"Oh I never watch the news"

[oklumberjack]

Ok, I feeling really judgemental about this I'll admit, but here goes.

I went out for dinner this week with some school mum's from the primary my dd has just left. These women are acquaintances of mine. Nice women, friendly but I don't consider them my closest friends.

Over the course of lunch, we were discussing our summer etc. I mentioned the Olympics and something about Theresa May. They all looked blankly at me. All 5 of them said they hadn't seen any Olympics and had no idea how we'd done. 3 of them had not even heard of Theresa May. The conversation then got on to how they never watch the news, or read a newspaper or even access it online. As soon as news comes on they turn over. I was shocked. I kept very quiet that I'm a Radio 4 and 5live listener, avid Daily Politics watcher and rather enjoyed watching the cycling,rowing and diving at the Olympics on the BBC.

However they could tell me all about Love Island, Big Brother and TOWIE which is where the conversation went next. I felt really out of place. They seemed to think that being interested in the news made you some kind of snob.

Ok, so we're out of step in what we like. We probably won't hang out much in the future, however please tell me I'm not really unusual in checking in with the news at least twice a day!

I hate the way TV news is made. It's formulated to heighten your sense of dread and sharpen your interest and I hate the thunky-thunk portentous music and also the way they decide what's important. I think I probably do suffer from low level anxiety and it's just too upsetting - also it's never objective, somehow. I do read news online and obviously mumsnet alerts me to anything really important!
I also hate chatting to people who don't like ANY of the tv I like. It can be hard to find common ground that's small enough for small talk. And books and tv are what interest me!

I also hate chatting to people who don't like ANY of the tv I like. It can be hard to find common ground that's small enough for small talk.

Hobbies? Food? Pets? Children? Local interest? The weather?

Given the massive change in TV viewing habits, its less and less likely that people you meet will share your own tastes, or even have a TV at all. With literally thousands of channels available on demand, the watercooler conversation about last nights TV listings is a thing of the past.

I avoid the news on the tv. I probably shouldn't but I just can't be doing with it.
I read about what's going on via FB or other internet/social media sites (including this one) and I can deal better with the information in written format.

Hearing/ seeing it can be over-distressing at times and I'm not always able to deal with it well, so prefer to avoid that.

A theory, which I just formulated this very minute whilst talking to DS about this thread (but am unlikely to be the first to have thought of), is that there may be an increasing amount of generalised anxiety triggered by news - hence why so many posters here have had to limit their exposure to it - precisely because children are far too protected from anything unpleasant when they are small. One day the world is all pink unicorns and fairy dresses and the hamster went to Heaven, the next someone decides they're old enough or doesn't turn the TV off quick enough and WHAM! - they're in a world where people starve, drown or get blown up and there are epidemics and giant meteorites and all sorts of nasty, nasty shit, and they have no idea how to cope with it. Perhaps those of us who've always known there was nasty shit have learned to tune the worst of it out. Kind of like letting toddlers develop natural immunity through some exposure to dirt vs. keeping them in a plastic bubble for the first 7 years of their lives.

Anyway, since you're asking, I never watch the news as such (haven't switched my telly on in 8 years except to watch a DVD) but I don't think that's what the OP meant. I listen to Radio 4 daily and otherwise keep relatively well informed through the internet (with due regard to reliability of sources). However, as I have a pretty ghastly memory, I probably don't retain very much of it. By the same token I know nothing of most reality TV, but I don't take pride in not knowing about it, I just don't know about it.

However, I'm at anyone who doesn't realise that one is important while the other is just entertainment and therefore, by definition, totally not important. It may be tremendous fun and quite therapeutic after a hard day at the coal face, but it doesn't matter. The other stuff may be depressing and sometimes boring but it does matter. Watching some of each is a well-balanced brain diet.

NN It is no longer easy to equip people with the skills relevant to today's media. The field is progressing so rapidly, that the skills that are taught to recent generations of young people are obsolete before they become adults.

Isn't it possible to generalise though? For example, my history teachers (comprehensive school, 1990s) drilled in the importance of considering how reliable different sources were, as well as linking knowledge of the past to making decisions about the future. I dropped history before GCSE too. This sort of thing was also mentioned in English lessons. All of this was part of compulsory schooling, although I also chose to do Media Studies A Level. However, the basic "question things" type mindset was there all along. Perhaps I had very radical teachers or maybe I just paid attention. It's unlikely the government would want to make it part of the curriculum, I suppose...

ps I appreciate there may be some whose anxiety was caused by over-exposure to nasty shit rather than lack of exposure. Gradual age-appropriate introduction and explanation of the unpleasant aspects of life is the best way forward IMO. You wouldn't keep the toddler in a plastic bubble perhaps, but you wouldn't feed it a spoonful of dirt either (one hopes).

