A note to the reader: This was written in 2020. I have not changed my opinions on this matter at all and therefore, I present the text in its original form.
Simply put – I do not watch the news. At all.
Okay, I occasionally read articles on my phone and listen to the radio. I have discussions with others about world events. I care about world events and am informed on the topics that I really do care about.
But I no longer sit down and watch the news every night.
Why?
I have been practicing this philosophy for a myriad of reasons since 2014 – and I will now give you seven reasons why I no longer watch the news. Each, I hope, will provide you with justification as to why I don’t consider myself mistaken.
“But hold on Charlie!? You cannot keep your head in the sand and pretend it’s not all going on!!”
No and no. Again, I do not. Before we begin, allow me to paint some context.
(Let’s go on a brief journey through time.)
It was June 2014. I was roughly a year out of university, working for a successful company that allowed me to travel occasionally with the job and frequently in my downtime if I wished. I was new to minimalism but was rapidly embracing the philosophy, with enjoyment.
As I narrowed down my priorities and started to identify what I wanted, I began to take notice of my moods, which usually dipped pretty sharply after certain points of the day. One of the things I noted was how irate I’d become whilst watching the news and the aftermath, be it alone, with one of my parents or a friend – the outcome was usually the same. Stay away from Charlie.
So, as an experiment, I minimalised my feeds of information with the news. I’d no longer sit down without questioning my routine or how I am spending my 24 hours. I organised my phone so I’d only receive information of topics of interest. I’d play the radio when I could as background information, rather than daily absorbing the news.
It was originally meant to last a month. The experiment never ended really.
So do I benefit from not ‘watching’ the news at all? (Yes, yes I do.)
I’ll now outline some revelations I’ve arrived at over the last six years and how they can help you too. These are seven fundamental reasons why I’d not watch the news.
- Time burglar
Not just the fact that I’m consciously sitting down to watch something, that requires my time. When I do this, I like to be in the knowledge that I’m using my time in a way where I’d benefit. Simply put, I find little comfort or benefit in subjecting myself to an hour a day of negativity and sensationalism.
There are plenty of other things in my life to get on with (I hope you have those things too!)
- Robbing me of focus.
Simple enough. Simplicity is best after all.
By devoting my time to watching the news, I’m unable to do other things. Like most of us, I do go to work and only have so much free time. The headlines and the media would have us focus on things that are not interesting to us – instead of you, the guy in the pub and myself from doing things we could be excelling in.
If the news steals my time and robs me of focus, whilst subjecting me to an unending stream of negativity, why would I?
- Never-ending stream of negativity
This is often the big one why people don’t watch the news – I seriously do not blame them.
The usual complaint is the constant bombardment of negativity draining their minds.
Others will defend the negativity by saying the world is black and this is how it is.
As someone who has been to five continents, lived in two different countries, encountered a shedload of different cultures and continues to do so – I really beg to differ. And I know I’m not alone.
Most of the people defending this claim are gravely mistaken, often but not always, due to their own limitations and mixed priorities.
Truthfully, in conventional news, there are occasion stories of warmth and joy. About 10%. Why waste your time, focus and mental health when you could get your news from else where?
I do and it works.
- The news is a poor representation of reality
How often do you believe what you hear in the news?
Yeah? Me too.
In truth, the news offers factual stories from time to time – it is how they are presented as truth rather than opinion and speculation. Narratives are told from perspective and history is always written by the winners (trust me, I studied history.) Social norms are shown as unquestionable; stories are framed for public opinion to be harsh and unfair.
Never forget that the people who write these narratives, headlines and presented it on your television are all humans, with perspective and beliefs. It remains only an opinion, albeit, a well polished and professional reading.
And while a very dangerous and lethal virus is tearing up the world, meaning we all need to safe sensible precautions – might I remind you there are other horrors in the world.
- Much of it is beyond your control
That does not mean that you should not care.
Enter the circles of concern, influence and control.
To cite the circles of influence and concern you cannot control the news or the way that media narratives are framed or what advertisements are broadcasted.
It is beyond most people’s levels of influence. You cannot decide who becomes president, who does what in the Middle east or if it’ll rain on Thursday afternoon. This is the circle of concern. And very often, there is little one can do about it, except get on with life.
You can control how you feel, how you behave and what you say; the circle of control. This is where you ought to be focusing your energy and well-being because these are things you can control.
Like how you behave according to an event or sudden change of situation.
Preventing it from being beyond your concern.
The difference is the media will often attempt to distort the levels of influence and concern – blurring the two narratives. Therefore those elements intrude on your circle of control. Makes you feel lousy and unmotivated
The solution is to literally cut the cord.
- Mental exhaustion and fatigue
Something I struggled with for a long time, and not unrelated to the last point. I’d finish watching the news with mental exhaustion. So much happening in the world, so little time and all I could feel was sheer rage towards certain world events.
Instead of going to the gym, studying for a project or doing something I actually enjoy; I’d brood instead. On the entire planet’s negativity.
After a while into the experiment, I felt better. The fatigue was reducing, the happiness was self-evident once I realised what I’ve told you in this blog so far. The majority of my news now comes to my phone from sources I trust and concerning articles that I actually want to read.
Thereby avoiding the crippling fatigue I encountered through constantly watching the new.
- Happiness and growth are my priorities
And they always will be.
The news does not account for happiness or growth because it does not sensationalise these qualities. Trying to find these essential qualities in sources of information, courtesy of the news, is impossible because it does not exist.
Therefore, by cutting the news about, I can prioritise these important values in my life and stay in my circle of control and influence.
But what do you think?
I invite you to offer me feedback in the comments section below.
To end this, always question your sources of information, whom they represent, what their agenda could be and why they are telling you one of many potentially different narratives.
But please remember to trust the news when you are told to wash your hands. – Thanks!