Introduction
For those fresh to this blog, you've arrived at part two of my reflective diary aimed at capturing my attempt to live without “the news” for a year. This instalment covers months four, five and six. You can find out more about my motivations and see the notes from the first three months in my earlier post. In short, these entries capture when, what, and how news gets through regardless of my attempt to avoid it. They also contain reflections on the nature of news in the modern world, why these changes have driven me away, and what, if anything, a healthier news might look like for me to return to.
To be absolutely clear, this is a record of the fragments of news-like information that made it through to me - someone actively trying to avoid news. These snippets are captured by a fallible human. They are certainly not verified or checked against third party sources. If you are looking for news, try and find reputable reliable sources…
For those arriving back for more, you are most welcome. Sit back, relax and I hope you enjoy part two.
Day 93 - 1st April
Oh how I miss the corny April fools news items…
At my mum and dad's home I'm trying to adjust some settings so the remote works again following a software update on their Sky box. Catch a snippet of Sky News about the US Artemis programme to get people back on the moon. It's running behind and Trump wants a moon landing before the end of his presidency -and before China apparently. An ego the size of the solar system it would appear.
Later my wife mentions the Artemis rocket launch, the first crewed mission of the programme is apparently due to launch later today conditions permitting. The kids are excited to talk about it. There is some debate in our house as to whether this flight is to the moon or around it - and questions from the kids about the Apollo programme: when the moon was last visited, how many people have been and so on. I go to bed before the launch which is on a news channel.
Prior to bed, we watch the Louis Theroux ‘Welcome to the Manosphere’ documentary on Netflix. The programme confirms to me that there are some sad individuals out there apparently making good money by spouting warped views to alienated people looking for simple solutions. Sometimes it seems they're just serving lewd, rude and violent content for entertainment. The business model mainly appears to involve creating content that courts controversy to grow an online audience, then leveraging this online ‘clout’ or influence to sell dubious products and services. I'm struck at how one of the main characters describes the outrage driven attention economy almost exactly as I have in my notes so far. The main difference is that he is pursuing it as a fast track to riches without remorse or care, rather than viewing it as a key driver in the deterioration of news coverage and wider societal cohesion.
The documentary highlights how adherents of the manosphere have adopted the ‘red pill’, from the film The Matrix, as the symbol to indicate that they can see the system at play. They have concluded ‘the system’ has been rigged to hold men back. Those who have cultivated this perspective seem to be the ones profiting at the expense of their followers. A classic case of the exploitation of disenchantment and discontent for the enrichment of snake oil selling grifters.
As the documentary unfolds I groan saying ‘Oh no! I'm going to have to write about this now’. My wife asks why. I respond by saying how it appears that the new media scape in which the manosphere has emerged and thrived seems to be driving a wider ‘race to the bottom’ fundamentally changing ‘the news’ irreparably.
There are some interesting exchanges in the programme, not least the accusation that Theroux is operating in the same business exploiting controversial material for entertainment in order to make a living. By extension we the viewers are caught on the same hook as the consumers of this content. Whilst there might at first sight appear to be a grain of truth here, I don't think it stands up to scrutiny. Theroux as a documentarian is motivated to shed light on the topics he investigates to generate wider awareness and understanding of the world. In contrast, the tiktoking, live streaming, controversy courting new media personality accusing him is peddling dubious content to grow and hold the attention of his audience and encourage them to part with their cash. There's no regard for cultivating genuine education and awareness based on rigorous scrutiny or any journalistic standards here. There is however a direct and interactive dynamic between audience and presenter that at times resembles a circus master and a violent mob.
Whilst the accusation against Theroux doesn't really stand up, I think there are parts of the news media that have moved well down this slippery slope. From sensational ‘click bait’ headlines to attract an audience to sell things, to asymmetrical audience participation presented as interactive engagement but usually exploited to amplify a story or generate drama. Variants of the ‘shock jock’ presenter on radio, the carefully selected Question Time audience, to the sampling of viewer messages or comments to tell a particular ‘story’ and build drama. How many online news story posts with comments left open, attract troll mobs with hateful interactions? Enough to prompt Hope not Hate to seek to recruit volunteers to counter the anger and hatred.
Day 94 - 2nd April
First thing in the morning my wife reports there's been a successful launch of Artemis 2.
Later, at my mum and dad's, they tell me about a city in China where hundreds of driverless taxis all stopped at the same time leaving customers stranded. Apparently due to a computer fault.
I catch myself at the supermarket giving a ninja-like swerve and tilt of the head to avoid eye contact with the newspapers on the newspaper stand.
Day 95 - 3rd April
Living fully news free today. In real life I'm watching Chester beat Telford this year's Good Friday fixture. Now two points off the playoffs but games running out.
Day 96 - 4th April
Walking through town, I'm told that Chester's famous upmarket hotel The Grosvenor is due to close later in the year.
I manage again to avert my eyes from the newspaper stand whilst buying last minute Easter eggs.
Day 97 - 5th April
Easter day and I’m told there are plans - or maybe hopes - of reinstating the ferry connection between Britain and Norway. It would be great if that were the case. The source is a post on my wife's social media feed. There has been talk of this before but sadly nothing concrete.
Day 98 - 6th April
Easter bank holiday and an away day fixture to third in the table Macclesfield. I get a lift over. The trip is going news free until we arrive in Macclesfield and I catch the news headlines on the car radio. I hear that: the Pakistan government has proposed a peace plan for the Middle East conflict; pressure is mounting to ban Kanye West who is due to headline some UK summer festival dates; and finally, the Artemis crew is due to lose radio contact as they travel around to the dark side of the moon. Chester go on to beat Macclesfield to keep our distant dreams alive. We are now one point off the playoffs
I try and zone out of Trump's droning voice on the way home. The radio is on and he rambles on and on and on and on. He's talking about rescuing a US air crew shot down over Iran. In the end, the constant droning is enough to prompt my friend, the driver, to switch the radio off.
