News is unhealthy

I too thought it was just me. Added to all the mainstream news is the frankly terrifying stuff that keeps popping up on Facebook. I do block it but it comes under another post.
Today on the radio I heard that The Lords get £300 per day just for showing up, they just sign in and can then leave.
Generally I'm in favour of the House of Lords but this maddens me.

We have always watched the BBC news at Six, I feel lost if I miss it, even if it is just the headlines. We also have a paper every day. Maybe we are nosy but it feels we should know what is going on in the world. I did think that the BBC leading so often on the NHS recently did have a bearing on both the BBC2 programme running at the time and the fact that they thought there were no other worthy lead stories at the time. I suppose the news could cause anxiety and depression to some people, depends how an individual broods on things.

Very upsetting item on the BBC News at 6 tonight about young Albanian girls being trafficked by their fellow countrymen and being forced to work as prostitutes in Western Europe. These girls are very young one was only 14 and to hear them sobbing was heartbreaking. It's a big problem in that country. I detest men who do this sort of thing, especially when one being interviewed admitted to having daughters himself and would hate this sort of thing to happen to them.

Perhaps better posted on a news thread Terri?

Today on the radio I heard that The Lords get £300 per day just for showing up, they just sign in and can then leave.
I mentioned that on another thread HannahLL, apparently one of them kept his taxi running (at our expense presumably) while he signed in for his £300 and then went!

There is a programme about the scroungers (Lords) on BBC2 next Monday night.

I love listening and reading the news. It's very important to be well informed. It's the first thing I look at when I wake up and the last thing before I go to sleep. If people just watch the BBC then all they will hear is Trump is bad, Brexit is bad, the NHS is in a bad state etc. I like to look at a variety of news channels to help me make up my mind about issues - SKY news, RT etc. I don't watch BBC news but I do watch the Politics Show with Andrew Neil as he is very well informed himself and gives all sides a hard time in interviews. I read news online ( I dip into 3 newspapers and other sites too). I also lead a very varied life and still work p/t, read books etc. It's my daughters' aim in life to tell me an important news item before I tell them!

I am so pleased to discover that I'm not alone in finding the news stressful! We have just moved house, and 'carrying' a husband who has physical and mental health problems has made it the hardest thing I've ever done. As we ploughed money into the new house, the gloomy news re Brexit, and NHS difficulties plus disappearing funding for social care has made me so anxious that I'm also trying to avoid the news. I was floored by a virus for a couple of weeks and felt that I wanted to do without the news, e mails, texts and phone calls. Made me realise that these all create pressures that we can do without at times.

In the aftermath of the referendum, I completely stopped watching any news on tv. Partly because it rehashed the same things over and over again and partly because of the bias of the channel it was on. Now I only access news from around the world, and domestic news, from the Web. I have an alert for "breaking news" so don't miss anything important but ignore anything about Trump because I just can't get my head around the man.

grannybuy, you have so much stress to cope with, there is some stress we cannot avoid but when we have a choice why choose more, I hope things settle for you.

Thank you Anniebach. We are so busy trying to do the right things that we forget that it would be okay to allow ourselves to opt out of some of the things that stress us. I have realised recently that it's important that I stay healthy, so I'm going to try to avoid some of the more 'anxiety causing' aspects of life, where possible.

grannybuy, if you didn't take care of your own health and couldn't support your husband think of the stress that would bring you , take care of you, and moving house is so stressful, I moved house nearly five weeks ago and still not got myself or the house sorted . Be kind to you X

It was so great to read that i am not the only one who hates the news. I was always an avid newspaper reader and radio 4 listener, but now i only buy a paper on certain days, mainly for the special articles that fall on those days, and i listen to the headlines once a day then turn the radio over to somthing more light hearted or off all together. I found my self shouting at the the radio about the awful things going on in the world and my husband would get angry about items being spoken about. It is not worth the stress that it causes to be so informed all the time, 'ignorance is bliss' springs to mind. I also now understand why my mother, god bless her,stopped recieving a paper and watching the news on tv.

Today's news can and often does raise my blood pressure.
Remember Cliff Michelmore's news programme? Remember the one about the spaghetti tree on April fool's^?

I watch RT's "Underground." Anyone else watch it? The channel explains the real reasons behind the actions and words of the world's politicians and bankers. At the finish of the programme, the BBC's, Sky's and CNN's spun fog clears. I also read 3-4 UK papers online once a week.

