[News] News broadcasts

[sparkie]

I believe there's a real issue here.

I've done some training n mental health, by no means qualified but enough to be considered a laymen councillor for my company. The constant mentioning of mental health is beginning to dilute the message.

It's great that people can now talk without fear of being considered a nutter or suffering in silence. However now everyone has to have it and this is where the damage occurs. You can no longer have a pissed off day, be grumpy, get out the wrong side of the bed, you have to have issues. Those that truly need the expertise are now saddled with all the hangers on who are just pissed off because there best shirt got ruined in the wash.

Indeed.

I am getting really low about the wait for a vaccination call. Every time someone pipes up with the news that an under 30 with no underlying conditions has been contacted for a jab or someone comes on TV saying that another cohort should jump the queue it sends me into a miserable downer.

But I just think it is me being miserable. Listening to the current commentary it would appear they are trying to suggest it is a mental health issue. No, I am just very fed up.

 

[blue-shifted]

If I never heard the words "mental health" again it would still be too soon.

It's great that it's being talked about.

However, not so great is that it's being used by anti lockdown agitants, who've never given a hoot about mental health and never will again in order to further their ultra-libertarian agenda

 

[beorhthelm]

i have been saying similar for almost a year. I am convinced that the media are partially responsible for a huge number of deaths. Ever since the start they have gone out of the way to undermine and misinform. They took delight in highlighting every possible discrepancy in the social distancing policy, looking for anything that was contradictory , which was inevitable when drafting regulations for 70 000 000 people. Rather than highlight support for and the spirit of the lockdown, they deliberately went out of their way to cause confusion and then leaked half truths ahead of announcements so that when things weren't exactly as they thought, they could highlight u turns and changes of policy that simply hadn't occurred, but were government quite properly looking into every possibility and course of action

this has driven me mad, shouting at the telly. national news would lead with whats happening in Scotland, something about Wales, some speculation on the latest leak/guess work on rules in England, then run a peice about people being confused about the guidance. then interview with a Professor saying how the guidance should be less/more restrictive. they directly caused confusion. media shouldnt be allowed to run stories based on speculation when its a matter of public health.

 

[whosthedaddy]

i have been saying similar for almost a year. I am convinced that the media are partially responsible for a huge number of deaths. Ever since the start they have gone out of the way to undermine and misinform. They took delight in highlighting every possible discrepancy in the social distancing policy, looking for anything that was contradictory , which was inevitable when drafting regulations for 70 000 000 people. Rather than highlight support for and the spirit of the lockdown, they deliberately went out of their way to cause confusion and then leaked half truths ahead of announcements so that when things weren't exactly as they thought, they could highlight u turns and changes of policy that simply hadn't occurred, but were government quite properly looking into every possibility and course of action


They are still doing it, publishing what they think will be the roadmap to ease restrictions, and will then leap all over the fact that dates may change, that different restrictions are amended and the like

The hounding of ministers rather than interviewing them, the total over reaction to various breaches of lockdown by ministers caused hundreds of thousands to do the same.

Im not saying they should have ignored the mistakes, misteps, and breaking of regulations, but it was not done in anything like a proportional and fair way. There was never any attempt to help the situation, just a constant drive to find alarmist sensationalised stories to frighten the public and get more viewers and clicks. Disgraceful behaviour

I 100% agree with this.

I fully understand that the population must be informed that things are not what they should be, and will not be for some time but please lighten up, the BBC especially are prone to over analysing every little mistake.

All the questions about a 'roadmap out of lockdown' are particularly nauseating, it's almost like they are asking about their holiday and when can they have it

Don't forget, a lot of the elderly going through this have also lived through World War Two and the news in those days had a good mix of positive news to go alongside the negative aspects. I'm sure they didn't keep talking about Mental Health and Holidays on the radio during all those years. Of course mental health and schooling are big issues but let's get through this with as much postive spirit as we can muster, the media can go a long way in helping us with this.

 

[blue-shifted]

The way I see it .....

Every media pressure is under huge pressure, even more so that usual, for clicks, relevance, survival etc.

The way out is to drive up their market share.

They way they do this is to give people what they want. What people want is to be worried about stuff. It's like some morbid fascination.

If you think the above sentence is wrong, think about it. Why else would the media be tripping over itself to accentuate bad news? They know people will delve further into their content if they do. Many news organisations do have an agenda to push ... but the basic truth is that the only real motivation they have is for self preservation.

So if there's a tsunami on the news, with shocking footage, you'll blatantly watch it. A heartwarming feature about the reconstruction after the tsumani ... you're less likely to. (awaits a load of replies suggesting you're one of the few in some way above this)

So if you're upset with the way stuff is reported, change your consumer behaviour. This will require a conscious effort

 

[Cheshire Cat]

The BBC daily death count is not uplifting.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

The way I see it .....

Every media pressure is under huge pressure, even more so that usual, for clicks, relevance, survival etc.