Day 99 - 7th April
I’m told by my wife that the festival Kanye West was due to play has now been cancelled. Also there has been a shooting at the Israeli embassy in Istanbul.
Day 100 - 8th April
No news today.
Day 101 - 9th April
An email from Zap Map tells me there are now more electric vehicle chargers in the UK than ever.
Pub night and I hear about a house with 250 dogs in it.
I‘m also told the news had a report from nearby Wrexham, with a feature on the forthcoming Welsh government elections. The discussion in the pub moves on to how issues completely unrelated to the bodies having elections often feature in the news coverage of those elections helping fuel ignorance and influence election outcomes. It feels like national news cant ever accept some elections are about more local things. We end up with a dysfunctional system where political parties fight on issues not even relevant to the bodies for which elections are taking place. It's absurd!
Day 102 - 10th April
Doing pretty well on the news free front today, but later on I learn via a Youtube channel I am subscribed to - good ereader - that Amazon is pulling the plug on support for older Kindle models. The news doesn't arrive by a video but a youtube channel ‘post’ - another example of the blurring of social media forms. The dematerialisation of the economy we were promised through technology is now turning into mountains of e-waste. Never trust the Tech Bros. Or maybe just trust them to let you down.
On a positive note, I have managed to reclaim many hours of my life by switching off Youtube suggestions. I'd recommend it to anyone trying to avoid algorithm driven brain rot from a perpetual reel of attention highjacking micro targeted slop.
Day 103 - 11th April
News free and watching Chester beat top of the table Fylde. We are as a result now finally in a play off position (6th). There's a tight pack of teams, fighting it out, some with games in hand so this one could go to the wire.
Day 104 - 12th April
I’m sent a photograph of a newspaper report of the Chester game by my mum and read it before I've even realised my transgression. Other than that I'm news free.
Day 105 - 13th April
Back in a news free groove.
Day 106 - 14th April
Made it to midday before I'm confronted with a news event. During the introduction to a @theneedledrop video, the presenter Anthony Fantano gives a shout out to a project from a listener - a soundtrack recorded whilst living in Lebanon. The listener has highlighted the ramping up of Israeli seizures of Lebanese land and the bombing of Lebanese cities which I'm told has culminated in the last week with the deadliest mass killing of civilians in decades with over 350 people killed and over a thousand maimed. They've asked for a shout out to the project and a link to the Lebanese Red Cross. I'm left with a depressing reminder of seemingly perpetual horrific conflict.
Later that day, I end up watching a Storyville documentary on BBC Four about free speech on American university campuses. It's not news, but on-theme in so far as it is focused on the contemporary culture wars we find ourselves living through in which the news is embroiled. It's an uncomfortable story that we are told - but told with considerable sensitivity - and one that prompts some discussion in our house.
I'm left reflecting on the atomisation of society leaving alienated individuals competing to be heard but not necessarily listening to each other. It seems that as common experience has fractured so have shared beliefs in progress. In parallel, it feels like the idea of freedom and justice have shrunk and are now increasingly wed solely to notions of self and identity.
In this age of self, grievances and hurt now appear to lie at the roots of much discourse. The resultant voices of protest now seem focused on narrower and disparate interests often cancelling each other out or trying too. For those benefiting from - and therefore content - with the status quo, it’s now a fairly easy job to ‘stir the pot’ and keep the identity based culture wars bubbling. It's so much easier to shout abuse at each other in our world where a common language has been fractured, or weaponised…
Day 107 - 15th April
I watch another Storyville documentary about a completely different topic. I wonder if ‘the documentary’ is becoming my substitute for news or whether I am falling for a line of ‘newsy programming’? Or the algorithm is just doing its thing…
I reflect on where the line falls between news and documentary, the similarities and differences: the skilled documentary team can certainly use the benefit of time to understand and tell stories with depth and nuance. The 24/7 news channel or the hourly bulletin makers, however...There can of course be sensational poorly researched documentaries and decent news programmes. Somebody somewhere makes a choice.
Day 108 - 16th April
News free.
Day 109 - 17th April
Today I learn from an Instagram post from a band that broadcaster Andy Kershaw has died.
Day 110 -18th April
I realise I am probably most susceptible to social media mindless interaction first thing in the morning. My habitual mechanical checking of the phone involves opening Instagram. Today I find myself lost in a doom scroll moment having seen a story post about millions of men visiting the ‘online rape academy’ and a reel about protesters showering ICE agent cars with dildos.
Now that I recognise the habit of early scrolling I will attempt to unlearn it. The result of today's visit is that 8 minutes of my 10 minute app timer has been used up. The problem with the app timer is how easy it is to extend or switch off. Maybe there's one with more friction or one that counts down. Something to look into.
Walking through town, I'm told that the due-to-close Grosvenor Hotel is expected to reopen under new management when RAAC concrete has been dealt with.
Later on a night out with friends I'm told Iran has opened the Straits of Hormuz but that boats are still being shot at. I'm also told Vicktor Orban lost the election despite a visit from JD Vance to show support. Having just been talking about Turkey I am initially thinking it's Erdogan that's been defeated but later realise my mistake. Without the news I'm potentially missing some important context being reliant on memory. In this case confusing the names of self-styled ‘strong man’ populist leaders whose name ends in ‘an’!
I am also told Chuck Norris is dead. This time to avoid confusion I ask who Chuck Norris is? I can picture him in my mind's eye and have a feeling that he was an American action film actor, possibly a former wrestler?
