Avoid News

I recently read a paper by Rolf Dobelli (a Swiss novelist and the author of “The Art of Thinking Clearly“) called “Avoid News: Towards a Healthy News Diet.” Click on the title to read it (PDF format).

Don’t let the title fool you into thinking he’s advocating ignorance. He’s not. On the contrary, the core of his argument is that “news” does not make us better informed, and in fact keeps us from being well-informed citizens. He argues against the short, superficial factoids that get hurled at us through radio, TV, and newspapers, and instead advocates reading books and in-depth magazine or journal articles that provide context and deeper understanding.

Take a little time to read and contemplate his arguments. What do you think of them?