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?

Strangely enough, I decided to change my habits earlier today. I’ve always watched the news morning and night,and usually read it in my lunch break too. Today I opened the page to find that the former chairman of the police watchdog has been charged with rape and I just thought “I give up. That’s enough”. Half the species is trying to kill the other half - what’s the point in watching it unfold?

I cut myself off from the news because they kept reporting stuff like “Person was ignored by their GP and turned out to have cancer”. “Celebrity diagnosed with terminal cancer”. “These symptoms could mean you have cancer”. Cancer cancer cancer. It was making me anxious so I had to delete the news apps.

I'm becoming more disturbed about the non stop senseless murders happening these days , from the never ending child murders to the stabbings and domestic violence murders . I've stopped looking at the news because I can't think of anything positive happening at the moment , either that or the violence and crime make it almost unheard .

Actively stopped watching and reading it about 4/5 months ago. My mental health is so much better. I used to pride myself on keeping up to date with current affairs etc. However I’m much happier and ultimately I have such little control over what is happening I don’t care if I don’t know what’s going on.
I get tit bits on here and from people in conversation and actually that’s enough for me.

I think you're on to something with this thread OP - previous news-hungry audiences are now switching off; it's not just me.

You're not alone. A lot of people are moving away from traditional news sources for various reasons including mistrust and disinterest. I'm really not interested in political gossip, crime fetish and other sensationalism.

There are other sources of news/updates/ideas out there of course. But picking through the rubbish and disinformation isn't easy.

I don't know what the solution is

Yep since covid I stay clear. I hate the clickbait nature of some of the stories when I do check the bbc app, climate change news just makes me feel awful and I can't do anything about it, the government are entitled shits that we seemingly can't get rid of, everything is doom and gloom. I should check the news for my work and noticed I'm far more stressed on the weeks when I do.

I've not taken too much notice of the news for a couple of years. , despite being really interested in politics.

I find the reporting on mainstream to be either biased or banal.
I also find it odd that some networks are avidly reporting on an issue yet other networks completely ignore it.

Yes to the point I no idea whos leader of any political party and happy with this .....I don't think seen news for 2-3 maybe 4 years...

I would say I was on the obsessed side of ‘interest’ in the news pre covid and even during covid. There was nothing else to do so I’d never miss a daily briefing and knew every fact to keep people up to date with if they asked. I’m not a total saddo, for some reason the news is just something I’ve always been like that about 🙈 I’d say in the last year or two though I’ve totally switched off from it. I don’t have the sky news app anymore so I don’t get notifications through. There was the major incident the other morning and I completely missed it, didn’t hear about it until the afternoon. Previously I’d have been so involved in the story and on Twitter searching for more info about what was going on. Don’t know what it is that has changed though!

I don't watch or read the news purposely any more. It seems inescapable though, generally find out what's happening without even trying.

To paraphrase, if you don't get the news you're uninformed, if you do get the news you're misinformed.

No it definitely isn't just you - I only bother with the local news at 6.30 now, although I keep up with the headlines with the radio reports through the day so I know if there's anything specific I want to watch the main news for (and there has been this week).

Countryfile on a Sunday is my go to for the weather 😊

I rarely watch or listen to the news. I do listen to a number of political podcasts so get a good, and reasonably deep, view of what's going on. I have a look at the Guardian and Twitter for headlines, breaking news. Having said that, from time to time I will watch C4 News.

Interesting you should ask OP because in answer to your question, I’d say yes. Much as I loved tuning in to get my fix of Huw Edwards (so dishy) and catch up with the news, I find it’s just too much at the moment for the reasons you give.

Also, life is stressful enough and I think I’m best off getting to bed earlier.

I began to withdraw from it a lot during Covid. It was just Covid, Covid, Covid for at least 18 months, maybe longer. Boring.

These days I do look into it a couple of times a week, but not much more than that.

I stopped watching TV news at the start of the pandemic because it was so hysterical and manipulative. And it had been very dumbed down for years. Apart

Sorry... pressed send too soon!
Apart from the death of The Queen, I haven't watched TV news for over 3 years and haven't missed it. Radio 4 and a selection of the "better" newspapers give me the info I need without sentimentality and nonsense.

I watch the TV news every evening as I want to know what is happening at home and around the world, but here (not the UK) not all the news is doom and gloom. I do check online two or three times a day, but don't delve into everything, only something which interests me. I would hate to be totally ignorant of what is happening and don't see the point of hiding away from the news.

I had it on the other day and had to switch over because the first 2 stories were about kids getting killed. I can't deal with that .

The news is no more depressing than it has ever been - pick any time in the last 1,000 years and it would have been far more upsetting than it is now. It is the modern sensationalism and cloying sentimentality that is off-putting. I don't want to know the opinions of "people in the street" - that is not news.

I balance the gloom and doom and gossip (rags like the daily mail) with intelligent reporting from the FT and WSJ. When I have time, I also read The Week and The Economist. There are huge developments in many different fields which is important to helpful to keep on top of.

Yes, a lot of it is horrific like killings, the war etc but there is hope in progress and innovation. The human spirit is a beautiful thing.

Yes. As an example, that Philip Schofield/Holly Willoughby debacle is really not worthy of news at all. That is just mind rotting pap.

It's interesting to hear posters saying that they're tuning out of radio 4 because I find it to be such a refreshing source of content compared to everything else. News aside, their programmes about science, art, women, economics, cooking, gardening, comedy, technology - and more - are really great actually

Lol my DH and I bumped into Huw at a restaurant not long ago and we were both starstuck and smitten 😂