It's also mentioned that yesterday was the anniversary of a day in the 1930s when the BBC presenter announced there was no news to report. Sounds like a dream.
Day 111 -19th April
When asking my son, a wrestling fan, about Chuck Norris I am told he died ‘ages ago’ (the previous month) and that he was an actor and martial artist not a wrestler.
Day 112 - 20th April
My daughter tells me there's been an earthquake in Japan with Tsunami warnings issued.
An evening out with friends, one of whom we haven't seen for a long time, and the absence of the happy ‘and finally’ news item is lamented. It's wall- to- wall wars these days apparently. I'm asked what I do with all the time I've got back from not watching news and reply I am probably writing this diary instead.
Day 113 - 21st April
Following a conversation about environmental research the previous evening, I’m sent a BBC news article by a friend about using urine to make fertiliser but I refrain from clicking on it.
I've also figured out switching on notifications for the app timer means I get notified as the time ticks away - a minor improvement.
Day 114 - 22nd April
First trip to Chester Zoo in years, now we are annual members again, and today I'm learning about conservation and work to protect endangered species. It’s mindblowing how much has been lost in my life span alone, yet how little the story stands out in the news. Chester has an amazing zoo and there are thousands of stories to be told there.
Day 115 - 23rd April
There's not much news gleaned from this week's Thursday pub night.
Walking home and the conversation moves on to praise for the local hospital facilities and staff from new parents following the recent arrival of their baby. It then emerges that there has been another arrest at the same Hospital apparently linked to the 'Lucy Letby' investigations that’s been mentioned in the news.
Day 116 - 24th April
Continuing on the documentary run, I watch The Social Dilemma. I'd certainly recommend watching it if you haven't already.
The documentary relates with my ramblings here about the online environment. It underlines how the attention economy works and why it's now harming people and societies. It doesn't specifically focus on news but the impact is clearly there. News media has to compete for our attention in the online world and increasingly is deployed in, or finds us through, that environment.
The programme is built around interviews with industry figures who were party to the creation of the dominant platforms and features now common in our online environment. It shows how efforts to monetise these creations have ultimately perverted their original apparently benign or positive purpose.
There are some nuanced takes that hit home. One interviewee picks up on the saying ‘if you don't pay for the product, you are the product’ to make a much sharper point. The business model is not selling your data but selling the ability to use this data to manipulate you and change your behaviour. This is often done in gradual imperceptible ways so we don't recognise it. A complementary quote that appears on screen (I had to look this one up afterwards - it's from Edward Tufte) is ‘There are only two industries that call their customers ‘users': illegal drugs and software.’ underlining the highly addictive nature of what's been created.
Sadly it appears from the documentary that we've gone from going online to share and like our friends' photos of cats to entering perception-altering industrial manipulation environments in a few short years. We carry on doing the former oblivious to the latter. The tech companies are using their knowledge of psychology combined with huge quantities of data about us so their AI algorithms can create a personal attention grabbing addictive online space for each and every one of us. It's designed to hold us as long as possible and keep us coming back. We are brought back time and again in order to have our behaviour manipulated. The ‘manipulation for sale’ service appears to be available to whoever is willing to pay.
It’s pretty powerful when the majority of the assembled cast in the documentary reveal they wouldn't let their children use the common online platforms many of us use daily. Some say we should disengage from the platforms altogether to have any chance of maintaining independent thoughts. In effect, we are all prone to addiction, manipulation and misinformation. If you think you are immune, you are probably deluded…
I'm left wondering: would governments authorise the use of addictive mind altering drugs on their populations? Would they allow companies to sell the opportunity to manipulate people's behaviour in whatever way to the highest bidder based on this drug addiction? It seems that’s pretty much what is happening in the current online eco system, it's just that the addictive drugs are chemicals released naturally in our bodies that are being triggered on purpose by the platforms that we use.
My immediate response to the programme is to lower the app time limits further on my remaining social media apps and other apps too. I'm also left trying to figure out how to disengage from my regular facebook account whilst still managing a page.
Of course trying to shield ourselves is one thing, but what about the damage wrought on the rest of society? Those who disentangle themselves from their own online trap still live in a world fully of ‘users’ trapped in theirs. How crazy is it that our AI- curated personal online bubbles are increasingly the context for the stories we see or read, with some of the ‘editorial decisions’ apparently open to the highest bidder... This is clearly a societal problem and demands a society-wide response. We need coordinated rules and safe guards to protect us and limit abuse if we are to maintain a functioning democracy. Are we shutting the stable door after the proverbial horse has bolted though?
Day 117 - 25th April
News free watching Chester draw nil nil. The point proves just enough to see us through to the play offs in seventh place.
Ironically, having watched The Social Dilemma which showcases how AI drives personal targeted content that we find hard to resist, it's quite clear my own Netflix algorithm is now pushing documentaries to me left, right and centre!
I watch one this evening called The Antisocial Network. This one has a much narrower focus than The Social Dilemma but gives a real world example of how one specific platform has influenced reality. It tells the story of the origins, development and impact of 4Chan, an image posting board. The subtitle for the documentary is Memes to Mayhem which captures the main story arc. It's incredible how an originally niche online community built around juvenile in-jokes is ultimately linked to widespread belief in Q Anon conspiracy theories. The real world impacts go far beyond users of the platform influencing opinion, politics and actions in disturbing ways.
Day 118 - 26th April
I'm in a Facebook group for the obscure physical keyboard phone that I use, and now I'm seeing a post that suggests that under EU regulations due to come in a few years, manufacturers will be obliged to make their phones with replaceable batteries. Regulators fight back against electronic waste. Hopefully the regulatours will soon be breaking up our addictive online spaces so we can start fully functioning with independent minds again.
