Why I Never Watch the News
July 12th, 2006 by Erin Pavlina
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When I was a child I remember my parents watching this show on television that seemed really boring. The people on the show would just sit there and talk, back and forth. It wasn’t even animated! When I tried to get my parents attention while they watched this show, they would shush me. I was very concerned that when I grew up I would somehow be turned into this zombie who sat in front of the tv watching grown ups just talk. What a horrible fate! I found out later this abominable program was called “the News.” I never watched it.
Once I got to high school, I realized what this show was all about. Journalists and reporters would find out what was going on in the world and report it on television or in the newspaper. Apparently, to be a responsible adult in our society, you had to know the latest news, weather, and sports. So I watched the news upon occasion to find out what was going on in the world. I figured the world must be in a pretty sad state since 95% of the news reported seemed really bad, and very dramatic I might add. People were getting murdered, countries were at war, children were drowning in backyard swimming pools, celebrities were being arrested, there were hurricanes all over the place, and some sports team I’d never heard of won a cup or a ribbon or something else that seemed terribly important.
After college I really began to notice some things. For one, I noticed that the reporters would talk about some new miracle drug on the market and then they would cut to a commercial and that same company would be … oh shock of shocks… advertising that very drug. Hmm, weird coincidence. Um, isn’t that drug company essentially paying those reporters’ salaries? I noticed that the headlines they used to get you to watch the news were just a wee bit exaggerated and usually kind of scary (”what you don’t know about eating at fast food restaurants that could kill you! News at 11.”) How could I not tune in? My very life was on the line! Sometimes the news would cut into another program with “breaking news.” It was never good. Someone important was usually dead, or there was a hostage situation somewhere that we simply had to watch, or the police were chasing a vehicle down a crowded highway.
I remember wondering why they never reported the good news. And one channel actually did! I remember it was ABC, and the show was called “And the good news is…” and they spent 30 minutes from 11pm to 11:30pm talking about all the wonderful things going on in America. But no one watched it and it was cancelled shortly after it began. And that really got me wondering… Why do people watch the news? To see how bad other people’s lives are going? To be the first to know if Brad and Angelina had their baby? To find out what country we’re invading? To see dead bodies burning in a ditch?
It took me until my 30’s to realize something about the news. It’s all fear-based. If someone isn’t dying or crying we don’t want to know about it. What does that say about us as a society? When people tune into the news and all they see is death and destruction they start to become a vibrational match for that; they start to expect it. They go around saying or thinking, “Our world is in such a bad state. People are dying all over the planet. Our environment is going to hell in a handbasket. People are invading countries and killing women and children. When is Brad going to dump Angelina and go to back to Jennifer? And gosh darnit, my favorites sports team lost again! What is the world coming to?!”
When you watch the news you are accepting that version of reality. And it’s not always reality! Sometimes a reporter risks being fired if they tell the truth because it might shed a bad light on one of their company’s biggest advertisers. I remember a case in Florida where two reporters were fired for refusing to water down an investigative report on Monsanto’s controversial milk hormone, rGBH. What do you think happens to the truthfulness in news when big, powerful companies are the ones paying everyone’s salaries? That’s kind of like having the people that approve vaccines also holding stock in the vaccine companies. Couldn’t happen here, right? Oh no, not in America.
On a spiritual level, when you accept what you see on the news as reality then you are sending out a vibration to the Universe to bring more of it. Instead of being anti-war, we need to be pro-peace. Instead of a War on Terror, we need to work on being a Peaceful Nation. When do we ever hear news anchors tell us how close we are to achieving World Peace? “98% of the world is at peace today, folks. Let’s hear it for them! We’re almost there, everyone! Keep up the great work!”
When you watch the news with all its propaganda, spin doctors, and edited footage you are being brain-washed into accepting that our world is in a state that it is not in!
