Can watching the news be harmful?

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The News, Now that's entertainment!
 

Being bombarded with negative news absolutely has negative affects both physically and mentally. There was a time I had to disconnect from the news. But at the same time I knew I needed to know what was going on in the world, especially close to home. I think I "detoxed" for about two weeks. I watch World News Tonight With David Muir. One thing I love is that the news is given in rapid succession, no "opinion" pieces (or very few at least) and they always end the broadcast with a heartwarming or inspiring story. Also, I love David.
 

Lara said:
The news made me have occasional nightmares. I don't watch it anymore. I cancelled my TV network provider. Nightmares are gone now and I'm a more positive person. I choose what I want to watch now on Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, Youtube, or the Internet....or I choose what to read. Mostly I spend my time being a little more productive now,
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Good for you Lara! There is so much to choose out there for media it's really shocking. For a mere $5/month you can subscribe to Britbox, Acorn or PBS TV with a lot of really great shows. Some of the other channels are a bit more. I really can't understand why someone would pay $150/month for cable where they force you to subscribe to a bunch of channels that you don't want just because you want certain channels. Some people I have spoken to claim that they want to watch the sports. As for the news, there are "tons" of it right on the Internet. All sorts of news channels here in North America but you can get news from the Uk, Europe, Africa, Australia, NZ & even from South America. I love the freedom of choice. I don't like to sit in front of the "idiot box" & be forced to watch the news that they tell me is important. Then they cut off the news & load my poor old brain with their no mercy shouting adds for cars, trucks and a lot of crazy adds that I have no interest of ever buying. You right! Studies have proven that people who watch a lot of news or murder shows get the idea that the world is really a terrible place & that danger lurks everywhere they go.
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Being bombarded with negative news absolutely has negative affects both physically and mentally. There was a time I had to disconnect from the news. But at the same time I knew I needed to know what was going on in the world, especially close to home. I think I "detoxed" for about two weeks. I watch World News Tonight With David Muir. One thing I love is that the news is given in rapid succession, no "opinion" pieces (or very few at least) and they always end the broadcast with a heartwarming or inspiring story. Also, I love David.
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Our local NBC affiliate had a spat with the cable company and as a result they dropped NBC for a few days. We watched David Muir instead. I agree with you, much more straightforward and David himself is very likeable.
 
News is no longer news......
Funny that as a child in school my class were told journalists are suppose to be impartial.... and present just the facts let the viewer or reader decide their opinion on it instead of being instructed how you should feel about every issue .... that does not happen anymore.....
some twist items to fit a narrative while others ....or ( I think is worse) .. omit or just do not cover certain facts or stories.... i found in talking with others many depending on their "Brand " of news ...............often had no idea of a piece of information that changed the story completely ..... they would just look at me and say "never mind" like that SNL character rosanna rosanna danna.

It becomes more of a homework assignment to find the piece left out or clarify some items..... it was draining ......
what is more the news seems to miss so much basic trying to shove coverage of hot topic until it is unbearable.....
other story items left on the cutting room floor that perhaps would have been beneficial to someone....
 
I almost never watch the news. When looking for a new car this time last year, the local dealership had Fox News blasting from a huge screen in the middle of the showroom. I politely requested that they turn it off or change the station, which they wouldn't.

On our way out the door, hubby and I told the salesman that we'd find someplace else to purchase a car. Which we did. A nice little dealership 15 miles further away had a great car. The showroom TV was tuned to National Geographic nature shows.

As for waiting rooms, isn't it insulting that doctors, dentists and others can't imagine their customers to be capable of entertaining themselves without the assistance of an idiot box?
 
I grit my teeth, turn on a news channel, hear one sided views, get disgusted, also get T-d off that citizens of other nations are hearing it & don't research whether what they hear is authentic, or not. Nothing to do but watch the black n white old Andy Griffith show. :D
 
tbeltrans said:
Better yet, ask them to turn the thing off so we can read in peace.

Tony
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There seems to be an assumption that none of us can live without constant noise in the background. Helps to stop people from thinking too much! I presume showing the news means patients won't get too engrossed in the programme.
To answer the question, watching news programmes can be depressing but we do need to keep up to date with what is happening in the world.
 
Absolutely. Watching the news is stressful. It causes people to be on high alert, worried for their lives which oddly enough makes them watch more and the media does this intentionally. They sensationalize the news to create more viewings and don’t care about your mental health which is why I never watch the news and haven’t for years.

When I last went to the dentists office and they leaned me back in my chair , they had a news program on about the latest horrifying experience right above me so I couldn’t help but watch it. Isn’t going to the dentist scary enough?🥺 I asked them to kindly change the channel.
 