Day 119 - 27th April
Open an e-bulletin from the council on the local climate emergency response and I pick up some wider national news too. Remarkably “Great Britain hit a new clean-energy milestone as 98.8% of electricity came from zero-carbon sources in a record-breaking moment, last week.”, and, contrary to what you might read in the fossil fuelled news papers, “Report shows the cost of Net Zero by 2050 less than a single fossil fuel price shock”.
At times like this I'm thinking I don't really want to give up the news, I just want rid of the partisan-filtered-vested-interest-promoting abomination that is currently passed off as the news. My angry reaction is probably based on my own experience working in the field. In earlier years it was clear the fossil fuel lobby were being hugely successful in casting doubt on the science that was strongly confirming human induced climate change. Later, when it has become harder not to notice changes in weather patterns predicted by the science, they're now sowing discord about the policy solutions, for example, creating and spreading damaging myths about renewable energy and electric cars. A story that is often repeated and amplified is ‘the cost of net zero’ that suggests gaining energy independence is a costly burden. In reality, energy prices hikes are largely a result of ongoing fossil fuel dependence. When lunatics wage wars in the middle east we all pay a price. If we'd listened to the advocates of net zero earlier we'd be insulated from these extreme price shocks already.
Day 120 - 28th April
Bump into someone I know who I've not seen for a long time. They are now a local councillor and are returning from meeting a resident. We chat for a while. The topic of relentless negativity in politics comes up. Ongoing Mandelson coverage is mentioned as an example… It seems the media attack dogs wont let this 'who knew what when' bone drop. Drip drip drip. I relate my own story of giving up the news and we lament the seeming unwillingness of news programmes to report anything positive whatsoever.
Day 121 -29th April
No news exposure today.
I witness a Chester FC 2 1 defeat away to Macclesfield in the first play off eliminator game. Macclesfield score the winner in the final minute of the 8 minutes of added time.
Day 122 - 30th April
News free but reminded there are elections next week by an email from Hope Not Hate: Seven Days to Stop Reform UK. Also see a BBC ‘advert’ for their upcoming election coverage, with the famous political hacks strutting around full of self-importance. Soon they will no doubt be reporting the news they've part-created. They won't be getting any more of my attention if I can help it.
Day 123 - 1st May
Today is another Senior Blues meeting. It includes a talk and Q&A with a sports reporter who used to cover Chester FC for one of the local papers. They have recently started to produce online content on the club independently with a service that Chester fans can subscribe to.
The former reporter recounts how when they started for the local paper there was a team of journalists on the sports desk with editors and sub editors, but by the time they left it was just them covering multiple titles writing and editing for them all. They left to take up a mix of more specialist roles. Recently, inspired by former sports journalist colleagues elsewhere, they have returned to producing coverage on the local football team as an independent online source on a part-time basis.
It's interesting to hear a journalist's perspective on the changes taking place and the human impact Local newspapers are dying out. We consume more content online and as fewer people buy newspapers they cost more and it's harder to sell advertising for them. People still want to engage with local stories in the online age but there are less journalists employed by local titles to produce this content. Whilst there remains some legacy brand recognition for newspaper titles online, competition for attention is fierce. In the online space the pressure is on to chase clicks with click bait headlines. With fewer local journalists often covering more titles over a wider area there is now less independent coverage and a much greater reliance on press releases. We are now seeing a shift to an online creator economy as local news papers die out.
In this example the reporter has returned to their love of being a sports journalist in a new guise as an independent content creator using a subscription model. They are now free from the need for click bait headlines or the need to sell advertising because there is sufficient interest from a paying fan base.
After I'm left wondering about the online creator economy and what this means to journalists and the quality of news. In this case, a ‘traditional’ print journalist has partly leveraged their name from their past to provide journalistic content in a new independent guise. I can see this working for sports journalists in towns with significant interest in a particular club, but how does it work in other places or for other more general local news topics? How do new starters in journalism carve out a space as content creators? Also I'm thinking who are the competitor creators? In this case there is no real independent source for news on the club. Are hyper local bloggers really a substitute for local news rooms and trained journalists? Can we piece together a team of local content creators to provide the detailed picture of local news that the papers used to provide? In a world of the race-to-the bottom it seems any local wannabe influencers can spout their own nonsense and acquire a slice of the local audience.
Later, back at home, I’m told a co founder of SuperDry has been convicted of rape. I'm told this by my wife who is wearing a SuperDry sweatshirt. Later at tea there is a debate about whether it is a cofounder of SuperDry or super drug. The conclusion is the former.
Day 124 - 2nd May
Bank holiday weekend and catching up with friends at a Bluegrass festival near Nottingham. A news free day, although the topic of my attempt to live news free comes up when catching up. I send the link to part one of the blog to a couple of my friends, one who's brother used to be a journalist.
Day 125 - 3rd May
I'm told my friend’s brother enjoyed the blog. News free beyond that.
Day 126 - 4th May
News free again.
Day 127 - 5th May
My news free streak ends at the dentist. My appointment is on the hour and so is the radio news bulletin. Sitting in the dentist chair with my mouth wide open and the news comes on. I hear there’s a meeting being called by the government and heads of industry on anti semitism, there are concerns over the fragile truce between Iran and the USA, and there's another news story that I've already forgotten in the gap before writing these notes.