Yes, we need to know what’s happening in the world. We need to know if people need help. We need to know if a level 5 hurricane is coming. We need to know if we are being bombed. But the way the news is today, it’s more about selling newspapers and being the number one news show on television than about letting people know the true state of our world. It’s all about money.
Don’t give all the hype all of your power and attention. Don’t reinforce to the Universe that we are living in a time of war, famine, murder, and disease. You get what you think about (or are told to think about). Let the Universe know that there are people on this planet who are loving, kind, compassionate, and peaceful. Keep your thoughts loving, kind, compassionate, and peaceful so we get more of that.
Don’t walk around in a state of fear generated by outside sources who may not even be telling us the full story. Let your mind see the beauty in our world, the love, the justice, the everyday man or woman helping out their neighbor. Let those thoughts and experiences fill you with hope. Reflect those experiences back to the Universe and more of them will come.
Free your mind.
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July 12th, 2006 at 4:30 am
Erin,
I remember being twelve or thirteen and having this obsession with hour-long television news magazines such as 20/20 or Dateline. They were rivals obviously so there was probably one day out of the week these shows weren’t on. I would watch these stories and although they all weren’t depressing, there was still enough of that fear-based reporting that I actually got scared. Scared of foreigners, disease, death, eating, and so on. Yet I kept watching. I felt if I didn’t, I’d miss something important and my life would end. I would turn the t.v. off and cry and profess that I hated my life and that we were all doomed.
It wasn’t until a recent MDA Telethon (I have MD to those unfamiliar with me) that I saw the manipulations, the deceptions, and even the lies to scare money out of people. It made me sick. If it was about the good aspect of actually being alive and different, people wouldn’t pay attention and the MDA wouldn’t be funded. We are conditioned to be sad. Well, I love my disease. I am a unique person because of it and my ability as an observer (which made me a keen empath and precognitive) allows me to help people. Thank you again the millionth time and expect a million more.
A huge fan of you (and Steve),
-Scott
July 12th, 2006 at 5:46 am
I totally agree with you on this blog. I’ve also stopped watching the news. I’ve actually stopped watching TV all together. I feel so much lighter…and it’s easier to be positive that way. I began to notice feeling sick after watching television, especially after watching the news. So, now I just stay away from it. I will, however, check the headlines while at work through the internet…just to make sure I’m not about to get caught up in a tornado, or something…lol…but, nope…no more news…ugh!!
July 12th, 2006 at 5:58 am
Hello.
I don’t watch the news either. Occationally it happens – I’m in a store with news television playing, or while having breakfast with co workers they turn on the news in our break room. I can get all the news I need with no added ‘fluff’ on the web, so it dosn’t make sense for me to be bombarded with negative images and advertising. Anyway, having said that – there is a great website called http http://www.happynews.com.
Today they have an article about DoOneNiceThing.com and the woman who started the Be Kind To Humankind Week. (Established in 1988, takes place at the end of August and encourages people to help each other with a different theme each day. http://www.bekindweek.org)
Erin you are really an inspiration. Thankyou.
-Haven
July 12th, 2006 at 6:55 am
Some interesting statistics:
“By age 18, the average American teenager will have spent more time watching television – 25,000 hours – than learning in the classroom.”
“By age 18, the average American teenager will witness on television 200,000 acts of violence, including 40,000 murders.”
July 12th, 2006 at 7:05 am
Haven,
Thanks for posting happynews.com. I just read a few articles on there and have added its RSS feed to my collection. I’m already feeling good. B-)
July 12th, 2006 at 10:16 am
Hi,
You realize most of people online including those reading this blog are bound to scan news on news.google.com or their fav newspaper website than sit through 30+ minutes of TV News. Unless it is fake news like Daily Show.
I would guess, It is mostly people with old habits who do watch news on TV.
Amit
July 12th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
HI. Where do you get information on the world today? I think it’s not only important to know what is going on in the world to know who needs help, but also to recognize upcoming trends and progress. I like to look at internet news sites (perhaps too much) but I find I am drawn to the same negative kind of stories.
