If you've always had an interest in the news, are you now switching off?

[hollyblueivy]

I've always wanted to know what's going on in the news and not fully understood people that say they don't watch or read it.

However, since covid I've been less and less inclined to read about the latest sleaze from politicians, a man killing or raping a woman, tragic stories about children and all the bad going on in the world.

I still check in briefly but much much less than before.

Anyone else previously quite interested in the news finding themselves switching off from it?

Yes. Used to love watching / reading the news. Making a conscious effort to disengage now. Which has done absolute wonders for my mental health this week. Headlines have been horrific lately. Plus the non-stop gloom about the economy and how we’re all screwed and our mortgages are going to shoot through the roof…

I still consume news avidly because I always have and I think it’s important but I am much more sceptical about it.

News today is so heavily polarised by social media and populism that it’s becoming an echo chamber in which people only hear increasingly shrill versions of the views on their own end of the political spectrum. It’s almost impossible to find genuinely thorough and unbiased reporting.

I’m less aware. Maybe ironically, I read a news article the other day which said 25% of people who followed the news 6 years ago no longer follow it.

I don't follow it very much these days. I know enough to be able to understand what is being discussed on Have I Got News For You but that's because I've seen discussion on social media

I'm a radio 4 fanatic.. but am so passed of by their need for 'balance' .. despite UGOv saying that 97% of the population agree with the committee !!

No I still follow it

I just don’t dig into to grim micro stories (like an attack) although I would to more macro stories (like the fact that I in 10O Police officers are under investigation for something).

I think you have to filter and limit, but it’s important to know what’s happening.

I used to be a news junkie but only follow certain stories now. I wonder if it's something to do with Google and the social media platforms- that they get to recognise what you're interested in and feed you a glut of that? Very different to reading a newspaper.

I like to know what's going on, but I'm now so over The Boris Johnson show and hoping that events over the past few days puts a lid on it.

Covid affected my news consumption too. I was much happier when I switched to learning the science. I now understand DNA as well as a GCSE student (it was not a topic back in my day)

I 100% gave up on the news during covid. I couldn’t take it. Realised I’m much happier without it, don’t know and don’t care. Anything important I find out about eventually by social media or chatting to someone. News makes no difference to my life.

I started reading less when the war started. Now I'm reaching another level of reading less as I'm absolutely sick to the back teeth of yet another woman has been killed.

I am veering towards giving up news as it's just so heartbreaking lately with all the brutal killings of babies women, children and young people I hear about. Some I just can't get out of my head for ages like those poor students this week, the little girl in France and so many others. Politics is just depressing as most politicians seem to be greedy hypocritical people who have no concept of a decent days work and fiddle the tax payer wherever they can. Aah and breathe.

We're exactly the same at our house OP, it's just too depressing & upsetting

I think it's really really important to keep as up-to-date as possible with UK and ROW news/politics because it directly affects us all. However, the way I access news has changed fundamentally since 2016. Eg, no.more BBC 'news' and their pathological need for 'balance'. No I don't need Farage as a counterpoint to the head of the IMF thanks.

No...Still watch but only once a day. I keep up on twitter throughout the day

I watch the local news in the evening and the weather forecast

I do keep up to date but I don't consume the news like I used to. For example what happened in Notts was awful and absolutely heartbreaking for family, friends and the wider community, but we don't need to be fed updates on the families and how they are coping every hour; leave them in peace ffs. That sort of grief reporting appeals to certain people though which is why they do it. It's invariably bias and more doom & gloom than required. Plenty of amazing things happen everyday but they don't get clicks and sell papers so we get overloaded with stuff.

No, but I did have a period when Dc were young when I found it almost impossible to deal with.

I haven't watched the news in years. I used to love watching either BBC Breakfast or the ITV equivalent.

I do still read the newspapers every day, although I do it online rather than in print. There are times depending on my mood that I can't stomach certain stories though. Whereas other times I'm fine reading them in depth.

I suppose I'm still consuming the same amount of news, just in a different form. I find most news programmes (especially BBC Breakfast and ITV Breakfast) really vacuous now. To the point, I can't watch it because it's so dumbed down.

It's been quite good news this week in some ways:

• Trump indicted on a criminal charge
• Johnson hounded out of parliament and pronounced a liar
• Berlusconi dead........... :)

I've somewhat disengaged from it. I find the stories of child abuse particularly during lockdown really disturbing. The of those children being so horribly isolated and treated horrifically is too much to bear.
And if it isn't those types of things it's relentless reminders of how badly our government is failing us in every area. Its very depressing.

I'm quite engaged currently (I can't look away from the Boris drama, for my sins) but I go through stages. For me it is a bit about the news itself (there was a point in COVID where I just couldn't stand it) but probably more about my own life. I know this is terrible but I didn't have much interest in the wider world either time that I had a small baby - I remember being worried with DS1 that I would never regain that interest and would remain this really insular and inwardly-focused person but I did.

Yes - I have recently changed my behaviour. I keep abreast of headline news where possible and have always flicked through the channels but now I view all TV news as more of an entertainment rather than keeping up to date with facts. 3 years ago I would have regularly bought a daily national newspaper but now rarely as it's a cost-prohibitive purchase now.

However, the biggest change is that I know longer have BBC R4 humming away in my office, kitchen and workshop. It just got too box-ticky for me as well as too many repeats, although I'm sure I'm missing the odd treasure like the "History of the World in 100 Objects" which was brilliant listening.

I have switched my Radio off.

I used to love Radio 4. Barely listen to it now. Enjoying the Boris/Trump news but everything else is relentlessly depressing.

I do avoid the news now in a way that I never used to. I find myself turning the radio off or over when certain stories are being talked about. I skim headlines online but only read some items in depth.