Later at home my wife asks me if I'm writing my news blog. I reply relating the story of the news I heard at the dentist and how I'd already forgotten some of it. She replies with some suggestions for the missing items: Trump's causing mayhem in Europe? The knives are out for Kier Starmer? It's local election week? It's been largely the same news all year, she says, then corrects herself. ‘No, it's been knives out for Starmer and Labour since they were elected. Trump's been causing chaos in Europe with the Ukraine war since he was elected, and they feel obliged to remind people it's election week!’ I reply saying it was none of the above. She's been listening to the BBC's bulletin. It was commercial radio at the dentists. That must explain the difference!
Day 128 - 6th May
News free.
Day 129 - 7th May
News free enjoying music from across the world in Wrexham
Day 130 - 8th May
My daughter is following some of the local elections results and tells me Reform has taken control of Essex County Council from the Tories. I avoid television like the plague.
Day 131 - 9th May
On route to Wrexham for the final day of the Focus Wales festival, and my wife announces she's glad not to be working in local government anymore now that large swathes of the country have turned ‘purple’. Predictable news aided and abetted by the UK news coverage of politics. W*****s!
Day 132 - 10th May
When mentioning an emailed offer for a cruise on the Norwegian coastal route, I'm told cruises are probably cheap at the moment because of ships being quarantined due to viral illnesses on board.
Day 133 - 11th May
Out with a friend visiting from Australia, I learn about some Reform UK council gains in the local elections in the northwest including a nearby town we both used to work in. Apparently it was enough of a ‘story’ to merit prominent coverage in a regional newspaper back home in Australia. The story line taken was about working class communities turning away from Labour. It sounds to me more like the telling of the story was an attempt to recreate it in Australia. I wonder who owns the paper and where their interests lie?
We call in a pub where the barman is keen to talk about the difficulties keeping a pub going these days. He focuses on the increase in foreigners who don't drink. I wonder where he places duty on beer and competition from cheap drinks sold in super markets? I also wonder whether he gets his personally targeted AI driven news from Facebook, X or Youtube?
I later learn some more details of the ‘virus ship’ story and the origins of the disease carried and where the UK passengers have been sent: Arrowe Park in Wirral. It's where the first UK visitors back from China were quarantined at the start of Covid 19. I'm later told at home it is a strain of Hanta virus and three people on the ship have died.
Also at home I'm told 70 Labour MPs have called for Kier Starmer to resign following the election results. Must have been as bad as predicted.
Day 134 - 12th May
Visiting my parents I learn helicopters have landed on the playing field near to where we used to live apparently to carry people to hospital in Liverpool.
Also learn the Green Party’s Zack Polanski may have failed to pay council tax for house boat. Looks like they're after him now. The Greens must have had some decent results in the local elections.
In the evening I'm told that several countries are boycotting the Eurovision Song contest this year because the organisers have not suspended Israel. Seems a bit odd to ban Russia and not Israel.
Day 135 - 13th May
News free. Hurrah!
Day 136 - 14th May
Hear via my daughter that Wes Streeting has resigned from the cabinet. I’m thinking he was always too ambitious!
Later I see an urgent email from Hope Not Hate highlighting that there's a parliamentary by-election set to take place in Makerfield. It states Reform UK ‘took every single council seat’ in the recent local elections there ‘with a 46.2% share of the total vote’.
Day 137 - 15th May
News free.
Day 138 - 16th May
Watch an old episode of The Twilight Zone about ‘a twisted young american who achieves short lived success when he gains inspiration from Adolf Hitler’s ghost’.
Later whilst watching the FA Cup final my son tells me there's a far right anti refugee march in London today. He describes how it has been subverted by a refugee support charity. If I understand correctly, the charity has got people to pledge money based on how far the march progresses. In effect the further the convicted criminal multi-named grifter and his far right ilk walk the more money will be raised for refugees. I wonder what Hitler’s ghost would make of a sponsored goose step.
My son also tells me ‘the king of the north’ aka Andy Burnham Labour and Cooperative Mayor of Greater Manchester could become prime minister. I respond saying that might be difficult as he is not even an MP. Apparently he has been given the green light if he chooses to put himself forward for a by-election.
Day 139 - 17th May
News free.
Day 140 - 18th May
News free again.
Day 141 - 19th May
Search for a specific thing on google which returns very few relevant results before I get completely unrelated ‘filler’ items. This includes the headline for an opinion piece in The Telegraph casting doubt on Andy Burnham's credentials. A predictable show from the Telegraph ramping up the negativity against a Labour politician with a chance of making Labour popular. Poor show from Google, the search engine that increasingly delivers rubbish little linked to the actual search.
Later my wife tells me there is speculation that ‘Pep is to leave Manchester City’. My daughter then informs me there has been drama around the Championship playoffs. Southampton have just been barred from the final for breaking rules by spying on Middlesbrough’s training session ahead of their semi final match. Southampton won the semi but Middlesbrough will now progress in their place.
Day 142 - 20th May
Living news free, but then a visit to Facebook and I catch the freeze frame of a story from the Cooperative Party titled something like ‘Andy for Makerfield’. Interesting.
Day 143 - 21st May
Go to use google, and simply by placing the cursor on the search box I am offered ‘Hanta Virus outbreak Wales' as a trending search. Probably not news, but trending searches for f***s sake, get out of my search box!
Day 144 - 22nd May
The kids debate whether the England men's football world cup squad announcement counts as news. I remind them I've just given up watching and listening to the news, not conversations about it. I'm treated to ‘the list’.
Later, waiting for a train at Manchester Piccadilly, having just been to a gig, the tannoy calls for the observance of a minute's silence marking the anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing. It's a poignant time for reflection.
Day 145 - 23rd May
No news.
Day 146 - 24th May
I'm told whilst hiding in the shade of a sweltering hot Neighborhood Weekender festival in Warrington that Judith Charmers, famous for presenting Wish You Were Here, has died.
