Does the News Really Matter?

Argumentative Indians is a column in which we pick up topics and ideas that seem to come up frequently and start disagreements, looking at both sides of particular divides and examining their views. 

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In the latest season of the White Lotus, Aubrey Plaza’s character is horrified by the fact that the couple they are on holiday with takes pride in never watching the news, reacting to her horror about ‘everything that’s going on in the world’ with a puzzled look and a shrug. Though her reaction seems understandable to many viewers, there are others who might feel equally puzzled. In our age, engagement with the news and ‘staying up to date’ with what is happening around the world is no longer a given, as the age of newspapers and television has given way to social media, apps, echo chambers and misinformation. So, does the news really matter, from a personal perspective?

At one level, it seems fairly obvious – considering how newspapers, news channels and websites have been a fundamental part of our lives for so long, the prevailing narrative seems to be that it is important to care about and engage with what is going on around us. News is meant to help you to be more informed, knowledgeable and open, to have something to discuss and care about, to be a part of the world around you. It is a means to learn about things outside of your circle, a way to draw attention to what is important. Growing up, at least in my household, this was taken as a given. The morning newspaper was part of our breakfast routine, the Sunday crossword was a bonding activity for my parents, when we visited my grandparents, the news was droning on in the background most of the time.

On the other hand, particularly in this day and age, the promise of news leading to awareness and informed discussion feels fairly hollow. For one, there is the oft-repeated problem of bias and the fact that most news sources are politically skewed if not entirely inaccurate. Whether it is the ‘Foxification’ of news, the growth of content farms, the rabid anchors on TV debates, the open secret of many outlets being controlled by vested interests or the rise of fake news playing a large role in global politics, very little of what we see today is trustworthy or accurate. Moreover, it is largely designed to reflect biases and sensationalise every issue than to offer a diversity of opinions or look for solutions.

This problem seems to be accelerated by the internet – since clicks and ad rates are such a pivotal part of the online journalism model, we have seen the rapid rise of clickbait headlines, unverified claims and paid articles, among other issues. Similarly, the evolution of Twitter, Facebook and other social media websites into primary news sources for large groups of people has become another massive source of misinformation. Fundamentally, shocking and ridiculous headlines or information are more likely to grab attention than measured points of view. 

Even apart from these problems with internet news, there is the growing sense of being beset by compassion fatigue. Even just fifteen or twenty years ago, our sources for news were limited to a few newspapers or channels on TV. Today, there is far more information out there, true or false, than we are able to consume or process, leading to a sense of no longer caring about the news. There are too many issues to be outraged about, too many problems we cannot address, too many tragedies for which it feels as though empathy is the right response, empathy does not lead to any concrete action, and might even be manipulated to other ends. As Elisa Gabbert writes in an excellent piece for The Guardian, “when war and famine are constant, they become boring – we’ve seen it all before. The only way to break through your audience’s boredom is to make each disaster feel worse than the last.”

Thanks to the ways in which news has evolved in the age of the internet and constant information, the old point of view feels increasingly outdated, even unfathomably wrong. Swiss writer and businessman Rolf Dobelli takes this position when he addresses the issue. In his eyes, news is misleading, usually irrelevant, toxic to our bodies and minds, designed to be addictive and by and large, a waste of time. As someone who has written a bestseller on thinking clearly, his point of view cannot be lightly dismissed. While many of the claims he makes seem to counter the intuitive sense that news is a key source of information or engagement, I found myself agreeing more and more with his assertions. Sensitive or depressive people seem most affected by the news, which usually actively hurts their mental health rather than leading to any kind of action or engagement.

Even looking at personal consumption, it appears that long-form journals, magazines or books were usually a much better way to delve into subjects with any actual depth. At best, daily news could provide an introduction or a talking point rather than genuine understanding. What’s more, there is the increasing sense that it does not matter – I read about wars, lynchings or environmental disasters or celebrity controversies, knowing fully well that none of these events could be influenced by me or were likely to impact my life directly. Sure, there is a roundabout claim to be made that, in principle, caring about them could lead to a donation or convincing someone else to ‘make a difference’, but I’m quite skeptical of that being the case. 

While I am as guilty as the next person of arguing about foreign policy or abortion or elections or whatever the hot topic of the week is, rarely have these discussions truly benefitted me. The best case scenario is that I convince someone to think again about their point of view. Most frequently, however, that point of view is based on little more than a few articles or second-hand opinions that I have absorbed, or a personal anecdote which is unlikely to be universal. Quite often the actual mechanisms of power are able to use news and outrage as a diversion while deals are made or laws are changed, and in our times this is only becoming increasingly explicit. For many, it’s just another form of entertainment that feels unlikely to make the world any better,  even if it does give you something to discuss.  

So is the solution to disengage completely, to be apathetic, misinformed or only read about things that directly affect us? Not quite, because despite all this, the compelling argument in favour of the news is the fact that in today’s environment, where information is constantly contested, there is greater value than ever in honest and unbiased journalism. Since we might no longer believe in many sources, differentiating between those we should and should not, as well as being able to resource and fund news outlets that are able to transcend political divisiveness is more important than ever. 

Ultimately, there is no real answer to this sort of personal choice question. Some people will find it more important than ever to stay up to date with information, others might choose to block out the news entirely. But what seems clear is that whether we choose to consume it or not, supporting independent sources is essential.