Anyone NOT Watching the News Anymore?

I have to watch some news because it helps me in my job. I am a Sign Language interpreter at a local college. So, these topics are brought up. I try to not let them affect me, or I read msn news so I can skim through it, or pick up a newspaper. That way I know the jist of it, and don't have to sit through the whole thing. I keeps me informed so that I am not lost in translation ;) You could always put on worship music afterwards just to get you out of the funk :)

I have had night terrors since I was a kid. My doctor told me not to watch upsetting things, especially before bed. I don't ever watch the news anymore and we don't get the paper. I swear I'm much happier for it. I still hear about the important stuff, not like I missed the election or anyting.

I am with you! I no longer watch the news anymore due to the negative & biased outlook all news channels seem to convey. It's just depressing!

My friend forwarded me this URL for uplifting, positive news. Enjoy!

http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/

I haven't really watched the news in years. I don't miss it. "happy" news is so rare that you might as well say there is never any happy news. Also, happy news doesn't sell, so they don't report it. Recently I did start paying just enough attention so that I'm not always completely in the dark, but I really hate the news. I don't miss it at all. I figure if somethign is that important, I'll find out from someone else anyway. :) News is just more stress we don't need, IMO.

I haven't watched the news in almost ten years. It is not really news, except the weather segment:)

I can't stand the news right now! I have both TVs set to the Christmas music channel. My husband and I don't plan to spend much of anything for Christmas... and we don't want our kids to think it's all about the presents, so we've scaled down over the last few years anyway. Even for my daughter's birthday, which is the 19th, we do a cookie party. I make a ton of gingerbread and sugar cookies, and all the kids decorate them and take a pile of their own home...and I discourage gifts for her, knowing she will already have several from family.

My kids love the lights (cheap thrills), our tree, the music, and all that... and that's, for the most part, free. And we don't end up blowing out our budget for stuff the kids look at once and never use again.

Kids should learn about finances, but shouldn't be taught to worry about them... and the news has a real effect on my kids, and not just with finances. Watching all the natural disasters and violent scenes made me leave that stuff alone until the kids go to bed.

Try www.happynews.com!

I personally hate not knowing what's going on in the world, so I do watch it every single night after my kids are asleep, because my almost four year old calls it the "bad news".

But knowing what's happening lets us know how lucky we are to have what we do, and also helps keep us aware of what to watch out for in our neighborhoods or in certain situations. It's not really what's on the news, it's how we process it and react to it that counts, stay informed! Even if you just skim the headlines online and don't watch it on tv :)

Me too! I quit watching the news a number of years ago when they played a particularly troubling 911 tape. Do they really NEED to do that? I started to notice that all of the news seemed to be "gloom and doom" and that I only watched to see the little 30 second blips of human interest stories at the end. I like reading the paper so much better! There is much less sensationalizing, and the rest of my household is not hearing everything that I read. Some of my friends were surprised and concerned, thinking that if I quit watching the television news that I would somehow miss out on important historical events. The truth is, I have pretty much quit watching television altogether, and I think I have become a better person for it. I figure that there will be plenty of time for T.V. when I am old or if I ever have a serious illness. Then everything will be new, no reruns! God bless you and yours! :)

Hi R.,

I totally agree...other than the weather or catching a glimpse of the rare positive moments they choose to inform us of...I definitely have been making more of an effort to NOT watch the news and I'm a real estate agent who actually despite all the negative out there, am doing just fine :-). Truthfully I think we personally have control over the things we allow into our lives, as well as put back out there and I'm simply choosing to surround myself w/the positive aspects of my life and remember what matters most...family, friends, health and the things I'm so thankful for. That's not to be confused w/being realistic of course, but I believe what you put out there will be what you get back :-) and that is what gets our family through all the negativity that is unfortunately out there right now. Good topic by the way!

