# Are you addicted to News broadcasts?



## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Following the recent spate of "Bad" news items I am wondering if some of us have become addicted to these news reports and if it is affecting our outlook on Life.

How often do you check the News broadcasts .... for years I used to just listen to Radio 4 in the morning and then News at Ten on TV at night but more recently I seem to keep a check , via the TV, computer and smart devices much more often..it has become a sort of addiction.....that is until the last few days when I realised I was "overdosing" and it was having a really depressing effect on me so I have purposely avoided the news during the last few days.

It is obvious from the many posts on here about recent "newsworthy" events that I am not alone in consuming (and believing) too much of the often repeated news. It is mostly bad and disturbing news that I have absolutely no influence or control over and after consuming it I often feel a bit down ( difficult to describe what I mean ) 

Anyone else?


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

I'm rather the opposite. I' ve never been a great television watcher but did listen to the radio a lot as well checking various newspaper reports daily online. I don't do any of that any more and, while it is not doing a lot for my grasp of current affairs, I do feel less stressed because of it. I know it is burying my head in the sand but, as you say, we can't do anything about the current situation and making ourselves ill over it helps no- one.

G


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Depends what you mean by 'News'

Apart from what you might consider 'news', I check financial pages, exchange rates, etc - even the price of diesel across the road. It is all 'News, Information or whatever you want to call it'

How else can I afford a 'luxury' lifestyle'?

Geoff


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Stopped watching the beginning of the News because it will be about Paris again.

It has been done too much now I think. I must be getting 'fatigue' as they like to call it these days. I am blaming the TV Stations for blanket coverage (as usual) and the re-hashing of the same few new facts, over and over again. :frown2:

I would imagine that the families of the victims would like it to be damped down a bit as well.


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

The morning following the Paris bombings the Today programme on Radio 4 devoted the entire 3 hour programme to them. Am I alone in thinking it would have been more sensible to have reported them as a news item, expressed our deepest and most sincere condolences to all affected and then got on with the rest of the planned programme ? It clearly is " big news" but, giving so much publicity to it is exactly what the perpetrators and their evil comrades want and we should not play to them. Evil happens; we must continue to live as normal a life as possible afterwards.


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Nope !!!

I listen to the BBc radio news during the day and then Channel 4 News at night. I have stopped watching the BBC news as its all so clearly biased towards bashing the government and singing its own praises (licence fee up for renegotiation so it needs itself to look soooo good) and is, sadly no longer impartial. 

The one thing that really annoyed me for a long time was their total slavery to the term "Bedroom tax" when it was NOT a tax, never was and never will be. It was a very clever "soundbite" from Wallace (sorry I meant Ed) Miliband (I am still not in favour of the principle behind it but it was NEVER a tax and the BBC should NOT have used that phrase at all but seeing as how the metropolitan elite are now 100% in charge I dont expect anything less)

Andy


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Sitting in front of a computer all day with fast broadband it isn't difficult to become overdosed on news content, but I find that looking in on the forums gives a break and you don't 'have' to watch just news content.

Peter


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Obviously we have kept up and watched the developments in Paris recently but to be honest we can go weeks sometimes without hardly watching any news and often several days or more without any whatsoever. Dont read papers at home and the only time I find out about anything going on is usually on here! 

I figure its really never going to be good news so why bother?


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Guilty as charged m'lud......

We watch the 2.00 pm, the 7.00pm news AND the 11.00pm news - so our days continue to after Midnight MOST nights....

Why? No idea as most of the stuff shown actually is of little relevance to us - we still watch the BBC Local TV for the SW so we can keep up on how Farmer Giles' cows are managing nowadays..... We still know a great deal about the traffic problems on the A368 due to a landslip and regularly see which streets are closed in Plymouth - just in case....

So, as I said, guilty as charged, what is the sentence m'lud ?

Dave :nerd::frown2:


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

Also guilty! My wife and my friends all joke about me (or maybe they think I'm a joke!) because I'm permanently "on-line". I have a smart watch, smart phone etc and I'm alerted as soon as I get any incoming email, text message or news alert! I've never got used to being retired I fear!!


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Dear me Peter, you need treatment fast.shall I get them to lock you up in a darkened room with a buxom wench rubbing you down with sporting life.

cabby


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yep, as Dave I am guilty.
But I do like to vary my news channels. Recently with all the happenings in Paris I have been glued to France 24. But any other news about migrants or events in Spain, etc. I watch Euro News. Then any Middle East or North African news AlJazera is up to date.
I guess we are all spoilt with TV channels but there is only so much news to go round so the repetitive nature is to be expected.
Look at all the other repeat channels like +1 and +2 as well as BBC 3&4.

Ray.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

cabby said:


> Dear me Peter, you need treatment fast.shall I get them to lock you up in a darkened room with a buxom wench rubbing you down with sporting life. cabby


Sounds like some bloke with name of Ken.........Cabby......??

