[who_in_the_wind]

I think this speaks more to the issues of trusting online media than specifically the news. The incentives of the web and the incentives of conveying information are not well aligned (for capitalism reasons).

> If you must read the news, read it for the facts and the data, not the opinions.

This should have been the first sentence. It's not that consuming the news is bad, it's that often the way that it's delivered is emotional (which is sometimes valid, I think) or sensational. I'd also argue, with absolutely no data, that, at least in the US, the shift in how folks consume media in general (low effort, highly emotional) has pushed the news in that direction.

[KennyBlanken]

> > If you must read the news, read it for the facts and the data, not the opinions.

> This should have been the first sentence.

Quality news organizations distinguish between reporting, analysis, and opinion.

The author of the piece (and many people in the comments here) seem unaware of this or are just purposefully hopping on the "news is bad" bandwagon.

Take a look at the guy's twitter feed and you'll see his bread and butter is incredibly bland "knowledge drops." For example, here's a direct quote of one of his tweets: "Hiring a professional is expensive but hiring an amateur costs a fortune."

Any time you see people talking negatively about news organizations (ie "the media"), be on the lookout for fascism, because spreading distrust and disinterest in the news is one of the goals of fascists.

[bityard]

Even if we get past the emotional click-baitey aspect of mass-media news (and also your jab at capitalism), the fact remains that 99% of news is not relevant to the average person's day-to-day life and is wholly _unactionable_. Meaning, there is nothing you can read on the front-page of CNN that we, the people, can do anything about. (I'll carve out a small exception here for pointers to relief funds for disasters, perhaps.)

"Staying informed" for its own sake is just a hobby. The most utility you can possibly gain from it is arguing your point of view (politics) with other people online or in real life.

Real important events that directly affect me and my family either never hit the mass media, or will be relayed to me through my _actual_ social networks (not facebook or the twitters). National and world trends that might influence my long-term decisions (how to retire, when to invest, etc) don't reveal themselves by reading the news every day, these are things I actively research from time to time via my own means.