Happy Holidays!
H. R

I quit watching the news several years ago. ESPECIALLY the local-over-the-top-drama-productions. DUHN-DAH-DUHN....POTHOLES!!!!! And next (with a big cheery voice and smile) Three people were MURDERED!!!

:P

Anyhow, just to not live under a rock (although, I'm not entirely sure that watching news didn't qualify me for that already)... I listen to NPR & the BBC, read up on mulitple sites online (BBC, AP, National Geographic Society, etc.) It's also fun to poke around on various government/ngo/university websites, and of course; peer review journals.

Even JUST switching to the BBC & NPR was a huge eye opener. Oh wait...we aren't the only people in the world? And everything isn't terrible all the time?

Go figure.

I rarely watch the news anymore. I stopped watching it when the kids were around when my oldest was in first grade and several arsons took place in Seattle. She was afraid our house was going to burn down! I read the newspaper and get the news off the internet.

I don't read or listen to the news. I find that it crushes my spirit and gives me things to worry about that I cannot control in any way.
I do listen to little bits of NPR, but with two kids it's hard to concentrate on anything, right?
Have a happy holiday.
T.

I'm of a similar mind as most everyone else here. I pick and choose parts of the news, which is usually only the weather. I check regular news online so I can pick and choose what I see. One TV program I enjoy is CBS Sunday Morning. Except for a brief "look at the news", they mostly do human interest and arts types of stories. It's something I enjoyed watching since I was little. They visit places and people all over the US.

I cut way back on watching news on TV when my first child was born and never seemed to go back to watching. She was born two months after 9-11. That and other tragedies of the time made me feel very depressed. My husband and I decided mental health was more important than knowing everything that going on in the world and you're right, children do pay close attention. Our children are 7, 5, and 3 now. I'd rather find fun things to explore with them and meet new friends. We are fairly new to the state so we have much to explore!!

I don't watch anymore...it's all depressing and I can CHOOOSE what I read when I read my news online. Plus..the weather forcasts are never accurate.

J.

Have you Joined CityMommy Yet?
http://portland.citymommy.com

Yes, my husband and I will watch the weather since his job is outdoors but otherwise I haven't watched since election time and then it was just for specifics. I do watch the View because they seem to hit on topics of interest without the constant negativity and I love to see multiple sides of issues. I guess that has been my source of news topics.

Most of the time, the news isn't important to my daily life and does not enrich or really inform me about things I need to know. Gas prices going up or down? I will find out at the pump. Do I have control? No. I like the information about food drives at this time of year but I already know about our local food bank and school food drives....

I would like to have more info on global issues but there never seems to be info about what an average Joe could do to help...I already know about UNICEF and such so ??? As cheesey as it may seem, Extreme Home Makeover and shows like the Supernanny are more helpful. I get inspired for change and to help others. Thank God for Ellen. She has brightened my otherwise routine and often difficult days. Sorry for the length! BUT....

I am with you girl!

I'm with u.I may tune in at the beginning to see what stories might interest me and the weather, thats it.Nothing more because it is all about depressing stuff.I know that our economy and such right now really sucks...I'm one who is suffering from the "lack of good jobs" issue right now and I don't need to be reminded.I'm a single mom who works a lousy 3 hrs a day and all that goes to diapers, clothes etc for my daughter and then if theres anything left we can pay the cell bill and pay off the utilities from our last place and other such bills.I've had to move back in with my mom and camp on the sofa until I can find a ft time job that pays somewhere around what I'm making pt now or else it could be awhile until we're out on our own again.All thats going on in my life with my daughter, fiance, lack of jobs etc is enough depression for me, I don't need the needs too.

I haven't watched the news in some time as I have postpartum depression where I worry too much, so if I hear of something that has happened to someone else then I see that something happen to my family.. there is too many murders and deaths and horrible things happen in this world for me to watch even a half hour of news. So yes I do agree a TON!!!!

