The news is an addictive substance that rewires our brains. We are too weak to dip in and out. The only option is ‘radical abstinence’ and the books suggests an initial decontamination period of thirty days to see the effects. The result is a calmer mental life, more time, and the chance to be truly educated and empowered.
This book consists of 33 very short chapters - although the above audiobook preview stops at Chapter 3 - most of which make a separate argument for giving up the news, completely. The titles are things like ‘News is to the Mind What Sugar is to the Body’, ‘News Kills Creativity’, ‘News is Invented by Journalists’, ‘News Encourages Terrorism’.
By all means, stay informed – just not through the news. Read books – twice. Read textbooks! Seek out investigative journalism and analysis of current affairs in periodicals. Make time for conversations with intelligent people. We’re even encouraged to use the internet, as long as we can avoid news sites. The news feeds us context-less facts but says little about the slow and hidden processes that really shape the word. The news obscures these truths. The news makes us stupider.
I leave the final word to the author of the book, Rolf Dobelli:
That's it from me. It's seven o'clock in the evening. Time for the news!
Ooops! A quick postscript: I just heard on the news that $45 billion was found in a Nigerian man's apartment. He had spent the last ten years trying to get rid of it, but no-one ever answered his emails.
