This is a good time to remind each other of a few things.
Every news outlet has an incentive. To get you to consume more news.
News is not science. it’s original meaning described novel or noteworthy events or happenings. A collection of “new” things.
News outlets have owners, and owners are people, and people have agendas. It’s okay.
We are naturally biased to seek out negative news. Most news is negative — it sells.
Surrounding ourselves with negative news may stress us out. Ever wondered why Zebras don’t get ulcers? Newsflash: they’re not exposed to a 24/7 negative news cycle.
If you want to know what’s going on in the world, look to old books. The older the better. Look for primary sources — people telling first hand accounts. Nassim Taleb suggests reading last week’s newspapers. In order to understand the Covid19 I read “The Great Influenza” — that book might as well have been written today, it was astonishingly (or perhaps not) accurate.
HT to Shane Parrish at Farnam Street for the reminder (click here).