Some considered thoughts on the 'No News' experiment

In June I started an experiment where I actively avoided the news. I stayed away from the news on TV, I changed channels on the radio to avoid it and did not buy a newspaper.

I wanted to see what would my response would be to not having that negative deluge of information flooding my thoughts.

First off; it's hard to avoid the news media! This stuff is pervasive, in a modern western culture like the UK it's difficult to avoid seeing or hearing some part of the news media.

Some examples:
I went to the pub.......Channel 5 News was on the pub TV.
I went to visit a company......Sky News was on a TV in the reception area
Go to the supermarket to buy some groceries.........the first thing you walk past is the newspaper stand
I logged into my Yahoo email account..........there are the news headlines on the home page

So the 24Hour news media is hard to avoid; you can, as I did choose to disengage from the endless negativity but it harder than it seems.

So practical consideration aside, what happened?

I gained at least 30 minutes extra time in the morning. I used to watch the news every morning from 6-6.30am (I'm an early riser). Now I use that time more constructively to plan my day or finish domestic chores. I don't miss the highly repetitive nature of the morning TV news show.

With my new found extra time I went back to freshening up some skills that had become a bit rusty. A positive result.

Not watching the late night news meant that instead of having the news agenda on my mind as I went to bed I started thinking much more about the things that are of importance to me and my family.

I thought that I might feel somehow cut off from events without watching the news or listening to it on the radio but the media is so pervasive that it is still possible to know roughly what is going on even when avoiding the nightly bulletins.

At the end of the experiment I feel I have changed, for the better. I make more effective use of my time (surely our most valuable resource) and I'm learning (or relearning) new skills.

I recommend you give it a try. I found it a liberating experience, it's just possible that you may feel the same way too.

Day 7 of the 'no news' experiment

Subversion!

I have recognised that part of me really wants to catch up on the news. So far, I have for the most part been able to resist the siren call of the Today program on Radio 4 or the purchase of a newspaper, but it is suprising just how strong a hold the instant news media has on my thoughts.

It's as if I feel I may be missing out on something. (Missing out on by upset with politics or world events, that does not seem to make much sense.)

Actually I think it may be more to do with our perception that if something is 'on the news' we are somehow involved with it, that we can be part of the grand debate.

But the reality of course is that very few of us are part of that debate. I may write to my MP but does anyone else in Parliament listen? Probably not. I can make a change with a vote every few years but what about the time in between?

So the logical conclusion I am begining to come to is that I (and perhaps many other people) am just a little bit delusional.

What?

Delusional in the sense that in the past I have seen the act of watching and listening to the news as being involved in 'the process'; as being engaged as a citizen. The truth is rather more humdrum, listening to the the news is not being engaged with the process. If this were the case our two cats would be politicians considering the amount of time they spend curled up near the TV.

So new choices become apparent, I could join a political party and get 'engaged in the process' that way. Not bloody likely; too many compromises to accomodate the mass of people in a party.

I could engage in more local politics but I have a feeling that this would rapidly be dragged into party factionalism.

Or (and this feels like the right approach) choose who and what I engage with and limit what I do to the places and things where I can make a measureable change.

If you or I complain about something (Politicians for example) we can only do so because we have a idea of how things could be done better. Complaining without being able to change anything is a recipe for frustration and feelings of impotence.

Since our complaints are for the most part ignored, we are destined to put ourselves continually into that bubbling pot of frustration, impotence and discontent.

It's sounds obvious but if you can't change things you still have choices:

Move away from what you don't like (emigrate, change location or situation)

Put up with what you don't like (shrug your shoulders and carry on)

Change your perception of what you don't like (Yes the situation is rubbish but it's not my rubbish)

Ultimately you can only change what's local to you. If you are a Prime Minister or a President, local may mean a whole nation, or it may just mean what you grow in your back garden. Trying to change anything else puts you back into that bubbling pot and that place does not allow us to grow, get stronger, develop or change.

Day 5 of the 'no news' experiment

I am now starting to feel slightly disconnected from the mainstream news events.

It's a little like when you go on holiday and only see the news through the medium of the occasional three day old newspaper flown into the resort.

Now the positive changes are becoming more apparent; I am getting stuck into some tasks that were continually being pushed to the back of the queue and have reclaimed at least an hour of time each day.

The results are positive enough that I plan to continue the experiment and report on what I find.

Day 3 of the 'no news' experiment

This is getting harder.

Last night I wanted to watch "Have I got news for you?" on the telly.

My wife said "But it's news, you said you wouldn't watch the news".

My response? "It's comedy, I'm watching!".

It is getting difficult to avoid mainstream news though. It just goes to show how pervasive the news media is and just how 'plugged in' I have become.

I have however successfully avoided the main TV news on any channel, the Today program and PM on Radio 4. Web sites are a challenge as there is almost always a news snippet on the from page of Yahoo and iGoogle. It is so easy to get sucked in to the agenda of the day.

Am I feeling any different? Not much change so far but it is still very early days.