The way out is to drive up their market share.

They way they do this is to give people what they want. What people want is to be worried about stuff. It's like some morbid fascination.

If you think the above sentence is wrong, think about it. Why else would the media be tripping over itself to accentuate bad news? They know people will delve further into their content if they do. Many news organisations do have an agenda to push ... but the basic truth is that the only real motivation they have is for self preservation.

So if there's a tsunami on the news, with shocking footage, you'll blatantly watch it. A heartwarming feature about the reconstruction after the tsumani ... you're less likely to. (awaits a load of replies suggesting you're one of the few in some way above this)

So if you're upset with the way stuff is reported, change your consumer behaviour. This will require a conscious effort

You're right in that we know if something bad happens you're likely to tell 3 times the amount of people than something good. We do promote bad things.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

I 100% agree with this.



All the questions about a 'roadmap out of lockdown' are particularly nauseating, it's almost like they are asking about their holiday and when can they have it

Firstly it was , when are we locking down when are we locking down? We locked down. Secondly, when are we opening up, when are we opening up?

 

[yxee]

The way I see it .....

Every media pressure is under huge pressure, even more so that usual, for clicks, relevance, survival etc.

The way out is to drive up their market share.

They way they do this is to give people what they want. What people want is to be worried about stuff. It's like some morbid fascination.

If you think the above sentence is wrong, think about it. Why else would the media be tripping over itself to accentuate bad news? They know people will delve further into their content if they do. Many news organisations do have an agenda to push ... but the basic truth is that the only real motivation they have is for self preservation.

So if there's a tsunami on the news, with shocking footage, you'll blatantly watch it. A heartwarming feature about the reconstruction after the tsumani ... you're less likely to. (awaits a load of replies suggesting you're one of the few in some way above this)

So if you're upset with the way stuff is reported, change your consumer behaviour. This will require a conscious effort

You're right of course but all it tells me is: 1) we need to do something to fund journalism in other ways than clicks, because then it is glorified entertainment. And 2) why is the BBC doing this as well? They are not funded by clicks but some of the radio presenters are the worst out there.

 

[dazzer6666]

The BBC daily death count is not uplifting.

That's part of it - every they reel off the stats without any context - like 'The total number of infections was 11,500 - that's UP from yesterday' (no mention that it's only by a couple of hundred, does fluctuate daily and that the number has been dropping at 25% a week for over a month and was nearly 70k in early Jan) - same applies to deaths and hospital admissions. Even when they show the graphs - which show a very clear and steep decline - they don't really comment on it. There has to be an agenda behind it..........

 

[Easy 10]

I believe there's a real issue here.

I've done some training n mental health, by no means qualified but enough to be considered a laymen councillor for my company. The constant mentioning of mental health is beginning to dilute the message.

It's great that people can now talk without fear of being considered a nutter or suffering in silence. However now everyone has to have it and this is where the damage occurs. You can no longer have a pissed off day, be grumpy, get out the wrong side of the bed, you have to have issues. Those that truly need the expertise are now saddled with all the hangers on who are just pissed off because there best shirt got ruined in the wash.

Couldn't agree more

To be clear, I'm not demeaning those who have genuine mental issues and depression. But it feels like we've got to a point now whereby anyone who is bored / pissed off / unhappy is now having "mental health issues". I think we used to call these, err...."moods", didn't we ? People fed up with lockdown say its "affecting my mental health", as they stick on another boxset and crack open the Ben & Jerrys again.

Please.

 

[maltaseagull]

Sorry

OK here we go

First Daffodil has flowered in my garden. Wonderful news!

I repaired the water leak in our horses field meaning no more lugging of water containers. Well done!

Palace fans are really worried about us. Happy about that

I've got my vaccine this afternoon. Great stuff

My son, 19, managed for the first time in his life to replace the toilet roll and put it in the holder. How on Earth did you manage to teach him that?
Did you find a you tube video?

My daughter loaded the dishwasher without being asked.

See above but her instead of him

All very positive

 

[Weststander]

The constant hourly mentions on all news media of mental health, the role of the media play in the positive feel or indeed the negative is beginning to really concern me. I've watched the BBC news and particularly Victoria Derbyshire and she could put a negative slant on the most positive story. Her demeanour is so bloody dour.

It's time now for the good news items to dominate yet the media appear to look for the most morale destroying items they can. If something good is presented they eventually dissect it so much the positivity disappears. They have stopped showing people who have survived being hospitalised by covid, why? Because so many are now surviving it's no longer considered news worthy but it is.

It's no wonder the children are suffering when all you hear is doom and gloom.

And finally...........................(good news item to cheer us up)

Interestingly, I thought exactly the same about VB this morning, she was so bloody miserable.

Beneath the dull Bolton tones, she has a heart of gold, she was brilliant on R5.

