
Don’t watch TV coverage of Covid-19 - Fice
https://stallman.org/articles/dont-watch-covid-tv.html
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HSO
Don't watch TV period.

TV is a terrible, inflammatory medium.

Similar with the web. I am offline by default and have separate machines to go
online for specific tasks and predefined periods of time.

Electronic media in general may be inflammatory.

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FreakyT
I think nonlinear electronic media (like a single news site) is an acceptable
alternative.

What I find particularly beneficial is that, even if one refreshes it too
often, the content doesn’t _change_ unless there is something actually new.
Contrast that to TV news, where they regurgitate the same thing repeatedly, or
to a social media website, where you’ll see new articles again and again about
the same topic, but from different advertisers.

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rvz
An accurate post would be to avoid watching 'Too much' coverage of the
COVID-19 outbreak, I suppose. The title looks like it's framed to say that you
shouldn't watch TV coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak at all.

This also applies to the climate crisis where watching 'too much' repeated TV
coverage or awareness around its just as bad, but it's better to have some
awareness of it for those who haven't heard or don't know what to do about
this outbreak.

> Keep calm and carry on!

Exactly! That's the spirit we should have. Keep calm and wash your hands :)

~~~
ramblerman
> The title looks like it's framed to say that you shouldn't watch TV coverage
> of the COVID-19 outbreak at all.

That is what he is saying more or less: "In any a good, general textual news
site, you can read the things you really want to know about Covid-19 in 10 or
20 minutes a day. "

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matt_s
A problem with TV news is that there are very few facts to be found.

I haven't once seen them show a chart with ratios on death rate per age
bracket per country. This is commonly found online for this outbreak with many
analyses about how populations and social interactions are different in
different countries.

People need facts to calm down. TV news makes money on people not being calm
and wanting to watch it endlessly. They craft their programs to pull you in as
if there is always some "breaking news" or new development that you need to
"stay tuned in".

~~~
type0
Some channels are clearly spreading misinformed news. But the worst part is
the uncertainty they create. Often they structure the programs to be unclear,
to create suspense, maybe this and maybe that "and now for the interview with
this expert". You could be watching for days without ever learning anything
useful.

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1_player
I went to bed _furious_ yesterday.

My friend from Italy sent me an SMS at midnight saying "have you heard from
the UK???" (where I live). No, was my answer and I had a quick look on The
Guardian.

"Boris Johnson announces 80% of Brits will contract the disease, half a
million (500,000) will die in UK only."

That sounds absolutely scary, I read the article and that's the worst case
scenario resulting from yesterday's COBRA meeting.

So, I'm furious at:

\- My friend for creating an unnecessary panic, I thought there was another
terror attack.

\- The Guardian for taking the worst scenario information and passing it as if
it were the current stage of the pandemic as of 12 March.

\- Boris Johnson for announcing such numbers. There's no cure YET, but wait a
bloody minute before talking about half a million deaths.

I'm done with the COVID-19 news. I'll catch up with the research, but I'm
going to avoid any discussion from friends, TV, news, Reddit and even HN. I
guess I still am furious.

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Johnjonjoan
So you're furious at your Italian friend because you jumped to conclusions and
at the guardian and Boris for talking about the reasonable worse case scenario
to make people aware of how bad this could get... (BTW most people I've met
today still think a small minority of this country will contract ncov-2

~~~
1_player
The point of this very post is stressing the fact that news being repeated
over and over and over tends to wear one out, logic and common sense stop
prevailing and we just get irrational.

So yeah, I am furious because I stopped being rational, thanks to the media to
bombarding us and milking an important event even though they have the honest
goal of keeping the populace informed.

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phantom_oracle
For those looking to wean yourself off the negative news cycle, switch your
consumption from the main news to the fluff content about TV and celebrities.

As you slowly become indifferent to which celebrity farted on which day, it
becomes easier to care less about the news in general.

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ehvatum
You might end up being morbidly fascinated. Honestly, how _did_ these people
get to be this way? Stay tuned to find out...

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lunias
This is exactly the sort of message that should be packaged up in a PSA and
disseminated through TV / YouTube / Facebook / Twitch / etc. I don't think the
general population makes it over to Stallman's blog all that often.

I know that no news channel could be reasonably incentivized to criticize
their own sensationalism, but I wonder how the narrative would change if the
reports were often proceeded or followed by a government sponsored and
mandated warning against overconsumption of "news".

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forkexec
Don't watch mainstream media TV coverage, find some reputable, independent
journalists to watch instead.

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touristtam
You should read your news when it is actually newsworthy. It'll give you time
to digest the news items and reflect on the way things are presented.

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robomartin
I find BBC World News to be fairly even-handed and far less engaged in fear
mongering.

The vast majority of US news sources are engaged in using fear and twisting
facts to damage Trump. It has reached a ridiculous scale. The other day a CNN
reporter asked guest doctors the same question over and over again to try and
get one of them to say one of Trump’s decisions was wrong. When each doctor
said, in no uncertain terms, that he made the right decision, this host asked
the same question to the next medical guest hoping for an answer that aligned
with her objectives.

I watch and read all sources in order to achieve a degree of balance. What’s
going on right now with those politically opposed to Trump is nothing less
than revolting and counterproductive.

