reading the news

The news is toxic. And the social media that re-reports the news is even worse.

It's as bad for your health as a tumbler of bad whiskey.

If you have a strong liver you'll survive.

But over time you may well get cirrhosis.

You'll spend your alive time therapising, in order to rid yourself of 'news poison'.

When you find yourself watching the news and reading it cos you are bored- get a good book instead.

Be hard on yourself and break the news habit.

News is poison. It's stuff you don't need to know. If you need to know something specific look it up. Return to books and documentaries and specific Youtube videos- stop browsing on the mainstream rubbish that is the news.

Why? Because it is based on emotional impact not truth. Because it gives airspace to lies and liars. Because it's model of 'average man' is pathetic and degrading. Because it encourages 'following' and celebrity culture. Because it is negative and pessimistic and only optimistic in a trivial and misguided way. The news is for fools. So how come so many highly educated people work in the news? Because it is a high status job that pays pretty well. Bottom line anyone in the news bizz is either obsessive, needs the cash or loves the status and buzz of meeting famous people and reporting headline grabbing stories. Truth? In what time frame? If we take a truth-maximising time frame (usually a longer one) most news is simply irrelevant.

News is no use to you either (bars news of petrol shortages) because the three most important things in your life BY FAR are a)people you spend the most time with b)what you do most of the time c) where you live. A few hours reading Fred Pearce's new book A Trillion Trees is better than ten years of watching The News...

But surely newspeople keep our leaders honest? Wake up- the news people ELECTED your leaders- based on those who gave the most entertaing 'news value'....either positive or negative...just doesn't matter- news is news....