Her editors and her, were looking to avoid all good news on vaccines and metrics eg I know folk in their early 60’s who’ve just been vaccinated, it’s going incredibly well. Instead looking to shite stir and spread gloom on the eternal debate on when schools should reopen. Which isn’t actually a left v right battle ... head teachers and the unions have mixed stances, whilst child psychologists and others are strong on schools should now reopen.

My life technique is to stay abreast of the facts (not hyperbole and petty party political bitching) online and sometimes dip into TV news when I’m in the mood. Instead watching a load of escapist TV and movies, listen to music, immerse myself in interests and get some fresh air.

BBC News has got worse over the years with hyperbole and gloom, my guess is due to the relentless competition from Sky News. They’ve succumbed in falling for the same formula of hype, gloom and stirring.

 

[blue-shifted]

You're right of course but all it tells me is: 1) we need to do something to fund journalism in other ways than clicks, because then it is glorified entertainment. And 2) why is the BBC doing this as well? They are not funded by clicks but some of the radio presenters are the worst out there.

1) Any suggestions?

2) The BBC are motivated by viewing figures as much as any other TV station. If they are widely irrelevant then the justification for the licence fee goes

 

[Deleted member 22389]

I 100% agree with this.

I fully understand that the population must be informed that things are not what they should be, and will not be for some time but please lighten up, the BBC especially are prone to over analysing every little mistake.

All the questions about a 'roadmap out of lockdown' are particularly nauseating, it's almost like they are asking about their holiday and when can they have it

Don't forget, a lot of the elderly going through this have also lived through World War Two and the news in those days had a good mix of positive news to go alongside the negative aspects. I'm sure they didn't keep talking about Mental Health and Holidays on the radio during all those years. Of course mental health and schooling are big issues but let's get through this with as much postive spirit as we can muster, the media can go a long way in helping us with this.

I turn the news off these days for the reasons you mention. All I do now is check the figures to see if they are coming down, and to continue following the original advice about staying in.

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Interestingly, I thought exactly the same about VB this morning, she was so bloody miserable.

Beneath the dull Bolton tones, she has a heart of gold, she was brilliant on R5.

Her editors and her, were looking to avoid all good news on vaccines and metrics eg I know folk in their early 60’s who’ve just been vaccinated, it’s going incredibly well. Instead looking to shite stir and spread gloom on the eternal debate on when schools should reopen. Which isn’t actually a left v right battle ... head teachers and the unions have mixed stances, whilst child psychologists and others are strong on schools should now reopen.

My life technique is to stay abreast of the facts (not hyperbole and petty party political bitching) online and sometimes dip into TV news when I’m in the mood. Instead watching a load of escapist TV and movies, listen to music, immerse myself in interests and get some fresh air.

BBC News has got worse over the years with hyperbole and gloom, my guess is due to the relentless competition from Sky News. They’ve succumbed in falling for the same formula of hype, gloom and stirring.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Couldn't agree more

To be clear, I'm not demeaning those who have genuine mental issues and depression. But it feels like we've got to a point now whereby anyone who is bored / pissed off / unhappy is now having "mental health issues". I think we used to call these, err...."moods", didn't we ? People fed up with lockdown say its "affecting my mental health", as they stick on another boxset and crack open the Ben & Jerrys again.

Please.

The problem is not just it gets diluted and the help doesn't get to the ones needing it, it's the fact days lost in the workplace for MH issues are now huge. It used to be the bad back issue but it has been replaced by another "hidden" problem. Management have to tip toe around the subject and so it's easy to be used for those that don't want to work. Go to the doctor and get signed off with stress. That is a huge shame and will do huge damage to the validity of those that are genuine.

 

[A1X]

If the negative reporting is keeping people vigilant and adhering to the rules then that's absolutely fine as far as I'm concerned. Better that than a load of the happy-clappy nonsense we saw from some supposed "experts" last year who would have had us all running around like normal last June.

 

[dazzer6666]

If the negative reporting is keeping people vigilant and adhering to the rules then that's absolutely fine as far as I'm concerned. Better that than a load of the happy-clappy nonsense we saw from some supposed "experts" last year who would have had us all running around like normal last June.

It needs to be more balanced IMO - 'infections reported today are 10k, which is in line with recent days and means we're maintaining a 25% reduction week on week, but the numbers are still very high and well above where they were at xx in the first wave..........need to maintain restrictions.......distancing........etc etc'

 

[BBassic]

The problem is not just it gets diluted and the help doesn't get to the ones needing it, it's the fact days lost in the workplace for MH issues are now huge. It used to be the bad back issue but it has been replaced by another "hidden" problem. Management have to tip toe around the subject and so it's easy to be used for those that don't want to work. Go to the doctor and get signed off with stress. That is a huge shame and will do huge damage to the validity of those that are genuine.

Who decides whether its genuine or not?

My other half is a psychologist and I'd wager she'd argue that anyone reporting mental health issues believes them to be genuine to themselves and need to be treated as such.