I know there are terrible things happening all over the world, but today has made me feel sick.

It seems that every time I go near the BBC news it’s dripping with the horrors of the world then they pick the story to bits until the end of time.

I think it’s time for a news embargo.

To the contrary, I’m watching more news and from different sources than ever before. The internet is superb for that.

Pick your sources v carefully is my advice.

Some news channels are overwhelmingly negative, manipulative, sentimental, political and sensational – e.g. Metro, tabloids, daytime TV

I get most of my news these days from Radio 4, The Economist and FT – they’re not perfect but they’re much more measured in the way they present the news and noticeably more fact-based and balanced… both the topics they choose and the way they present them.

My mum seems to be getting more negative as she gets older and when I read The Telegraph that she reads daily, I can see why – it’s like a Mail for the middle classes – really skews your view on life.

Best tip I ever heard (and the internet enables this massively) is to read one source that has the same biases as you e.g if you’re right wing, read The Times; and read one source that you intuitively disagree with, so in this instance, also The Guardian.

It’s a right eye-opener – a) it challenges your own preconceptions and biases and b) you realise just how biased your ‘preferred’ paper is… Worst thing you can do IMO is just pick a source which reinforces your own limited view – makes people more hardline and more stupid IMO…

I chuckled at this…

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/06/150624-pacu-fish-new-jersey-lake-testicle-eating-myth/

…fish’s testicle-eating reputation is a myth, scientists say.

Phew

I’m a bit torn on the news these days, what usually happens – I find myself bored between jobs in work, surfing twitter or whatever and I happen on a story and head off to the BBC to get some facts.

It’s all very macabre really though isn’t it? For me News is 1% useful information and 99% ‘entertainment’.

I think we see the news as a very serious thing, worthy of our attention – but is it really – some terrible stuff has happened today, but does knowing about 1) provide us with any useful practical information, or just make us scared 2) change the situation for the better?

I’d be repulsed if someone told me they watched beheading videos online, I’d assume they were ‘sickos’ or something – but does watching a toned down version make you any different?

I think we (the general public) assume ‘awareness’ is more useful than we think it is – silly things on Facebook that Women (usually anyway) share – like coded messages about bra colour or whatever, ice bucket challenges and the like up to endlessly debating subjects like immigration or IS online – doesn’t achieve anything does it? It’s just entertainment really.

Also worth reading the commments on a lot of news stories – like some of the comments on STW, you get some really useful alternative perspectives which help you realise the ‘news’ article was utter bobbins or just a piece of propaganda from a vested interest…

Radio 5 is doing what it’s worst at right now. We currently have enough fact to fill a 2 minute bulletin but they’re going to stretch it out for the whole weekend. They’re all doing their slow serious voice to make it seem they know more than they do and the same snippets are repeated endlessly.
Still it’s better than those sections that sound like a really thin item but turn out just to be an advert for Panorama. Like the Salazar nonsense.

The Portsmouth News is a %&£#@ awful paper, but it’s like w^$king; you know you shouldn’t but you can’t help yourself…

As for the BBC, I’ve stopped viewing or listening to its ‘news’ output; instead using Al Jazeera or internet sources instead. I feel far better informed and can feel my brain cells growing back.