalists can report the news without fear that the truth could put them in prison for decades. In Russia if a reporter tells the truth about what's happening in Ukraine its off to prison they go.

thanks for that, its really lovely. Next books I read (or re-read) will be John McGahern.

That's no problem, as long as you know you're being brainwashed as much as Russia Today viewers. 😊

😂 Fools and their money.

BBC are probably the most reliable news source you'll get

Ba dum tis!