Does it matter if I don't watch the news?


We have a no TV house. Except when my husband apparently NEEDS to watch the rugby. The reaction I get from people when I tell them that we don't watch TV is nearly always the same. They say....
"What do you do?"
OR
"How do you keep up with the news?"
The first question I don't mind responding to - "We actually talk to each other" I say to which most people nod their heads, understanding that watching TV together isn't actually spending time together.
The second question just plain annoys me. (are you ready for my rant...) This question almost always comes from the people who have just told me about the latest con artist they saw on A Current Affair or Today Tonight. Or about Paris Hilton's new love.
This is the moment where I find it hard not to say....
"The commercial news that you find so important and interesting is not objective and is programmed to fulfill someone else's agenda.
Why don't you independently research the areas of the news that you are interested in and create an opinion for yourself.
It absolutely does not matter to my life what the latest celebrity is doing or whether there is a neighbourhood dispute in the suburbs of Perth.
What is wrong with this society is people being told what to think by bias news broadcasts and current affairs shows instead of looking at all the angles of a piece of news and coming up with informed opinions for themselves."
Instead I say "Oh we listen to Radio National or Podcast."
Scaredy Cat aren't I......

3 comments:

LJ said...

I admit I do love a good sitting of Greys Anatomy and Packed to the Rafters....but aside from that...I don't watch much TV. I don't like watching the news in front of the kids as I don't like to expose them to a lot of the stuff that is on there, or the ads that accompany. I listen to a bit of talkback radio and also look at news online. My kids will watch a bit of ABC2 or a DVD...but we don't watch heaps of TV. (Unless of course the rugby or Essendon is playing, then it is a totally different story)

Kitty said...

Here here! We don't watch tv either, we don't get reception. We have a tv to watch dvds on though.
Commercial news is such rubbish. My mother in law is always feeding us drivel that she saw on today tonight or the channel 7 news. My god! I tell her all the time how much rubbish it is. She can't understand why we don't watch tv. I'm all for telling people how it is. I don't preach, I'm very matter of fact.
Have a great week.

Amy said...

I banned the news from my life quite a while ago, it made me unnecessarily upset and anxious and I decided it just wasn't worth it. Paddy always says that if the news is important enough, we will find out about it in due course, and I haven't missed out on anything life-changing since we quit the news, so I guess he's right!
We do watch documentaries and the odd trashy TV show, but the TV is off most of the Summer at least, and it is my goal to have at least 3 TV-free nights a week, even in the depths of Winter. National Radio is a great substitute, and SOOOO much more interesting!

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Does it matter if I don't watch the news?


We have a no TV house. Except when my husband apparently NEEDS to watch the rugby. The reaction I get from people when I tell them that we don't watch TV is nearly always the same. They say....
"What do you do?"
OR
"How do you keep up with the news?"
The first question I don't mind responding to - "We actually talk to each other" I say to which most people nod their heads, understanding that watching TV together isn't actually spending time together.
The second question just plain annoys me. (are you ready for my rant...) This question almost always comes from the people who have just told me about the latest con artist they saw on A Current Affair or Today Tonight. Or about Paris Hilton's new love.
This is the moment where I find it hard not to say....
"The commercial news that you find so important and interesting is not objective and is programmed to fulfill someone else's agenda.
Why don't you independently research the areas of the news that you are interested in and create an opinion for yourself.
It absolutely does not matter to my life what the latest celebrity is doing or whether there is a neighbourhood dispute in the suburbs of Perth.
What is wrong with this society is people being told what to think by bias news broadcasts and current affairs shows instead of looking at all the angles of a piece of news and coming up with informed opinions for themselves."
Instead I say "Oh we listen to Radio National or Podcast."
Scaredy Cat aren't I......

3 comments:

LJ said...

I admit I do love a good sitting of Greys Anatomy and Packed to the Rafters....but aside from that...I don't watch much TV. I don't like watching the news in front of the kids as I don't like to expose them to a lot of the stuff that is on there, or the ads that accompany. I listen to a bit of talkback radio and also look at news online. My kids will watch a bit of ABC2 or a DVD...but we don't watch heaps of TV. (Unless of course the rugby or Essendon is playing, then it is a totally different story)

Kitty said...

Here here! We don't watch tv either, we don't get reception. We have a tv to watch dvds on though.
Commercial news is such rubbish. My mother in law is always feeding us drivel that she saw on today tonight or the channel 7 news. My god! I tell her all the time how much rubbish it is. She can't understand why we don't watch tv. I'm all for telling people how it is. I don't preach, I'm very matter of fact.
Have a great week.

Amy said...

I banned the news from my life quite a while ago, it made me unnecessarily upset and anxious and I decided it just wasn't worth it. Paddy always says that if the news is important enough, we will find out about it in due course, and I haven't missed out on anything life-changing since we quit the news, so I guess he's right!
We do watch documentaries and the odd trashy TV show, but the TV is off most of the Summer at least, and it is my goal to have at least 3 TV-free nights a week, even in the depths of Winter. National Radio is a great substitute, and SOOOO much more interesting!