Whenever I tell someone that I do not watch TV News or read news in the papers everyday I get an angry look back and then they tell me something in the line of what I do is not right and I am crazy. I have been thinking about writing a blog post on this topic for a long time but I have been postponing it. Now I have got the courage to tell the world how crazy I am and I hope at least a few people would be as crazy as me to agree to my opinion. (Actually some already have!).
Before we talk about why I do not watch news, let me make it clear that this is not a joke and what I am saying is true. I have not been following the news for the past 3 to 4 years. I don’t watch TV and I do not subscribe to the newspaper. Even if someone in my family convinces me to subscribe, it doesn’t last for more than a month. My arguments have been so powerful that even my dad finally gave in and doesn’t follow the news.
You will do the same if you read this entire article. I insist you do so because it can convince you to disconnect from the news flow and change your life for the better. And if you do not agree to it, you are welcome to contradict my points in the comments.
A lot of high achieving entrepreneurs and successful people do not follow the news like normal citizens do. There is a science behind what I say and I can back it up with solid examples and facts.
We Pay Attention Only to Negative News
When I tell you that our city is under attack by a big gang of robbers, you are going to pay immediate attention to it. However if I tell you that our city has been awarded the best city in India in terms of cleanliness and quality of living, it is not going to get that much attention as the former one. That’s because the human mind which has evolved through millions of years is designed to pay attention to negative news because knowing about a danger may make the difference between life and death. However a good news is not as important.
The Media or Press Wants Your Attention (at Any Cost)
The media presents all the negative news in the world because it needs you to pay attention. Because when you pay attention, they can sell more newspapers and more ads on those newspapers. Same goes for TV channels.
There used to be a few newpapers and channels who reported news as close to reality as possible, but now every news delivery company is trying to make even a small bit of negative news sensational and attention grabbing. The choice of words they use are aimed at making you freeze for a moment, pay more attention and share the news with your friends and family.
Where The Real Problem Exists
Now you may ask ‘So what’s wrong in keeping ourselves informed? An important news may save our life.’ It may seem true but the answer is a big no. To prove you how and why, you need to read the following story.
The Curious Case of Shark Attacks
There was an island with a tribe of 100 people. The primary occupation of most of the inhabitants was fishing. Each day the young lads and dads go to the sea to catch fish and everyone was happy with what they got.
One day tragedy happens. A shark attacks one of the fishermen and he loses a leg. Everyone is shocked and they stay away from the ocean for a few days. They mourn his death. Then slowly things start getting to normal and usual life in the island continues. They continue to fish.
Now zoom out and consider this; there were a total of 1000 islands like this in that ocean. In each island there were a tribe of 100 people approximately. The islands were far apart that the inhabitants do not often travel to other islands and even if they do it was on a very rare occasion. They do not usually know what’s happening on the other islands.
Now a media company finds about these 1000 islands and the prehistoric people living in each island. The company sells TVs to each island in return for a few carts of fish and tells the people in those islands that they will receive interesting news from all the islands for free and also some entertaining videos. The people agree and the deal is done. Now one TV on each of the 1000 islands were installed and connected wirelessly.
On an average a shark attacks happens once in 5 years in each island. And since it happens on one day in 1825 days (5 years) and one in 50 fisherman, the probability of getting a shark attack for any man is 1 in 91,250 or 0.00001% – which is almost zero.
But when you consider all the 1000 islands, one shark attack happens every 2 days (approx) in one of the islands. (1825/1000 = 1.8). When the media company broadcasts news in the TV, it would report a dangerous shark attack where someone would have lost their hand, leg or even killed every 2 days. The media would not just report it but also show really disturbing images of the wounded person.
People see this news. Their perception of reality changes. They come to the conclusion that the sea is a dangerous place filled with sharks that kill. But in reality the probability of getting attacked is close to zero.
The people in the island stop going to the sea. They become vegetarians thus abandoning sea food forever. Once is a while famine attacks and a lot of people starve and die but they still don’t go to the sea. Their life is spent in fear and worry about the dangerous seas.