Not watching the news can be harmful. People I know who don't take the Covid precautions seriously also do not watch the news. However, I strongly agree with Jeni about today's news being biased and sensational, and the importance of the unbiased news we once had. For-profit media is has been very harmful. I have found public broadcasting with reports from around the world preferable but that has not been unbiased either.

I think a careful evaluation of education with knowledge of past education for citizenship would help us understand the change in media that has made it part of the problem the US is experiencing. News shows should not be popularity contest but should serve the public.
 
It has become really hard to stay informed and be a responsible citizen by learning about the issues and participating like a mature adult.
Last year I searched for most balanced news sites, and I bookmarked one of those and I check it first.
Apparently news casts decades ago were required by law to present balanced news but that law got overturned or something.
 
What I find is that, by watching/reading news outlets that present opposing views, I find that each leaves out facts that would weaken their overall argument as well as emphasizing other facts out of proportion to their overall importance to the story. So, in effect, they practice "lying by omission", rather than telling outright "fake news". I believe that commercial news outlets, regardless of the platform (i.e. TV, web site, newspaper, etc.), still use editors to vet the news reporting to make sure it will stand up if challenged in court. However, with the internet, we get all manner of non-commercial sites, youtube, etc., that don't operate under that restriction. In any case, I don't see balanced reporting regardless of who is doing the reporting except possibly the BBC (at least, that was their reputation for years as a shortwave outlet).

If there is a platform that is truly balanced, I would appreciate hearing of it.

Tony
 
tbeltrans said:
What I find is that, by watching/reading news outlets that present opposing views, I find that each leaves out facts that would weaken their overall argument as well as emphasizing other facts out of proportion to their overall importance to the story. So, in effect, they practice "lying by omission", rather than telling outright "fake news". I believe that commercial news outlets, regardless of the platform (i.e. TV, web site, newspaper, etc.), still use editors to vet the news reporting to make sure it will stand up if challenged in court. However, with the internet, we get all manner of non-commercial sites, youtube, etc., that don't operate under that restriction. In any case, I don't see balanced reporting regardless of who is doing the reporting except possibly the BBC (at least, that was their reputation for years as a shortwave outlet).

If there is a platform that is truly balanced, I would appreciate hearing of it.

Tony
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I agree with your description ...........but seriously doubt many use strong editors as many have just stepped in it ......:poop:
If people do sue we won't hear about it for years .....

It is all click bait on internet...... worse then commercial news IMO.......
To many want to be FIRST not correct.......
 
I believe in keeping abreast of world happenings and IMO BBC gives the most unbiased news. For more in-depth U.S. news, I listen to a little from the left, a little from the right and know that the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Can listening be harmful? Yes if one only listens to that which is long on opinion and short on fact - actual fact, not the alternative kind or who

News reporting went to he!! with the advent of cable news that had to be exciting 24/7 in order to attract listeners to fill ad quotas.
 
Part of the problem is that too many people get their information solely from watching TV. Most 1/2 hour news programs have maybe 15 minutes of news, 5 or 10 minutes of weather and fluff, and the rest commercials, so they don't have much time to cover what's going on and never get into the why of what happened. For that, you need to read the news, and there is still good reporting going on if you don't mind reading, which is actually a lot more efficient use of your time than watching the news.
 
Irwin said:
Part of the problem is that too many people get their information solely from watching TV. Most 1/2 hour news programs have maybe 15 minutes of news, 5 or 10 minutes of weather and fluff, and the rest commercials, so they don't have much time to cover what's going on and never get into the why of what happened. For that, you need to read the news, and there is still good reporting going on if you don't mind reading, which is actually a lot more efficient use of your time than watching the news.
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I am not among those who watch TV for my news. Locally, the problem I see right off the top of my head is that sports seems to override anything of importance. This country has really gotten stupid about sports and it seems to invade everything, even casual conversation.

Tony
 
tbeltrans said:
I am not among those who watch TV for my news. Locally, the problem I see right off the top of my head is that sports seems to override anything of importance. This country has really gotten stupid about sports and it seems to invade everything, even casual conversation.

Tony
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Meh. Watching and playing sports are good, mindless activities, which are often the best kind. Everything we do doesn't need to be "important." :)
 
Irwin said:
Meh. Watching and playing sports are good, mindless activities, which are often the best kind. Everything we do doesn't need to be "important." :)
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I was raised to be participating in what interested me. My dad always felt that sitting in front of a TV watching other people have fun was a waste of time. I still live by that and it works for me. Clearly, there are legions of people who prefer to watch others do the activity.

Edit: ...or worse yet, yelling at the players on the TV. :rolleyes:

Tony
 
Just stick around. It's going to get worse (or better), depending on what favors you the most.
 

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