Effects of constant exposure to 24/7 news.

[David1970]

Regarding Facebook, you join a group with similar views or interests, so if you support Manchester United you don’t join  an Arsenal supporters group. Regarding Twitter, yes it’s full of conspiracy lunatics but it’s great fun winding them up.

Got to agree with you Jimmy, look what Twitter has done to America

[sir wanksalot]

So I wonder if for many people there's a conflict between wanting to keep informed, but also feeling that the news is substantially increasing stress levels and the negative effects on mental health?.

Absolutely!

I always considered myself to be well read and well informed. I almost felt it was my civic duty to keep upto date with current affairs. Sky News would be my default TV station, local newpapers delivered daily, Sunday papers etc and then I realised something had to change. A lot of the news stories were soundbites about things that might happen. I'd worry myself silly after taking a mortgage out and some news sources saying interest rates are likely to rise significantly. There were many other stories about other topics that were like needle pricks to the brain.

And so I diallled my news consumption right down and I don't regret it at all. I would say I am still aware of current affairs but I ration my consumption.

50 years ago news was almost like a public service. These days it is entertainment. The news channels constantly need to feed the machine and we're the ones consuming what they feed us.

Everything in life should be balanced-do the right thing for your own sanity.

[Thephoenix]

Absolutely!

I always considered myself to be well read and well informed. I almost felt it was my civic duty to keep upto date with current affairs. Sky News would be my default TV station, local newpapers delivered daily, Sunday papers etc and then I realised something had to change. A lot of the news stories were soundbites about things that might happen. I'd worry myself silly after taking a mortgage out and some news sources saying interest rates are likely to rise significantly. There were many other stories about other topics that were like needle pricks to the brain.

And so I diallled my news consumption right down and I don't regret it at all. I would say I am still aware of current affairs but I ration my consumption.

50 years ago news was almost like a public service. These days it is entertainment. The news channels constantly need to feed the machine and we're the ones consuming what they feed us.

Everything in life should be balanced-do the right thing for your own sanity.

Like so many things in life, it can be a good servant, but a bad master.

Bit like punting really.....but let's not go there.

[petermisc]

Mainstream media is government propaganda

All those social media platforms are poison

So if you aren't getting your news in the mainstream media or social media, where are you getting it from?

[petermisc]

Absolutely!

I always considered myself to be well read and well informed. I almost felt it was my civic duty to keep upto date with current affairs. Sky News would be my default TV station, local newpapers delivered daily, Sunday papers etc and then I realised something had to change. A lot of the news stories were soundbites about things that might happen. I'd worry myself silly after taking a mortgage out and some news sources saying interest rates are likely to rise significantly. There were many other stories about other topics that were like needle pricks to the brain.

And so I diallled my news consumption right down and I don't regret it at all. I would say I am still aware of current affairs but I ration my consumption.

50 years ago news was almost like a public service. These days it is entertainment. The news channels constantly need to feed the machine and we're the ones consuming what they feed us.

Everything in life should be balanced-do the right thing for your own sanity.

Totally agree.  In particular about the news items predicting what is going to happen, which I try to ignore.  Another increasing trend is dredging up old news so that they can promote a campaign they are running (papers) or a documentary they are showing (TV).

[petermisc]

No idea what you find funny. 

When there is a lockdown demonstration RT cover it live on You-Tube, mainstream media might just about mention it.

RT is biased but so is Al Jazeera. 

If it were a significant demonstration, then the mainstream media here might cover it.  But a couple of hundred idiots isn't worth it.

I used to watch RT as it was interesting to see the different perspective.  Until that aircraft was downed over Ukraine, when it became patently obvious it wasn't a news outlet at all, but pure Kremlin hype.  And that is why RT overhype the lockdown demonstrations - anything to destabilise a western democracy is grist to their mill.

[Jimmyredcab]

And that is why RT overhype the lockdown demonstrations - anything to destabilise a western democracy is grist to their mill.

Lockdowns destabilise western democracy far more than RT.   

Had you told me 12 months ago that we would be told who we could invite into our homes I would have called you stark raving bonkers.     

[David1970]

Lockdowns destabilise western democracy far more than RT.   

Had you told me 12 months ago that we would be told who we could invite into our homes I would have called you stark raving bonkers.     

If you had told me about the pandemic killing so many people 12 months ago I would have thought you nuts, but it has happened.

RT is there to spout Putins propaganda and try to destabilise western democracy, not to tell the truth.

[cotton]

RT is there to spout Putins propaganda and try to destabilise western democracy, not to tell the truth.

