"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 don't make a big point of following 'the news' (although the Brexit vote and subsequent fall out had me riveted 24/7). A lot of the news online is fluffiest fluff, about celebrities, or about events in far away places which will never affect me and mine (I don't necessarily mean abroad: stuff like 'pensioner killed when tree fell on car': tragic, yes, news, yes; for me? No).

As for news bias ... I used to get The Guardian and Daily Telegraph on Saturdays, and was surprised how many stories were the same, and that 3 or 4 columnists wrote for both (this was about 10 years ago).

Print news is much more digestible and IMO easier to scan and flick through. The online stuff has too many enticements, and much of it is absolute drivel.

I have R4 news on when cooking, but often turn it off after the headlines. After a while you can almost predict the news and what questions will be asked and what people will say in answer. More extended pieces like 'From Our Own Correspondent' are worth listening to, and it is worth reading the lengthier pieces in print journalism.

I am totally uninterested however in all the celeb gossip. I am not quite sure who Kim Kardashian is, although I have seen her arse. I know in great detail who David Cameron is, but I've never seen his arse (nor the apparently unflattering pics of his tum on holiday: he was interesting because he was PM, not because he was or wasn't beach toned).

Something Trafalgargal said quite a way down this thread: "Is there a correlation between academic success and access to news, books, newspapers ? I think there probably is just though the habit of using a variety of sources for information it promotes processing and evaluating rather than just accepting a fact is fact because it's on the news/parents or friends say it etc."

Yes to the above. I do think that being knowledgeable about current affairs helps to develop analytical skills. You are exposed to different situations and can see how different situations pan out, what are the factors that influence the outcome and how to manipulate and present facts and multiple inputs. It is like a work out for the brain. It is not just the political, financial and business side of the news. I don't mean sleb gossip but even a story like the burkini ban has so many many facets to it.

The favoured tactic of interviewers in milk round candidates for City jobs is to ask them questions about current affairs to suss out how clued up they are and probe their commercial awareness.

A person can be intelligent yet have no intellectual curiousity about the world around them. I find that such a waste and far greater a moral failing than just being stupid.

But it's not just access to those things - some level of engagement is required as well. As I said upthread, I grew up in a quite political household, newspapers every day and the news was on every evening; and yet I was the only one who really absorbed any of it. I wouldn't say my sister is completely ignorant of current affairs, but she's not interested in any of it and may not even have voted in Brexit; I couldn't tell you if she knew who the current PM is. I do - I keep abreast of this stuff via online news - but it's just not of any interest to her.

I do think that being knowledgeable about current affairs helps to develop analytical skills.

You see I'd argue that someone with an analytical, questioning disposition is more likely to take an interest in current affairs.

And the correlation between having access to newspapers, books and news and academic success probably has a lot more to do with social mobility, parental influence and the disposition of the individual.

Yes thumb but without access engagement isn't possible. I'd argue a child who sees a parent read the paper every day or making a point of turning over to watch the news etc is far more likely to view such things as a normal activity than a child whose parent never does these things.

And I agree with that too - I was just pointing out the flip-side, that just because they see it as normal, and have access, doesn't mean that they then do it as well.

It's just not that clear cut. But yes - of course opportunity plays an enormous part in whether or not the individual will then have the choice to engage or not.

I think that being informed about and engaged with the world around you is necessary for society to prosper and we should all make an effort to do so.

However... I do notice a sharp increase in day to day happiness when I unplug for a few days. I don't mean a holiday or anything, just when i'm really busy at times on the farm like lambing or harvest .
There is a really nice , pure satisfaction in getting up, going and doing a days work on your own in the countryside, coming back to your dinner and doing so for several days without much concept of what's going on beyond your own fortress of solitude. No news, no tv, radio, Facebook etc.

You couldn't function like that for ever but it does give a glimpse of a simpler and happier way of life.

Think we could all do with that!