Ray.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

spykal said:


> Following the recent spate of "Bad" news items I am wondering if some of us have become addicted to these news reports and if it is affecting our outlook on Life.
> 
> How often do you check the News broadcasts .... for years I used to just listen to Radio 4 in the morning and then News at Ten on TV at night but more recently I seem to keep a check , via the TV, computer and smart d1evices much more often..it has become a sort of addiction.....that is until the last few days when I realised I was "overdosing" and it was having a really depressing effect on me so I have purposely avoided the news during the last few days.
> 
> ...


The one thing that old women of both sexes have in common is the frisson they get from pursing their lips and muttering "isn't it awful". The darker elements of the news supply much material for this. Some organs (no names) know this and supply demand to excess.

Not a dig Mike, I too find myself despairing more and more these days and am at a loss to see what the young have reason to be optimistic about. :smile2:

Then I realise that they have more to occupy them than the news :smile2:

Dick


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

Glandwr said:


> The one thing that old women of both sexes have in common


Is that an oxymoron?



Glandwr said:


> The one thing that old women of both sexes have in commons the frisson they get from pursing their lips and muttering "isn't it awful". The darker elements of the news supply much material for this. Some organs (no names) know this and supply demand to excess.
> 
> Not a dig Mike, I too find myself despairing more and more these days and am at a loss to see what the young have reason to be optimistic about. :smile2:
> 
> Then I realise that they have more to occupy them than the news :smile2:


 I agree with all of that.


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

As I have tinnitus, the tv news is on from 8/9 am (when I get up) until the evening programs. The tinnitus is severe when it's quiet, so I must have noise in the background to take my mind off my own internal noise maker.:frown2:


Sky 24 hr news is preferable to Jeremy Kyle :laugh:


tony


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

I rarely watch the tv news now as I find it quite depressing seeing all the images that will stay with me. I listen to radio 2 almost all days and read a daily newspaper. I like the newspaper best because I can skip the bits that I know are going to disturb me! I do try to catch the local tv news so that I can tut over a few things the local politicians are doing.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Taking about addiction which the OP brought up.
I see the cash strapped NHS are now treating at great cost Porn addicts, gaming addicts and shopping addicts.!!!
There is a waiting list for the Porn addicts course of treatment.???

Do you think this is money well spent by the NHS.?

Ray.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Well that is easily treated surely with cold showers and ice packs.>> As a last resort a daily dispense of Bromide.

cabby


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

The answer of course is that it is money well spent because if addicts aren't treated for their afflictions then the cost to society will be much greater - e.g. people who watch too much porn will become rapists and sex murderers whilst gaming and shopping addicts will beg, steal and borrow to fuel their habits. Of course you could take the view that the prospect of a long custodial sentence might deter most of these people from committing an offence in the first place! However that deters them rather than treats them so let's carry on chucking money at them instead.


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

Sky 24 hr news is preferable to Jeremy Kyle :laugh:

tony[/QUOTE]

With a comforting right wing bias as well , Gemmy? :wink2::grin2:


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

peribro said:


> Also guilty! My wife and my friends all joke about me (or maybe they think I'm a joke!) because I'm permanently "on-line". I have a smart watch, smart phone etc and I'm alerted as soon as I get any incoming email, text message or news alert! I've never got used to being retired I fear!!


I can see you have to keep alert peribro after all you might miss a spelling, grammar or a typo mistake in a post. :wink2:


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

greygit said:


> Sky 24 hr news is preferable to Jeremy Kyle :laugh:
> 
> tony


With a comforting right wing bias as well , Gemmy? :wink2::grin2:[/QUOTE]

Well, I certainly don't watch the crap beeb!


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

GEMMY said:


> With a comforting right wing bias as well , Gemmy? :wink2::grin2:


Well, I certainly don't watch the crap beeb![/QUOTE]

Of course not, you don't want your beliefs questioned, do you? :grin2:


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

"Of course not, you don't want your beliefs questioned, do you? :grin2: "




That is EXACTLY why you don't read the "Mail"


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Now now lads we all got choices............... at least we did have until the PC brigade took them away from us.

Ray.


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

GEMMY said:


> "Of course not, you don't want your beliefs questioned, do you? :grin2: "
> 
> That is EXACTLY why you don't read the "Mail"


No, but I do read serious NEWSPAPERS that challenge my beliefs ever day, unlike some.:wink2:


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## spykal (May 9, 2005)

Its been a difficult day for a reforming news junkie.:frown2:


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## HarleyDave (Jul 1, 2007)

Yeah

I saw this thread and went to have a look at BBC news only to find out Turkey has shot down a Russian fighter plane

Not good

Cheers

Dave


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

greygit said:


> I can see you have to keep alert peribro after all you might miss a spelling, grammar or a typo mistake in a post. :wink2:


There are probably a number of things which you can accuse me of doing or being but picking up on typos etc is not one of them.


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

greygit said:


> No, but I do read serious NEWSPAPERS that challenge my beliefs ever day, unlike some.:wink2:


I didn't realise the Beano was still going.:grin2::wink2:


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