Kind of like letting toddlers develop natural immunity through some exposure to dirt vs. keeping them in a plastic bubble for the first 7 years of their lives.

YY - exactly This ^^

I am sick and tired of reading and hearing parents say "they're only children" "let kids be kids" "oh, there's plenty of time for that when they are adult".
Parents who complain to the school when their DC's have current affairs explained to them in an age appropriate way. When they learn where meat comes from. When they are taught about crime in society.

This does not do our DC's any favours. Only a few generations ago, DC's would have been exposed to the harsh realities of life from a very young age. 24/7 media may bring world tragedies into our homes, but not that many years ago, the tragedy was in our neighbours home, or that of the family down the street. Advances in medical science, safety and awareness have reduced the likelyhood of this happening close to home - so DC's are increasingly protected from unpleasant emotions.

Just because you posted that straight after my post, Annie, I'll respond - no I wasn't kept bubble wrapped as a child, we had R4 on in the house all the time and watched the news, plus both parents were quite political so lots of political discussions going on.
Wasn't exposed to any personal nasty shit but perhaps had more exposure to the ills of the world than some - I was generally outraged by a lot of the unfairness and as a teen, hoped and expected that things would be changed for the better. OF course they didn't, and in fact many things became worse and more unfair (some things did improve, fair enough) - tragedies, wars, appalling unfair treatment of humans/animals - it wasn't that I hadn't known about it as a child because I had - it was the dawning realisation that neither I nor anyone else could do very much about it that really got me, I think.

I think that a lot of my reason for not watching is that I find the news reporting overly-salacious - grim details, pictures/film clips etc., almost a desire to shock in some cases. I don't need shocking any more!

Plus having small children, one of whom is very sensitive to sad/bad/scary stuff, that puts me off having the news on as well.

I am not a big news watcher but I do make the effort to watch headlines daily and some news as it is important to know whats going on. Despite not watching much I know who Teresa May is as I was on holiday in aaustria when it was announced so even in german I knew she had become Prime Minister.

I think its important to know what is going on and at least watch headlines. 😃

No your not. I couldn't go a day without knowing what's going on in the world. And I'm not a big fan of the celebrity tv shows. I guess everyone likes what they like and it's hard to mix with people when you don't have much in common.

I watch the news, read an online paper everyday, listen to the news on the radio, watch question time, watched bits of the olympics, watched the highlights on iplayer. But I also watch townie, playa in marbella, catfish, big brother, mic, and no end of shite. Doesn't make me a bad person

I don't watch news however check sky news app several times a day. Don't read newspapers. Hardly watch TV it's just not my thing either.

Words fail me! They didn't know who Theresa May is?! Unbelievable. I am certainly no news junkie,but I like to think that I am relatively well informed via TV,newspapers and radio on current affairs.

A friend of mine who suffers from anxiety makes sure she keeps up to date with the news, even when it is awful or worrying. She says not knowing the facts makes her considerably more anxious.

I have said to people I never watch the news, I don't, but I do read it every day, I just have time to watch the news with 4 young kids.

Every school run is like this for me, none, and I mean none, of the other mothers have a clue about what is going on in the world, none of them has lived abroad and most wonder why I choose to work. The worst conversation I was ever privy to, amongst school mums, was about waxing 'back, sack and crack'...

Incidentally, I have recently been ostracised because of my views on Brexit; at least I no longer need to dumb down.

My sister never watched the news, read a paper etc. Three days after 9/11 she had no idea (just had the TV on cartoons all day).
When my mum said to her about Ground Zero etc, she replied "huh?".
She has no idea about anything, elections, big news stories, tragedies like Lee Rigby, she simply has no idea what goes on in the world at all and seems proud of it.

My 15 year old goes down to the living room after dinner and watches the local news, then the main news. Makes me smile. I'm glad he's interested. Though occasionally he will switch to Big Bang. But mostly he watches it. I always watch the news. Enjoyed a lot of the olympics too. So did all 3 children.

You need to find some new friends.

I think any adult that finds programs like towie or love island entertaining must be half brain dead.

We very rarely watch the news, when we are not out or at work then cbeebies or citv is on. Once the kids go to bed we watch abit of tv but the news generally makes me very depressed and anxious. I have anxiety so feel better for not watching it. I do read bits and bats online

I dont watch cr*p like love island, bb, towie etc though

Gemma198. I'm not brain dead. See my post above.

emma4991

I think some one who doesn't realise that people can like different things must be brain dead. Don't you think? (Can you think?)