Mira
July 12th, 2006 at 6:48 pm
You got it exactly right, Erin! It’s crazy to watch the news as it provides a completely skewed view of the world.
At my house, my husband and son and I might be watching a 9:00 PM show and when it’s done, we have to quickly turn off the TV because they start right in with what we call “the murders.”
What’s worse is even in the middle of your family shows (or any show) they show scenes from the upcoming news at 10 or 11 and they can be totally gruesome. Sometimes they even break in during early shows the kids are watching at like 7:00 PM! Blech
No news is good news as far as I’m concerned!
Jill
July 13th, 2006 at 10:20 pm
I believe that it’s up to you what yopu would like to watch on TV. I kl=like watching NEWS as i love to know what happened in the other part of the world and what others are doing.
July 14th, 2006 at 10:49 pm
Oh, wow.
I am getting together my efforts to begin a blog to stir people up about peace. But I happened to read this – of course, I was supposed to, to realize that focusing on conflict is not what I need to be doing. I was mainly going to talk about world conflicts to educate people about bad things that are happening in the world that don’t get mass U.S. media attention. However, while it’s important to know that a lot more ever happens than we ever receive media information about, you’ve made me realize that I need to instead find creative ways to bring about more peace, instead of just talking.
That’s my roundabout way of saying “thanks”.
Great post as usual.
July 15th, 2006 at 11:15 am
Hi Erin,
I totally agree with everything you say here. Of course, I never watch the news — I never watch anything at all! No one in our family does, as I explained to you at length before.
I do, however, find myself visiting news sites on the internet way too often. Do you find yourself doing that? Maybe I should just bite the bullet and delete those bookmarks…
July 15th, 2006 at 11:34 am
You don’t want to close yourself off totally from knowing what’s happening. I mean if the President is dead you might want to know about it. My suggestion is to find unbiased news sources. I know there are some online but I can’t think of their names right now. Anyone?
July 17th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
According to me the biggest problem with the news industry is that even they today are suspected of an axe to grind(private ends to meet and personal interests in the matter). The news industry too try to add flavour to the news, make it crisp and sensational so as to popularise their channels and print media, how its affecting the person concerned in the matter, hardly matters to the news industry and its a matter of least consideration for them, that’s why i dont watch news.
July 19th, 2006 at 8:23 pm
I agree Paul but a little biasness prevails in every individual today. What would be the difference between a man and a god if he(man) is free of a single negative traits. So better option is to look at the positive side and praise it. Likewise news industry, though may add a little flavour to the news but atleast give you information round the world. You get to know the current issues sitting at your home, where to make donations and help people in case of natural calamities and terrorist attacks and what not. So, think of it dear Paul!
July 22nd, 2006 at 1:34 pm
There are no unbiased news sources. That said, despite the tone, http://www.searchlores.org/newsfeeds.htm may be of interest – it discusses various news sources. Moderate doses of The Economist, the BBC, Al Jazeera, and so forth can be educational.
Learning to recognize slant, bias, and propaganda and to extract information despite the presence of all of these is an invaluable tool. To learn to do this, and to stay informed with what is going on in the wider world, it is vital to not only depend on one source, but to read several.
To the extent that you choose to read news at all, I recommend reading sources from several countries (New Zealand can be a decent source of news). Being able to read in more than one language is also valuable, especially if there is a free press using that language (ie, German is a lot more useful than Japanese or Arabic in this regard – the more state-controlled the media, the less useful it is).
Additionally, at least a cursory knowledge of world history helps both to put current news in context and to be able to brush off sensationalism and fear mongering.
July 23rd, 2006 at 6:39 pm
I cancelled my cable tv subscription about 4 years ago. I don’t miss a thing about tv. It’s great because of all the extra time I have. Think you’ll be bored? Just start doing all the things you love to do. Very soon it will feel like there’s not enough hours in the day. I am never, ever…ever bored.