Day 147 - 25th May
Bank holiday BBQ. I'm told Pep has gone. Also told about a guard of honour from Manchester City players for those playing their last game formed when they were being subbed off. Isn't that time wasting?
Day 148 - 26th May
Too hot for news. It's melting.
Day 149 - 27th May
No need for news when you can spend the day outside.
Day 150 - 28th May
I click on the wrong app. Bluesky opens and I'm briefly exposed to a headline from Reuters: ‘Guatemala agrees to joint strikes with US against drug gangs, NYT reports’
I learn via an email from Hope Not Hate there are three Weeks to the Makerfield by-election ‘one of the closest and most politically significant contests in years. Polling suggests there are only a few percentage points between Labour and Reform UK’.
Day 151 - 29th May
I learn during conversation, that a Chester couple pleaded guilty to charges related to having sex in a public alley at silly o'clock in the morning, their amorous activities having been caught via CCTV. The surveillance state isn't just online.
Day 152 -30th May
Let my guard down whilst passing through Facebook and a ‘friend’ has shared a post which I presume is from the Reform UK candidate in the upcoming Makerfield by-election. It's about ‘upholding our Christian heritage’ in the face of a church being converted to a mosque. Instantly pissed off I don't immediately understand why my friend is sharing this crap. I then realise there is some accompanying text explaining that the post is spreading misinformation about a former church now being used as the base for a food bank. Ironically this correction served mainly to draw my attention to the original ‘pot stirring’ post. If I was in the islamophobe bubble I’d probably not have seen the correction, just the original message. Careful what or how you share things folks!
Day 153 - 31st May
News free.
Day 154 - 1st June
I am told about an article in the Sunday Times whilst meeting a friend, but in all honesty I can't consciously remember what it was about when returning to write these notes. We didn't drink that much either.
Day 155 - 2nd June
I glimpse a post about a Chinook helicopter crash on Facebook but have instinctively switched off before any further details permeate my brain.
I reflect on how I am becoming more adept at switching off. I have recently watched a series on Netflix ‘the headspace guide to meditation’ and am trying to practice some of the techniques illustrated in this. I certainly think trying to empty the mind in a world of 24/7 news, is an essential skill for survival in the modern age. I'm hopeful it can help counteract the remnants of the rage virus still within me.
Day 156- 3rd June
News free.
Day 157 - 4th June
I’m sitting in a car travelling home and there's a conversation about trashy reality tv when I hear a comment along the lines of ‘it was inevitable something like this would happen' without knowing what ‘this’ is, but the inference is something bad.
Later on at home in another conversation I hear that Married at First Sight has been pulled from the tv following allegations of abuse.
Day 158 - 5th June
Whilst sampling ale at CamRA's Chester beer festival a notification alarm goes off on my neighbour’s phone. It turns out to be a news flash and we learn that actor Anthony Head has died. Within seconds my son posts to the family group chat that ‘the librarian from Buffy has died’. I'm sad but also proud that I have raised my kids properly - at least with regards to classic tv. Rest in Peace Mr Head.
Day 159 - 6th June
Fail to hold out news free by learning very late via Facebook that a Merseyside council recently falling under the control of Reform UK has withdrawn funding from planned ‘refugee week’ events. I'm left thinking the peanuts they will ‘save’ may buy some union flags to wave. Also I'm thinking that hostility and community break down is ultimately more costly to deal with than community cohesion is to maintain.
Day 160 - 7th June
News free Sunday.
Day 161 - 8th June
No news Monday.
Day 162 - 9th June.
News free Tuesday. Can I sustain a whole week-long streak?
Day 163 - 10th June
No I can't. I'm told, during our evening meal time, that a Somalian referee heading to the world cup has been refused entry into the USA after hours of questioning at the border. Perhaps in Trump's America, they don't really get the concept of the ’world’ cup? Perhaps the ref's occupation was misread as refugee?
Day 164 - 11th June
No escape from the radio news as I shelter from the pouring rain at a garden centre. Apparently defence minister John Healy has resigned citing the treasury blocking necessary spending as the reason.
I'm guessing Starmer is pretty much politically a dead man walking by now. Relentless media hounding shapes opinion and as the inevitable electoral losses follow it turns party against leader. If he is ousted, the media will probably switch and cast Starmer as a decent guy in a traitorous party and pour scorn on the new leader instead!
Before the rain stops, I'm exposed to a second item warning about expected domestic abuse during the football world cup.
Later over coffee at the garden centre, I learn rioters in Belfast have been breaking down garden walls to get bricks.
Day 165 - 12th June
Windy but dry. No news for me today. Winning.
Day 166 - 13th June
Note to self: book a haircut at 9 AM and you could be exposed to radio news. I manage to block out most of the bulletin whilst waiting to take my seat, but eventually hear a teenager has been stabbed in the neck.
Farage and Andy Burnham feature in a conversation with friends on a night out. I use my newsless existence to excuse my limited contribution. I infer from comments made that Farage has his own right wing problems with a new party further to the right still.
Day 167 -14th June
Ongoing infighting in Labour crops up in a conversation with a neighbour along with the potential for a leadership challenge should Andy Burnham win the upcoming by-election. My neighbours sounds exasperated with the drama. Again my newsless existence is used as a caveat for my input to the conversation. My contribution is offered as a tentative best guess of the type ‘I expect x if y has happened’. I haven't been left wanting in conversation much so far during the first six months of this newsless experiment, but when direct questions arise about a contemporary topic I'm left with little to say beyond conjecture. Maybe as I approach the half-way point of the year, the gap has grown to a sufficient size that there will be more occasions like this from now on.
