My first opinion piece (I think).
You don't need news:
https://icyphox.sh/blog/dont-news/
@x I like the sentiment, though I am inclined to disagree. Freedom of the press exists for a reason. We need to be able to report on things when there is clearly something wrong (like the Snowden leaks).
There is, like you say, a lot of junk news. When Notre Dame burnt down I was upset, but I didn't need to know to much more. Once the cause was found out the coverage should have stopped.
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@x don't read the entire piece. Equally, knowing things (i discovered that some families were unaware of lockdown somehow as they read no news) is good.
Furthermore, I think there is a place for news. But, we need to stop reporting such basic events. I read an article that basically said 'stop telling me that bitcoins price has gone up, I don't care'.
Frankly, I think we should apply that to everything. If you tell me that there is x covid cases, it will be different tomorrow. its an odd one.
@freddyym
> its good to know [...]
Yes, but you'll hear about it—if it's big enough—from other people / places anyway.
> [...] stop reporting such basic events
This, I can get behind. Certain things don't even need reporting.
Anyway, thank you for disagreeing. It'll get boring if everyone simply agreed. :)
@freddyym Thank you for taking out the time to write such a detailed response!
> Freedom of the press exists for a reason
Fully agree, and I'm not disputing it—in fact, I strongly support their freedoms. However, my argument against news is less about the content (the Snowden leaks were definitely necessary), but more about how the content is presented (Snowden touted as some hacker god), simply for cheap "attractive" pieces.
(Not a great example, but I hope understand where I'm getting at)
@x similarly when there were these boys trapped under water (where-ever and whenever that was) after they got out, I didn't need to know that they had recovered. I don't care.
Opinion pieces are very good on the other hand. I pay for reliable paper newspapers that have a plethra of opinions to read from, all of which can help you make a balanced judgement of a situation.
Equally, its good to know whats going on. Skimming headlines gives me a rough idea of whats happening even if I...
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