Our Reality
Now, consider the world we live in. Consider all the cities in the world as separate islands. You get the idea! The news you read everyday, 99% of it is not about your own city and hence it doesn’t affect your life. Though newspapers have different versions targeted at different cities, they hardly report local news which matter to you. The different versions are in their best interests and not yours. They use different versions so that they can target the ads better than the news.
Also most of the ‘news’ is not new. It just happens that they occur once in a while. A flight crashes once in a while, there is derailing, people kill each other all the time, once in a few years someone robs a bank. Random events when spread across a huge timeline always forms a pattern and it all comes down to probability.
If 1 lakh cars pass through a road per day, one is bound to hit a tree or another car. 100% driving efficiency doesn’t happen with humans and 1 in a Lakh or 0.00001% of the driver is expected to collide with something. So such things are not news at all. It is just the way it is. There is no need or use of reading about it, provided that you follow basic safety precautions.
The Solution
You may ask, ‘So Deepak, are you suggesting that I completely disconnect from the newsflow?’ my answer is a big yes. And I guess that your second question will be ‘Then how can I know about important news that may affect my life?’ and my answer to it would be: People around you are going to talk about it.
That’s the beauty of it. There is a very less chance that your friends, family and colleagues are going to read this post and even if they do, they are so addicted to reading news everyday, they will not quit. And what will they talk about during breaks. So any important news like a curfew, shocking fuel price hike, change in government, change in road rules etc. will be updated to you by your friends and family.
Its like having your personal batch of secretaries who will filter the important news for you and deliver it to you in a short and precise manner in a way it matters to you. Just don’t look ignorant when you hear the news from your friends and you will do fine.
I however enjoy watching documentary movies, learning about history, reading magazines and blogs related to my business. I am not asking you to starve. I am just asking you to consume more healthy information than junk information which will make your mind obese.
Deepak
#News-Disconnect
{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
I am just amazed to read this from you and see that how we agree on so many things. I never open the The Telegraph that comes to my house and it is always my Wife that points me out to some news at times when she thinks it is something related to what I do like the recent Graphiti in Telegraph said how to get rich quick in 2013.
Coming back to new on TV, I don’t watch them either for one more reason. Being into share market, TV news are shown after things happen and share prices move before the news and so it does not make any sense to be seeing them.
You just supported what I said: “A lot of high achieving entrepreneurs and successful people do not follow the news like normal citizens do.”
Awesome!
Glad you think of me into the high achieving entrepreneurs
My professors, teachers and my dad were constantly convincing to read newspapers, but i say them “You’re interested in politics, so you read newspaper, I’m interested in Technology, so I read blogs”
But Now I have got another big reason and a solid proof to show them.
This is really wonderful. The last 3 paragraphs is a fact bag. It’s true. When such important news come, my friends or my girl friend would convey it to me. So, when I read those lines, I spontaneously smiled
Great to find people joining the ‘no news’ club. We should start a FB fan page!
Wow…….Deepak,
I can proudly say that my TV set in the garage and i subscribe to self development and business related Magazines & Blogs like this.
Doing this not only change your life,but also your coming generations all together fellas.
I had personally been educating people around me to follow this principle.
I had read the same in THE COMPOUND EFFECT book by DARREN HARDY.
If everybody continues to do this,we can change the world instantly.
I will definitely forward this entire article to all the people i know,
Lets hope at-least 10 persons will change their will and do good to themselves.
Kudos for the Post.
Thanks for the reference. I have just added the book to my reading list. Has a lot of good reviews too!
Literally, I have stopped to watch the news, it is all rubbish, depressive, full of negativeness and gives the wrong perception about the society where we are living. News channel should show the positive news more, so that we can appreciate our society and the people around us.
I cannot agree more Deepak. If one truly detaches himself/herself from the needless and superfluous stuff that happens in this spurious world, one can easily focus and improve things that are important to him/her.
A frog in a pond will definitely be more focused than the one galloping around in a nugatory jungle chasing unnecessary things.
