---
title: "Reply to: I Hate the News"
url: https://perrotta.dev/2024/12/reply-to-i-hate-the-news/
last_updated: 2026-02-08
---


Link to the [original article](http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/hatethenews) from
2006 from the late Aaron Swartz:

> Some people start their day by reading The New York Times. Others end it by
> watching the nightly news. Some get it from The Daily Show. Others download it
> from a variety weblogs. Some keep up-to-the-minute by following CNN. Others
> have instant news updates automatically text messaged to their phone. But
> everybody seems to agree: it's a citizen's responsibility to keep up with the
> news. Everybody except me.

> I think following the news is a waste of time.

[...]

> None of these stories have relevance to my life. Reading them may be
> enjoyable,
but it's an enjoyable waste of time. They will have no impact on my actions one
way or another.

[...]

> My life does not seem to be impoverished for it; indeed, I think it has been
> greatly enhanced. But I haven't found many other people who are willing to
> take the plunge.

How relevant these words of wisdom still are!

I haven't been closely following the news ever since the great pandemic™. This
includes social media, apple / google news, and portals from news organizations.
I go out of my way to prevent the constant barrage of unnecessary anxiety and
fearmongering from affecting me.

There are other ways to stay up-to-date with relevant topics.

My primary sources are:

- the excellent [miniflux](https://miniflux.app/), my beloved RSS reader. As of
  the time of this publication, I am following 350+ feeds. Quantity is not an
  important metric here, especially as most of these feeds do not publish daily
- local news. These are the most impactful ones, as they affect the environment
  where I live and could thus influence or change my short or medium-term
  planning
- friends & family, mostly via chat apps through individual conversations or
  group chats

There is rarely a need for immediate action. Furthermore the news that are
_truly_ important or relevant end up spreading like fire, to the point where
it's impossible not to have heard of them.

**Corollary**: Life is short, make a better use of your time. There are plenty
of ways to do so[^1]!

[^1]: citation needed, you do you