Now MP's are now on the board of the BBC, I'd love to hear an unedited recording of their meetings.

I listen to Nick Ferrari (on LBC): I enjoy his polite interrogation interviewing technique when dealing with politicians, the outgoing UK Police Commissioner or the money men. Nick reminds me of Robin Day, without his acerbic manner.

Jalima thanks for the info about the upcoming programme. Trouble is, it will only make me feel more fed up!

DH shouts at the telly when the news is on - and all through PM's Question Time. I don't know why he bothers to have them on. I can't watch the news because I can't hear it anyway for him ranting and raving and putting the world to rights.

Article in the Independent on line yesterday reckons that the House of Lords is the best Day Centre for older people in the UK. They get paid for being there, get the opportunity to socialise, have a nice lunch and then sleep all afternoon! Made me laugh anyway.

Oops, sorry, it wasn't in the Independent, it was the BBC. Here - www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39038927

I am a 'News Junkie' I admit, I love to keep informed and find it so interesting. I do ' unfortunately ' have the time to follow it and it is a sort of hobby.

I watch Russia Today but you have to be careful as it is a mouthpiece for the Russian State and can be quite propagandist by nature, Al Jazeera is a favourite of mine followed by Sky News and the BBC News last. All are free to view.

The newspapers are more biased in their appraisal of the news and that is the reason why you have to check facts and be aware of 'the slant' each paper has. I think it is a case that sometimes it is what a newspaper refuses to talk about, does not report which can be interesting at times and I read them all knowing they use political spin and bias on some subjects.

I really enjoy watching The Daily Politics, Andrew Neil is apparently disliked by some GN posters but I think he is excellent, gives them all a run for their money no matter what colour political rosette they wear. I enjoy This Week too.

As for the question re stress levels and anxiety I think it probably does subliminally cause a certain amount anxiety but it goes with the territory I suppose. Aren't we all different , one man's meat is another man's poison as the saying goes.

I stopped watching Daily Politics because the presenters, especially the female presenter, seem to be bias, as the BBC usually is. A propaganda machine for the Government. I hate the way she invites people on to the programme and then spends half the time talking over them. She likes the sound of her own voice and doesn't want to listen to anyone else' point of view. I sometimes wonder why the guests don't just walk off she is so rude.

LuckyDucky no wonder the BBC is biased towards the Government's view if there are MPs on the BBC Board!

POGS I used to be a news junkie and in my younger days even watched all the party and TUC conferences! And I used to routinely watch Question Time, Newsnight, etc.

However, I've now become too cynical and jaded and only watch important 'breaking news'.

Much of the TV and newspaper coverage is PR, not news e.g. the Today Programme often has as its leading news item an announcement of what the PM or Corbyn is going to say later in the day. It hasn't happened yet, and it's usually a policy statement or some such nonsense, not an impending resignation or something equally important.

Against my better judgement I also like Andrew Neil - he's a good interviewer.

Yorkshiregel

"A propaganda machine for the Government."

I think the jury is out on that point.

To many the BBC is a voice of the left , to others it is a voice of the right. I just wish I could find it impartial but I don't and that's why I like Daily Politics, I find it tries to be so, as opposed to other political programmes.

Each to his/her own I suppose.

I like the Daily Politics too, but agree that 'Jo Co' talks far too much, interrupts constantly and seems very pleased with herself.Andrew Neil is great ( as interviewer) very intelligent and well informed, but may be an awful person I feel 'out of the office'

Riverwalk

I enjoy watching the Party Conferences and TUC Conferences too, the latter doesn't seem to get so much cover I fancy as it used to.

You are correct it is easy to become cynical and jaded at times.

Since the political events of last year I find the news deeply depressing especially on TV. I can bear to read the news but can't stand to watch it.

I listened to some of PMQ's as I was driving at lunch time today. I switched over the radio 2 after about 20 minutes because I felt so jaded and irritated with TM and JC shouting at each other and the baying in the background.
It's no secret here that I'm not a fan of JC but I thought his questions today were worth asking. They weren't answered though, instead TM simply hurled criticisms at previous Labour governments. I don't expect her to praise the opposition or even policies of previous Labour governments but I do wish this back and forth could be improved by proper debate.
Riverwalk and POGs are correct, it is easy to become cynical and jaded, especially currently.