Dear Deepak,
I am ferocious reader and normally take around half an hour daily to go through daily newspaper, BUT after reading through article, i am introspect about your point related to human mind getting quick attention to negative mind and it’s completely true.
Just take the case of recent Delhi gang-rape, now and then papers are flooded with news of rape all of the country, which makes me wonder and think are they trying to aware us, made us read or seeking my attention (and perhaps other readers too!) to search and read every nook and corner of the paper to look after the rape news.
Well, what i can conclude is that we should try to avoid junk information and fulfill our thirst for positive information (whatever reader choices are) through any medium.
Cheers for your awesome article!!!!!
Yup. True.
Glad, I neither read news papers nor watch News channel…
Its irritating…
Single line Breaking News is enough.
Nice Deepak,
After a gap of years I started buying News Paper for the last 2 Months – perhaps because you are too far away to watch me. This 2 months experience was not at all encouraging and as you said more and more of all bloody negative things and useless bla bla of politicians only fill the pages. Target oriented searching of net helps me get what I want.I am telling the paper boy to stop it right now.
Dad
Guilty as charged!
Enna panna Deepak, it has become addictive/compulsive to open google news first thing in the morning, and randomly all day. Kicking the news habit is worse than kicking smoking.. I found it very easy to stop smoking 4 yrs back.. and I am not a success story by any yardstick.. mind is always full of negative thoughts.. onnum panna mudiyadhu.. resign to fate..
I’m partially agree with you regarding this.
…………for the Students those who appearing the government Exam they must have to read new-paper. as this questions are asked in govt. exam.
Recently I given Govt Exam (HAL). They asked us..1. Rome airports name. 2. srilankan cricketer who recently entered in politics. 3. where death valley is located?? so on..
We are giving this test for pure technical job. Is it really worth asking this questions in exam??
I agree there is no other option for this. Govt. exams ask useless questions. No use in trying to mug up as many facts as possible. Real intelligence is measure through thinking and not memory power. Aptitude tests measure intelligence far better than these exams. GMAT, CAT, MAT should be adopted for almost everything or at least something similar.
Dear Deepak
Ha! Ha!….You really made me laugh….but of course what you wrote and explained is 100% right. No question about it… We never get any positive news either in newspaper nor in media…..Its all hyped….So…You have really made us to think hard about it………..Well done..
hi ! it will be better if the highlight is to have a correct perspective of the news that we read or watch. of course, the media part is, as said, highly destructive. rather than ignoring the hype/news, the technology, as you have been using, should be proactively engaged to imbibe a healthy social mind in people that in the end can contribute to eradicate the evil part in news dissemination. Though a slow process, a need of the hour.
I won’t be completely satisfied with you. If you stop reading newspaper, you will soon be outdated. It’s completely upto you, which news you want to read.
Every negativity has a positivity, I agree that newspaper contains negative contents but they also contains positive news. And if one is reading neagtive news then it is the assessment of his mental strongness. A man with powerful and strong mind never distracted. Well I like your article….
This is really good as I already follow this, but just sometimes I read for any important news that happens in the city I currently live. But your idea sounds great. And one more thing is that I couldn’t convince my dad as he is into share market and he watches those news daily which actually irritates me. I think you know that are programs predicting share market. I always argue with him regarding this that if that man in program knows that much about share market, then he won’t be sitting there and talking some shit. But finally he says just one thing, i.e., “I’m interested in this only, I’ll watch this only.” He is such addicted to those channels. Hope he understands the reality some day.
My personal experience, I never watched news channel or debate going between the pundits except action movies (most of the time) and military discussion. (It always interested in knowing our and other’s military capabilities, including recent Agni 5 lunch).
I always found 99.99 discussion were completely biased and egoistic. As if their knowledge was perfected. Reporters always reports a masked, twisted truth. End result was my blood boiling , irritation on family members, short tempered behavior. Not an ounce of positive return.
Recently I shifted my house and best thing was I gave away my TV (Sony Trinitron (Kirara Basso) with 3D woofer) to my brother who sees it very rarely.