Day 168 - 15th June
This afternoon I receive a Hope Not Hate email encouraging me to sign an open letter. The letter calls on the government to launch a wide reaching inquiry into Russian activity in the UK. It is prompted by evidence that Hope Not Hate has gathered that Russia has been running ‘a coordinated campaign on British soil to inflame hatred, recruit extremists and turn communities against each other’. It highlights that: ‘Russian-linked networks have been:
Recruiting British extremists online and directing their activity
Offering payment to far-right figures to post praise of Putin
Promoting Tommy Robinson, pushing his demonstrations and making videos to support him.
Turning communities on each other. Telling far-right activists to put up anti-Muslim posters, then posing as a Muslim organisation to spread anti-Sikh hate.’
I sign the letter. They should definitely shine the light on Russian state influence on traditional news and new media influencers too. In my opinion, we've been losing this ‘hybrid war' for long enough. The first step should be much clearer understanding and public acknowledgment about the situation. We need some spotlight on the voices that Russia has been backing too. Are they useful idiots or knowing accomplices?
Day 169 - 16th June
The family discusses turning over to watch the news but decide not to because ‘it will all be about the election’.
I open an email from the co-operative party telling me about the government's new multi million pound Community Right to Buy Fund. It follows on from, and is in support of, the new ‘Community Right to Buy' legislation introduced earlier in the year. The new right and fund will help communities take over important community assets such as pubs, posts offices, and shops that might otherwise be lost.
Day 170 - 17th June
No news reaches me today. Instead, I watch England beat Croatia in their opening game of the World Cup 4 2.
Day 171 - 18th June
Today I learn via email that the co-operative party is campaigning against the demutualisation of county cricket. Do we really have to ruin all sport with money…
At tea time, I learn from family discussion that a man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a child was badly injured by a crocodile at a garden centre (with animals) in Huntingdon.
Later in the pub I hear that the foreign office has removed ‘no travel’ advice to Dubai.
It also seems from pub chat that the FIFA ‘hydration breaks’ have no one fooled. Will football succumb to advert break friendly ‘quarters’ to fill the pockets of the already wealthy? Take note county cricket members and don't get bribed into demutualisation.
At home I learn Thomas Tuchel's complaints have resulted in FIFA action to ensure photographers do not obscure views of the pre-match national anthems.
I also learn that votes are being counted in the Makerfield by-election.
Day 172 - 19th June
It’s not long before I encounter the Makerfield by-election result. I see an Instagram post from musician Billy Bragg with the results headline along the lines of Andy Burnham elected with a majority of over 9000. Thank f***k for that!
I notice from the post that Reform UK still polled over 15 thousand and ‘Restore Britain’ over 3 thousand (Farage's even further to the right headache I guess). This is incredible really. If you combine a complicit news media with Russian state stirring, the influence of wealth hoarding tax avoiders, and have access to a behaviour change for sale service based on widespread addiction to online platforms, the shape of British politics was bound to change unrecognisably.
No sooner that I have recorded this initial entry, I get an email from Hope Not Hate celebrating the victory over far right in Makerfield. They highlight Reform will now be gunning for the Great Manchester Mayoral contest to fill the vacancy left by Burnham. They invite me to chip in to support their ongoing work countering hate and misinformation. I oblige. This is the Hope Not Hate donate page link if you are interested
I switch on BBC iplayer to catch up with the football and see a train collision as a ‘breaking story’. I've not even scrolled down as far as the newsy part..
Day 173 - 20th June
News free again at last.
Day 174 - 21st June
The longest day.
I call in at a friend after visiting my dad for father's day. My friend glances down at his phone and comments there are rumours that Keir Starmer is about to step down. He then compares Prime Ministers to modern day football managers: if they can't deliver instant success they are soon out of the door. ‘Gone are the days when PM lasted a full five years’ he laments. I’m thinking political news coverage is part of the equation.
Thinking about it, whilst writing these notes, was David Cameron the last full term PM? If so, I think we are on our fifth PM since then.
I think it is significant Cameron's eventual departure came after possibly the first major campaign he fought as a conservative where he actually faced a hostile press and media (the type Labour face almost every time). From my perspective, the ill-advised Brexit referendum that Cameron gifted the euro sceptics - and duly lost - was also one of the first political campaigns in Britain to demonstrate the power of micro-targeted social media. Social media turned out to be very successful in convincing just enough people to vote against their interests - and their country's. I wonder who paid for the adverts and benefited from the ‘Brexit bonus’ we were promised but that never came.
Since Cameron's departure the Brexit online ‘bubbles’ seem to have coalesced into a broader froth of foaming at the mouth right-wing parties of growing power. Ironically, for all the flag flying, these appear to be endorsed and supported by numerous overseas interests both state and private (billionaires) tapping in to wider discontent in our world of rage. Cameron's Brexit miscalculation, at a time of shifting media consumption, and increasing interference from vested interests, seems to have ultimately led to the earthquake that has created continuing waves of chaos across the land. What a legacy!
Day 175 - 22nd June
Morning time and my daughter asks me if I'm alright. I'm sitting with an ice pack having twinged my back. She mistakes my pained look thinking I'd heard the news about Kier Starmer. She's seen his speech at the lectern live on the screen just: he is resigning. The media got their scalp then. Apparently nominations close for the vacant position of Labour leader on 9th July.
Later I'm told Wes Streeting has backed Andy Burnham. He is obviously not as popular as he thought and keen for a spot back in an assumed Burnham-led government.
Watching the evening world cup match, Argentina vs Austria, and at half time we are told about an extended news programme to follow the game. I manage to switch it off before we ‘go live to Sophie Rayworth’. No thanks BBC, the ‘help precipitate an event then pick the bones of it when it happens’ model of the news is of no interest to me.