YOU ARE A GENIUS --- R.- I think you are really on to something good. During the elections ( about which I cared hugely --- I could only watch about 10 minutes a day---- then I'd turn on cooking shows, animal shows, music channels -- enough is enough. I am really old ( lololol) and when I was 10 in 1955 - people were beginning to have tvs - and there was 10 minutes of news per day at 6pm ---period. By the time I went to college in 1963 --there was up to an hour - but NOW -it is all day --- and it's too much-.

Good for you, R.--here's to Paula Dean

blessings

Hi,

I have given up on the news - most is biased based on what party it backs to what's the point? However www.breakingchristiannews.com has a strict positive news only policy and you might enjoy that. Then send emails daily with three or four positive news stories. Wonderful!

I don't watch the news any more either. If I want to know about something, I go online, and look at subject I'm interested in. There are SO many great things going on in the world. I was just reading about a guy who went to the remote parts of India busting his leg to climb over mountains, being forded over streams in order to bring slave orphans back together wtih their parents!

My personal feeling about the bailout - it's about time that the big companies get shaken up and die, to leave room for the little guy. Small companies are much nicer and more compassionate to their employees. I think there should be NO bailout - and it will work itself out with or without our help. However if we do a bailout, our childrens' children will be paying for it.

There is a lot of good. Unfortunately, the news makes its $$ off the bad. Often their point of view is skewed to the profitable for the company that runs them, not to what the real facts are. I find the Canadian news and the BBC much more reliable sources of information, as well as Al Jazeerah.

That's one of the reasons we don't have cable tv anymore. We canceled it last summer and never looked back! For entertainment we read (to ourselves and to each other,) get things done around the house while we listen to music, do crafts or build things, or occasionally watch movies from Netflix. It's great! We catch up with the important news online, and seek out more reliable sources like NPR and the BBC. There's a lot of good going on in the world... Local news tends to focus on sensationalizing the horror stories instead, and doesn't give us the bigger picture.

I agree! I gave up news about 10 years ago and TV altogether not much afterwards - it's great! It's definitely an unhealthy habit to listen to all the negativity and brainwashing... wonderful for you in being aware enough to take such a positive step :)
Create your own good news and dip in online for some headlines now and then if you feel compelled. You'll hear from others what sifts through as major for you to need to know....like a hurricane or presidential election :)
Liz

I agree with you completley, Not only with the negative economy buy always with the crime, the news always has emphasis on the negative. They will have a spotlight on something good once in a while, but mostly it is negative. We don't even have cable anymore, we haven't for about three years, We do get about 3 channels icluding PBS with antannae in our bedroom and I can watch like ABC and another main channel (I forget ha ha). All the negativity makes me think there are no good people out there, however, you need to remember there are more good people than bad. If it was the other way around, then EVERYONE would be a victem of a crime. Just don't watch it and try to focus on the little good things that happen in YOUR life everyday :) I do.

Good topic R.!

I have the holiday spirit, money or not. I'm a shopaholic and haven't been Christmas shopping yet due to our finances this year. I'm excited about the homemade goodies we will be making. (I plan to supplement our kids with one or two small store items.) I didn't need the news to tell me about the economy - being unemployed part of the year gave me that information. I hate the news and only look online for what I want. I like to live in my own happy little world. LOL If that means I'm "out of touch" so be it. My husband listens to the news way to much and is stressed out all the time.

Happy holidays!

I would highly suggest getting your news online. Its more accurate, less sensationalized, and you can click on what you want to see, not what they want to feed you. I haven't had a TV for over 10 years and I don't miss it (we do watch movies though). My kids are 7 and 2. They are glued to my parent's boob tube every time we see them. Which is daily. But they have the good sense to turn it to a program that is more science based or a least kid friendly. We do need to know what is going on in the world, but the emphasis should be on our smaller world, right at your fingertips. Hugs,

K.

If you are feeling detached from society because you don't keep up with the news and want an alternative to the internet news, you could always record the news and watch it after your children are in bed (that lets you skip through things you don't want to see either).