Results are,
I get a sound sleep by eleven and get up aaram se by 5 am. Earlier what ever I did, I couldn’t sleep before 12.pm
No extra strain on eyes. My eye power seems to be stabled.
Lot of time to watch starts, constellations, meteors in the night sky.
No heavily oscillating mind.
Lot of time to read the huge collection of books in trunks.
And most importantly , time to think for investment and future..
Good article on news, Deepak, keep it up.
Great to hear from people like you!
Even I should start spending time in star gazing. It has been a long time since I spent some quality time with the stars.
Dear Deepak you have done a grate job I strongly agree to you and the similar effect happens with mobile phones also.
Dear Deepak,
U have posted a nice article which is good and some of the points are to be followed and are true, but i don’t agree with your solution. Because you are stating that “People around you are going to talk about it”, but i agree that for don’t seeing the negative news. In the news for example any TV channels or News papers show or give n number of news a day, we should take which is positive news or which is informative. I am stating that read news paper or see TV news in a quick view to news paper or Headlines and know about only positive news or which is good informative.
I think u and other friends who visit this site and who reads this article will agree.
I agree with you deepak on this
lately i have literally become a paranoid looking at the events happening around me. I open the news paper and see only negative news.
So better to kick the newspaper for living a happy life.
I will share your blog with my close ones for sure.
Thanks for same.
I 100% accept this, I am not a regular TV watches or a newspaper reader. These News channels are really scrap, last year a TV actress was killed and all these news channels were showing the same stuff or discussing on the same thing for almost 3 days… my mom and my wife were watching it like a serial or a movie. In early 2012 all these channels said world will end in Dec 2012… and in Dec the same channels discuss why the world didn’t end. Somebody’s marriage is broken is shown live as sensational news, a husband slaps his wife is shown for hrs together with red circle, someone’s dog dies and that is shown for hrs. I really dont understand whats the use of knowing that some one’s dog is dead, who killed who, and who slapped who. Its no way related… and they hide important things or news that really needs attention, they should actually show how much Indian govt spent on Kasab or how much its spending on Afzal because its our money, money we pay as tax, our previous president spent crores just for her travel fantacy and tried to grab military land for president’s retierment facilities and no news channels talk about that. They are all just money makers and we are all fools watching unwanted things they show as sensational news. no wonder one day if some celebrity or high profile person buys a new underwear will be a sensational news
. my small request, stop watching these news channels, let them loose their TRP, watch NGC, Discovery, Animal planet etc, increase your knowledge, help your kids increase their knowledge.
Regards,
Bharath
How do we really become aware of our society if we don’t read news,take in the account of the rape case happened in Delhi .By reading news we have clear thought how not be around the society. i am not trying to be cynical
what do you suggest for me
but i am trying to be practical
Hey Deepak i do agree with few points. News channels are more into increasing there TRP by making a small thing a big issue. “world will end on december 2012″ was made sensational issue by all the news channels and made good money by placing ads in between there programs.
My contradicting point is that if you stop watching news you cant keep yourself updated. You said your family members and friends will filter the news for you, but they will perceive the news in there own way and convey the same to you. Instead of that if you watch news, you can filter out the news that doesn’t matter you.
you also said that you watch documentary movies, read blogs etc to stay updated. Even those source of information may be in their best interests and not yours, Just like what you have posted, i.e your perception is right and your defending your views.
Great article Deepak…. I had attended an ArtOfLiving seminar during my graduation days. The same thing was taught in precise. From that day i only read news about latest tech. Even my parents and friends consider me crazy for not reading news paper daily. But, i get the Headlines from friends everyday…..Thanks a lot for spreading such good words.
I accept your writing. It’s indeed true. I have been following this since last three years after I read a similar article from one spiritual magazine. Thanks for a good reminder. Allow to share ur view thru Facebook.
Its a nice article Deepak.
around 7-8 years back I stopped reading newspapers and watching TV news by having similar thought.