Part of the reason had to do with avoiding negativity, especially with the news. Those stories are there only for marketing purposes, titillation, etc. But they do impact you in subtle ways you aren’t aware of. And it’s not like I’m sticking my head in the sand. I ask myself if I’m better off knowing about all those things. I’m not. I’m 48 and have seen plenty of the negative stuff.
I always thought if there’s something really, really important for me to know, I’ll hear about it somehow.
Well…guess what? No one has contacted me to tell me about something I just HAD to know. My life has only gotten better for reasons other than no tv. I haven’t missed a thing.
Try it…then you’ll really start living!
Erin’s husband, Steve, talks about giving things a “30 day trial.” Try totally giving up tv for 30 days. You’ll be amazed. If you try it, just think about things you like and want to do. And do them, more often!
July 26th, 2006 at 7:48 am
I completely agree with you, Erin. News is mostly a fear-instilling business with fear being the most efficient way to control the masses.
Ultimately, we live in our immediate surroundings and only what directly impacts us is real. Whatever is happening on the other end of the world is somebody else’s reality, not ours. So why do we keep looking for ways to upset ourselves?
September 1st, 2006 at 7:13 am
The news is terrible. I can’t stand what they have on there all the time. Now they have the Jonbenet Ramsey thing on there. They take a story and spin it out of control. Jon Stewart did some thing on his show yesterday. It went like this: “3 years of war with Iraq
September 19th, 2006 at 9:19 pm
I agree with you about the TV news. I haven;t watched it on a regular basis for years. I think it is important to have some idea of what is happening in the world but I’ll look at the papers, they usually have more of a range in their reporting. Most of what goes on in a news report is negative. You often come away from it feeling sick inside. The way I describe it to people id you get put through 1/2 an hour or so or predominantly nasty things then they finish it off with a “fluffy duck story” (Something light hearted like a duck that has been taught to ride a surfboard) as if that makes up for it. Anyway I haven’t missed it, if I want to know what’s going on, I buy a newspaper.
October 21st, 2006 at 3:33 pm
[...] So you can see how powerful it is, to be able to choose how you percieve your reality. To some extent, everyone has perceptions of reality that they take as fact. For example, you may watch the news every night, with its endless parade of deaths and sadness, and you may feel you have to, because it’s important to know what’s going on in the world. Yet these tragedies and violent events are only a tiny, tiny part of what’s going on in the world. What about the billions of people around the world who had a perfectly fine day today? Thinking you “have” to pay attention to something negative is just as silly as believing you “have” to pay attention to your left big toe! Imagined if you focused on your big toe for an hour every night! And you felt like you needed to do it because otherwise, you won’t know what’s really going on with your body. Of course, you don’t need to pay active attention to your toe – if something is wrong with it, it will let you know on its own! The same is true of the news, or anything else. (For more reasons not to watch the news, check out these two articles by Erin and Steve Pavlina) [...]
October 29th, 2006 at 11:31 am
Am writing from Sweden and completely agree with you. Have noticed here that newspapers here, when they run out of bad Swedish news will scour the world for foreign bad news, even to fill just a 2 cm ‘empty space’, like: ‘ man in Australia bitten by deadly snake, fighting for his life.’ We get 3 free newspapers here each day, all very very negative, read by most people on the way to work. Imagine how they feel getting filled up with all that fear day after day! And at the start of the day too. A large part of the population here is depressed and sick, feeling the future is hopeless. there is just no balance at all ´, just bad new on TV, in newspapers…you really have to search to find something positive and happy!
January 10th, 2008 at 9:33 am
[...] Оригинал статьи: Why I Never Watch the News Автор: Erin Pavlina Перевод: Сергей Бирюков [...]
July 26th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
[...] was reading this old post about not watching the news and why it’s bad for the society if you do. Sounds kind of weird, doesn’t it? [...]