Does watching the news do more harm than good?

People should stop believing everything they see in the news. Sometimes it's not all true, just another business being ran..

 

I believe that watching the news is not always bad, being updated is a necessity in our society but the problem lies when everything you see has a negative tone in it, since it would make you be a little paranoid about the world you live in. Negative news are always going to be there but it is up to us to find the best way to deal with them.

 

I believe that watching the news is not always bad, being updated is a necessity in our society but the problem lies when everything you see has a negative tone in it, since it would make you be a little paranoid about the world we live in. Negative news are always going to be there but it is up to us to find the best way to deal with them without focusing on the negative side.

 

The answer to this questions depends on the mindset of the user. If you are sensitive, you will be easily absorbed by simple things. News is meant to know information going around you and around the world. But yes, negative news such as a murder of a girl can scare you at times. It is advisable to refrain from watching news that impacts you negatively. Instead, I would advise you to watch good positive news. For example, a coal miner's son securing an admit from Stanford or a top tier school is good to hear and it also inspires us to do good things in life.

Regarding the truthfulness of the news content, yes there are things shown which did not happen or were altered but then, if you need information you should be clever enough to identify what is true and what is not. Good luck.

 

Negative news is what draws in ratings and news stations are fueled by ratings. It is unfortunate and you can't escape it unless you are going to steer away from the news entirely. You also have to take what you hear from the news with a grain of salt and do your own independent research for accurate facts.

A couple of months ago, the news hyped up a wind and rainstorm where I live making it sound like we were supposed to get weather that was similar to a hurricane. My work was hosting an event that night when the storm was supposed to hit and we had to decide to even hold the event. We ended up doing the event, but lost hundreds of guests because of fear over the weather. Turned out that the storm was not nearly as bad as first predicted and the radars showed it slowing down, but the news team decided to report it being bad anyway.

 

For me, all forms of news- the news on tv, alternative media- does much more harm than good. Because when i watch the news, it's all negative and it makes me feel depressed. Just like Kristine said, it's another business being ran. The negative headlines get more attention and they use fear to sell. And Rosyrain i believe it is possible to steer away from the news completely. That's what I'm doing.

 

Hello Kristine,

I do believe that it depends on how we all process the world around us and how the news will affect our mindset and feelings. As far as I can notice all mass media methods are saturated broadcasting heavy news and perpetrating a negative tone and it can be harmful for those who can't bear watching or listening, or even being in contact with so huge adverse situations. I remember one time I decided not to watch TV or listen to the radio because of the detrimental and depressing environment they brought into my home. But I was getting a little frustrated and running away from the world would not help at all, and this made me transform the way I see things and, the most important, the way I reacted to things. I think this is the key to deal with so dark and unfavorable moments we all face on the media.

 

News never going to solve the every problems in the world, it's just all about a bit information!. And watching news is not harm but the thing is News never going to change the world, But it is depends on all our responsibility and to be awareness around what's going on in this world. We should never look back in anger forward in fear, but around Awareness and awareness is Empowering so believe there's so much good in this world. The real need for communication, connection and intimacy shared love with others.

 

Listening to news or reading news on various print media is important so as to be enlightened but like a writer posted one need to be very careful as some news are fabricated to achieved an objective.

 

I agree with Engrlanre, How can someone stay in a place and have no knowledge of what's going where they stay, or around the world ? If you're a human being you should be informed of current affairs.

You have to know the wheather and how your economy is doing. Not reading or watching the news is like totally living under the rock.

 

It really depends on what kind of news you are expecting to hear and what kind of news are you watching in the first place. Most of the media is 20% informative and 80% commercialism, convoluted explanations about something that no one wants to hear about but everybody is talking about it so why not. Celebrities love when they are the talk of the town since publicity, good or bad, means more money and more money means that you get to escape to a beach in Honolulu sipping on your margaritas while the others talk about you.

My point is: It really depends on what kind of person you are, whether news will affect you in a negative way, but for most people news do more harm than good.

If more people cared less about the corrupted media, we could all have a laugh about the news being broadcasted and the influence wouldn't be strong in some people.

 

I don't believe the present media is the right medium to get credible information but do we have a better alternative? Well, I don't think so. The best bet is filter the news based on our criteria. Gulping down any news without doing our due diligence can be detrimental to one's psyche.

Since we are yet to have a better substitute to replace the present media houses, we are left with no choice but to screen and apply logic to what's being fed to us.

 

To me it does more good than bad as it keeps me informed about what is happening around me and the world at large.There is no good when news are pilled up with only the positive things happening around us, while the sensitive and the bad things are left out to brainwash us that everything is fine. This helps to me more alert.

 

News used to be good but it's now mostly "bad news" that are being covered so I would say it does more harm. Bad stuff is always the Headline and the good things that happen all around the world are footnotes.

Also, there's "Operation Mockingbird" by the CIA from the 1950's that attempted to manipulate news media for propaganda purposes. It's a good guess there is an updated version for these days. No, we don't live under a censorship, no way.

 

Yes, it does! I say this because most news stations cover up the REAL truth about what's going on in the world! They'll cover a Donald Trump story every day of the week but won't post about the wrongdoing of our local leaders. They'll post about black on black crime and police brutality towards black people but won't post about the youth, of all races, who are out here trying to make a change in the world. They are quick to broadcast negativity but hesitant to broadcast positivity!

 

What I've found helps to alleviate the depression of consuming the news, is to only read the news (not watch it) and let headlines go for a little while. If I wait till a news story is a little older, I miss all the wild speculation, and I get more thoughtful analysis. Like when the democrats "lost" the midterm election, the analysis helped put it all into context for me.

I also took the advice of Mr. Roger's mom, and I look for the helpers. I follow homeless shelters and support groups online (even for issues I don't have) I just follow them so that I can see people helping each other, and learn how to support the helpers as well as the people that need help.