As other people mentioned that if we don’t read newspapers, we’ll be soon outdated. But till now I never feel like that. Any important news, people talk about that and it’ll fall into our ears.!
If needed more details about that, just browse about the same..
Its completely simple..
Cheers,
Vethan C.M.
I do agree with you.. I never think about it before. now when i started thinking about it.. it seems what you are telling is correct. When i was doing my school and college studies, parents, teachers and well wishers used to tell me you need to read more, especially news papers, magazines etc to have sound knowledge. But when you read these and watching TV to get more information, it is obvious that you read/watch good things and some other things which make you to think and act in different ways. So, whatever information we are getting thru the medias, it may affect our thought in both ways and reflect in our activities too. Thanks for your great survey.
In fact, I do not read newspaper nor watch tv or listen to radios since 2008. But the first time I did it was in 1989. I disconnected from news during a period of three months, so I did not realize when the wall of Berlin fall happened until some days later some friends told me about it. At that time, when I was 19 years old, I used to feel kind of sick when such things occurred to me, since I had decided to work as a journalist. After 15 years of working for local newspapers, totally disappointed of realizing the way they lie and control our minds and lives by making up stories and hiding the truth, I decided not to read them anymore, but this time I got no regrets at all. So, it is a refreshing thing to know that people like you are doing the same in other places of Earth.
I totally agree with you Deepak. Even I was also following the principle of not following news either on TV or through print media. Infact, i don’t even own a TV for the same reason
. Whatever I want to know (good news), whenever i want to learn new things i just simply GOOGLE through it and voila i find it!! I follow one principle only and that is to ‘follow your bliss’. I do things which I enjoy, which I feel good about and get away from things which makes me feel bad or makes me distracted (Abraham-Hicks is Guru) 
reading newspaper is just an addiction which does not harm heath but gives some beneficial output, as same in the case of people who are addicted to blogging. If we stop reading or listening news , then we have to rewind ourselves to ancient ages when pigeons served as a messenger. Avoiding news gives increase to unemployment – means economic decline.
God(Allah) with his arts produced human souls with inbuilt character of – unlimited wants , greediness, change of tastes, change in living , etc. If all this are removed , then world would come to pause.
I read news paper to know which new gadget in the market and see which is the next opportunity for me
I stopped watching TV news for a few years without any problems. Now it’s time to stop reading news papers.
Thank you very much for helping me saving more time.
good to read this. I do not read much until people begin talking about something.
Hi Deepak !!!
I completely accept the reasoning you gave regarding Newspaper reading.
It is perfectly true that all these Newspapers and mass media are always enthusiastic and ruthlessly try to attract the eyes of readers with all rubbish,useless and negative articles.Media peoples now a days are all about increasing their TRP rating,bending towards a political side,money and as always publicity !!! and they perfectly don’t care about the What peoples want or need in their daily life and are actually turning all peoples as their own puppets making them listen or read whatever they say.
I myself used to be a good reader of newspapers since my childhood and was competing with my father and teachers regarding the daily incidents ; personal opinions and i was always a big fan of political news.
I just don’t know what happened but i stopped reading newspapers all of a sudden once I stepped in for Engineering studies.Even I lost my skill on making personal opinions or posting reviews online.
What do you think had happened to me ???? [ a question ]
I always was a admirer of Dr.Y S Rajasekhar Reddy , late Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. There was a huge speculation and distress all over our state regarding his death in a chopper crash. I believe this is where I slowly lost all interest in reading newspapers.
All the mass media started their own news on investigation regarding the crash and I was in a lot confusion regarding What exactly happened???
Mass media turned towards their respective political sides and interfered in the investigation and even government also didn’t show any interest in it and finally the investigation leaving a lot of unanswered questions.
It is the mass media which actually spread all wrong new regarding him and they themselves actually started a election campaign boasting all about their political side giving a wrong message to people .
Speculation the mass media with all negative reviews made me sour in reading news and for the past 5 years I didn’t subscribe for a news paper and even I turned giving a negative feedback to my friends regarding whatever news they tell me while conversing.
