I realised this evening how to verbalise my own reasons for throwing newspapers in the dustbin, which I’ve struggled with before.
At todays Facelook and Foodcook, two of the four speakers specifically advised not reading newspapers, and reasoned it in different ways. But an unconnected point one of them made sparked the connection.
I’ve tried before, with mixed success, to explain it. But this evening it become clear to me. Attention given to problems exacerbates the problem. Attention given to solutions manifests solutions. Newspapers describe problems, endlessly, and are useless at describing solutions. It’s not that we are going to wallow in ignorance, isolated in our own little enclaves, as a commenter in my previous post put it. The problems will make themselves known – in today’s connected and switched on world that’s hardly the issue. But our energy can be best spent on solutions, not in taking on more problems in the disempowering way that is the mainstream media.
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My view is that most news is noise.
One can do research: identify problems, plan solutions, and gather information on the way.
Broad awareness of events affecting things you care about is part of that, but is not best acquired by jacking into high-volume information feeds of any sort.
To ease your dependencies, register with http://www.sagoodnews.co.za
And, you forgot another reason to give up newspapers (and TV) is marketing. What next, internet, in fact I triple dare you 😀 😀 😀
This is brilliant and relevant. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/alisa_miller_shares_the_news_about_the_news.html