The News Is Information Junk Food (2022)

Public Funding, “Fees,” and Bias

• Several commenters praise UK/German/Dutch-style mandatory fees for public broadcasters as a partial antidote to clickbait and sensationalism.
• Others argue these fees are effectively regressive taxes, resented because they fund outlets perceived as biased or wasteful, and must be paid even if unused.
• There is disagreement over neutrality: some see major public broadcasters as comparatively balanced; others describe them as aligned with political establishments, advocating censorship, and not meaningfully better than private outlets.

How Much News to Consume

• Many report quitting or sharply reducing daily news and feeling less anxious and angry, while still learning major events via social contact or periodic catch‑ups.
• A common pattern: rely on weekly summaries, long‑form articles, books, or domain‑specific sources instead of 24/7 feeds.
• Some argue that for voting and most life decisions, intensive daily news is unnecessary; others stress a civic duty to stay informed and warn against nihilism.

Quality, Accuracy, and “Junk Food”

• Multiple contributors with first‑hand experience in journalism or as sources describe misquoting, distortion by editors, and narrative‑driven coverage.
• Gell‑Mann amnesia is frequently cited: when you know a topic well, news coverage looks wrong, implying similar errors elsewhere.
• Fast, real‑time reporting is seen as especially error‑prone and speculative; pundit prediction failures around events like the Ukraine war are highlighted.

Satire, Infotainment, and Social Media

• Mixing comedy and news divides opinion. Some see satire shows as more informative than cable news; others say they mostly reinforce existing views.
• Social platforms like Twitter/X can be carefully curated but are still described as “junk food” with low long‑term value.

Local vs Global and Actionability

• Several argue global outrage stories rarely lead to personal action, while local news can matter for corruption, policing, and municipal politics.
• Others note foreign policy and distant conflicts still warrant attention because they shape national decisions.

Ideas for Better Information Diets

• Proposals include: weekly digests; apps that cap daily stories and summarize across sources; email newsletters; and prediction markets as a filter.
• Many call for “nutrition labels” or independent ratings for news outlets (links to sources, correction histories, funding transparency), though others doubt true neutrality or public trust in such systems.