Mr.Deepak I am happy that you wrote this post online because like you said
people always give a sour look when we say “I don’t read newpapers”. And it is true that people around us pass on all the news from all around the world . And it is always fun to disobey whatever people say by giving a negative feedback !!!
This my very first post and I know I have very poor writing skills. I believe you go through my post and will help me to build up my skill.
Thoughts are more important than writing skills. Even then your writing is good enough that you can even become a blogger. Great to find people like you who share my own thoughts.
Oh my God!!! I just can’t thank you enough for your reply. It’s a great boost for me and I truly believe it help me start me on blogging.
Thank a TON.
I do believe this that keeping in touch regularly as a with news paper or channel can screw your happiness ,but keeping in touch randomly is helpful.
Felt Good to Read this Post! Valid Points of Arguement that will Avoid us in getting Lost!!
I am the only person in my fam for watching news chanel.Nobody are not interast on it,I watch it verymutch houre to houre.
But today i have an word -Junk news- from u,
These are verry effactive for me.
Actually these is an verry nice articel.
lets see ,
Thanks for the report.
Really good article Deepak
Im priviledged to read about the research on the danger of reading and watching news. It is not because of the the matching nature, but there is reality in the content. I seldom read the news, but I regularly go through the Tender Advertisements. Anyway, Big Salute for Deepak Ji.
Good article deepak, it made me to think of it.
But how do we know about ongoing news and issues?
There is no need to!
This article was really thought provoking. Agree with you but not completely.
Going forward I will be very selective about the news paper / news channel. Would like to observe the news published in some reliable news channel / papers & take a final call.
Thank You.
Kiran PS
Hi Deepak,
The example that you have given is, I think, biased.Won’t the people from those islands get better knowledge about the sea? Take an arbitrary number of people, out of that, I don’t think all the people will get a negative impact, dreading the animal. Probably there will be more number of people, trying to know how the animal looked like. Some may have devised a plan to get rid of that animal when going into the sea. The example itself is a randomness inherited one.
We all know about the famous ABS system in Cars and Bikes. I don’t think the idea of designing an ABS system had arisen in someone’s mind without knowing about the sad disasters which these machines have done to mankind. Otherwise the ABS cannot be marketed. The reasoning behind marketing ABS must be safety concerns.
Speaking about Stress and relief(by not reading or hearing the news), again I would say its a mutually existing one. One must feel stressed to feel relaxed. Today, I have read in NewsPaper that ‘ Every HumanBeing procrastinate things until there is no way return to be further delayed’.It’s a scientific research. Its a genitical one. Well if that is true, then we pressurise ourself before bringing up enough energy to take up a timelined job. Then feel relaxed on completing it. Precisely, We cannot define ‘feeling relieved’ without feeling the stress. Won’t life get bored if we are always relaxed? Coming to the point, if the researches proved that we get stressed on reading/hearing the news, then it is good that we knew it beforehand so that we can control our mind.(I don’t believe in statistics but i do respect it.) Anyways we are going to neglect the news which we are not interested in. Say a Football fan would ignore Cricket news. A sports enthusiasts will directly open the sports page and will not even touch the other pages!!
One last thing. I would love to learn things by arguing. Even if i oppose you, my main intention is to reach to the point which is right, which does not mean that I am always right.
Besides, I am a Bike Freak
Thanks
Viknesh V
Kindly enlight me. Remove my ignorance if i have to know anything.
When I read this blog for a moment I thought you were saying about me, it is exactly what I do. My parents, teachers, colleagues are amazed how I am not interested in reading the daily news but I have books & about 1TB of all national geographic, discovery etc documentaries that will only help enhance my knowledge and teach me how to get out of dangerous situations or help me understand complicated things which you can only learn after getting a 3 year degree. You rock man Deepak
Great to hear from people who share my ideas. Please spread this!
Dude , you know what you are absolutely mad, get it cured b4 its any late, and please don’t spoil the lives of others by persuading your godamn ideologies!
Freedom of speech? Heard of it?
You need not take my ideas if you don’t agree with it.