Day 176 - 23rd June
It's very hot. Talk is of how hot it is and how hot it is going to be. Hot! Hot! Hot! Don't get me on to the failings of news reporting on climate change again…
Day 177 - 24th June
I’m told by a relative we are visiting that there's a headline online along the lines of ‘Fire crews tackle coach incident near Chester’.
Later, Channel 4 News suddenly pop ups during a advert break trailing a story about NHS maternity care, but I am out the living room door before I can absorb the details.
Time wasting Facebook browsing - yes I still haven't kicked the habit - and I catch a headline concerning Andy Burnham confirming some kind of payment for pensioners if he becomes prime minister.
It remains very hot.
Day 178 - 25th June
Not worth commenting on the details of posts reaching me via Facebook today, other than they are attempting to undermine Andy Burnham. It's almost like there is an agenda here. ‘Mind control for sale’ aka social media appears to be at it again. I wonder who paid for my Facebook AI to bring these posts to my attention! Kindly f**k off.
In real world news, it really is uncomfortably hot. No AI needed to confirm that, but the energy required to run AI data centres is certainly adding to the problem...
Day 179 - 26th June
My Facebook algorithm partially redeems itself - or syncs even closer to my mind and the words in this blog as I write them - when I see a post from Private Eye. It's worth quoting in its entirety:
‘PRIVATE EYE EXCLUSIVE TO ALL RIGHT-WING PAPERS
WHY BURNHAM MUST RESIGN IMMEDIATELY EVEN THOUGH HE'S NOT PRIME MINISTER YET
IT'S clear that Andy Burnham has been a complete failure as Prime Minister, although he hasn't technically taken up the role yet.
By all accounts he WILL be a terrible failure, and now the editorial board of this paper (three Reform voters and the office cat, who votes Restore) has decided that Burnham will fail so soon that he should probably resign now.
We would like to further clarify that although Starmer did exactly what we've been screaming at him to do for two years and resigned, he didn't do it in the way we would have liked, making him both worse than Burnham and making Burnham worse than him.’
Well done Private Eye.
Day 180 - 27th June
Watching world cup highlights on BBC iplayer (from the BBC the broadcaster without commercial adverts) and it starts with a trailer showing Keir Starmer announce his intended resignation. ‘Skip’ is needed quickly before I am exposed to this advert for BBC created news.
In the evening the world cup group game between England and Panama starts with a silence for the victims of earthquakes in Venezuela.
Day 181 - 28th June
Out with friends and the topic of misinformation and Russian interference in British affairs comes up. It wasn't me who started it. Through the conversation I learn more about the cause of rioting in Northern Ireland. My friend laments how quick race hatred can be whipped up online following particular violent incidents, whilst the majority of other violent incidents fail to even register because there's no ‘foreigners’ to blame. I am reminded of Hope Not Hate’s recent call for an inquiry into Russian involvement to inflame community division…
Sir Kier Starmer’s announced departure comes up later in a different conversation. It's clear my friend has no love for the BBC news and its role in his demise, but also hostility for the parliamentary Labour party too. I try to argue the news is rigged against both Starmer and Labour so the parliamentary party is damned either way. I hear some already repeated attack lines against Andy Burnham, including his northerness, so I refer to Private Eye's excellent piece to capture the obscene situation Labour politicians face. I again offer my attempt to live news free as an excuse for not knowing about events fully. We agree Starmer is a decent person hounded from day one by a hostile media. The media got what they wanted, but not the electorate.
Conversation turns to the threat from Reform. I'm told the new Reform UK MP for Runcorn is ‘crazy’ and that some reform councillors have already stepped down seemingly unaware of what they've got themselves into. I guess it's a lot easier to shout about things online, than actually take responsibility for complex real world issues in practice.
Day 182 - 29th June
Today, I watch a BBC documentary ‘Inside the Rage Machine’ based on the insider testimony from people who have worked for the social media companies: Facebook, Tiktok and Twitter/X. It documents the various riots and atrocities triggered by the sharing of misinformation around the world and how the platforms prioritise controversial material helping it spread far and wide. I'm thinking of the conversation the previous day about Northern Ireland rioting. We are, it seems, the hapless hungry fish swimming through a pond full of rage bait easily hooked by misinformation.
I hear Andy Burnham's distant voice a couple of times without hanging around to hear what is being said. It's a siren voice that alerts me to retreat to a safe distance from the new bulletins on the kitchen radio.
Day 183 - 30th June
It's the final day of the second quarter of my attempted news free year and thankfully it is mostly news free. I do open an email in the evening from a friend titled ‘Humphrey Smith RIP’. It announces the passing of the owner of Samuel Smiths Brewery aged 81. I don't click on the link.
At this half-way point, having decided to publish these ramblings as a quarterly blog, I feel a slight pressure to draw some conclusions so far. I'm also reluctant to do so as it feels too early.
To round this post off I will say that I think it's clearer why I dislike the news. I also feel I've been thinking more deeply about the role of the online attention stealing environment and the part this has played in dragging the news media down to deeper lows, including how it has smashed apart some traditional sources of paid for professional news.
If I've started to feel more ignorant about some political events through recent conversations, it's difficult to judge how ignorant I've become overall as I only know what I’ve heard and not what I've missed. You may be in a better place to judge! The minor sense of not knowing some details in contemporary politics is balanced by a positive feeling of my own presence in the moment now that I’m no longer bombarded by relentless noise, instant opinion and speculation about everything all the time. I'll take that.
Looking ahead, I think I need to try much harder to break my own ingrained habits and lingering social media addiction if I am to experience more news and distraction free days. We perhaps all need to switch off our devices and go for a walk in the real world more often. Now seems like as good a time as any.