Thing is if there was any news destabilising to western democracy how likely are you to watch it on the BBC.  If you want to get all the news including the stuff our government dosnt want you to hear then it cant do any harm watching RT to get a broader perspective surely.

[sir wanksalot]

Mainstream media is government propaganda
Look at other countries mainstream media and see how events in this country are reported

I disagree. Mainstream media are not in the pockets of this government (or any government for that matter). I would agree that some mainstream media may have a certain bias but to suggest that they are ALL selling the government's message is wrong

[king tarzan]

So if you aren't getting your news in the mainstream media or social media, where are you getting it from?

Social media promotes anti family nucleus filthy behaviour...
Makes you sick to the stomach as to what they perceive as normal behaviour nowadays

[Jimmyredcab]

RT is there to spout Putins propaganda and try to destabilise western democracy, not to tell the truth.

Yet you trust the state owned Al Jazeera to tell the truth.

They will promote their version of the truth. 

[David1970]

No, not at all.

Al Jazeera and RT, plus You-Tube provides some useful sources.

Jimmy you watch AJ.

AJ gives a broader view of news covering Africa and the Middle East in depth. It is state owned, I don’t think they try to hide it.

RT pure Putin propaganda, wanting to destroy democracy 

[Thephoenix]

RT is Putin's global disinformation service, countering one version of the truth with another in a bid to undermine the whole notion of empirical truth.
So called Western experts sell their souls for the return of hefty fees.
The Chanel is overseen by the state run RIA-Novosti.
There is little or nothing reported of national news, as it's main purpose is to destabilise Western Democracies.

Ofcom reported in a lengthy report that RT had breached British broadcasting rules regarding impartiality on many occasions.

One of the funniest examples of the influence of The Russian State was the almost laughable video interview with Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Borishov, who were the suspected Russian agents involved in the Salisbury poisonings.
The investigative website Bellingcat subsequently identified Borishov as the highly decorated GRU Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga,  with Petrov identified as Dr Alexander Mishkin also of the GRU.
However in the interview they reiterated their stories that they were just visiting Salisbury 'to see the famous  123 metre spire of the cathedral'
It was so pathetic that they could hardly keep straight faces.

Behind the glossy facade it's just the Kremlin's mouthpiece.

[Jimmyredcab]

RT pure Putin propaganda, wanting to destroy democracy

Democracy   

I would love to discuss that with you but it would drift into a banned subject —— politics.

[David1970]

RT is Putin's global disinformation service, countering one version of the truth with another in a bid to undermine the whole notion of empirical truth.
So called Western experts sell their souls for the return of hefty fees.
The Chanel is overseen by the state run RIA-Novosti.
There is little or nothing reported of national news, as it's main purpose is to destabilise Western Democracies.

Ofcom reported in a lengthy report that RT had breached British broadcasting rules regarding impartiality on many occasions.

One of the funniest examples of the influence of The Russian State was the almost laughable video interview with Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Borishov, who were the suspected Russian agents involved in the Salisbury poisonings.
The investigative website Bellingcat subsequently identified Borishov as the highly decorated GRU Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga,  with Petrov identified as Dr Alexander Mishkin also of the GRU.
However in the interview they reiterated their stories that they were just visiting Salisbury 'to see the famous  123 metre spire of the cathedral'
It was so pathetic that they could hardly keep straight faces.

Behind the glossy facade it's just the Kremlin's mouthpiece.

Got to agree 100%

[petermisc]

Thing is if there was any news destabilising to western democracy how likely are you to watch it on the BBC.  If you want to get all the news including the stuff our government dosnt want you to hear then it cant do any harm watching RT to get a broader perspective surely.

The BBC reports plenty of news destabilising to western democracy, and has been full of it recently.

I would agree that accessing a variety of news sources to gain a broader perspective is good, but RT has proved time and again that it is a disinformation source, not a news source.  Its sole aim is to undermine any news that is bad from a Russian perspective, by promoting counterarguments.  Some of these have been utterly preposterous, but they only have to sow the seed of doubt for them to succeed.

A couple of months after the Salisbury attack I visited an Eastern European SP regular, who asked me anxiously about the"latest chemical incident" in London.  I said I knew nothing about any such incident, and she replied that was because it was being suppressed in the UK press.  Turned out RT had been posting a series of stories with the aim of making people believe that chemical incidents are not uncommon in the UK.  Once you start to believe their lies, you are open to believe anything.  As the saying goes, it is good to have an open mind, but not so open that your brain falls out.

[george r]

RT is just putins mouth piece , i would rather believe tony blair !!