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> In a democracy, citizens have a moral obligation to be informed enough to make a qualified decision at the ballot box. Even if you accept this is true, I hav

by blix 4y ago

> In a democracy, citizens have a moral obligation to be informed enough to make a qualified decision at the ballot box. Even if you accept this is true, I have a hard time believing that 'following the news' actually achieves this in any substantial way. If anything, it may have the opposite effect, as ad-driven sensationalism selects for disjointed, short-term stories with large emotional impacts over those which enable readers to form far-seeing, rational, coherent world-views.

icelancer 4y ago
It's also generally not how people vote anyway. People primarily vote based on their virtues, morals, and issues that they perceive to be important and correct. The news certainly has an impact, but not that much after they're adults. At some point watching the news is purely entertainment at best, and a way to feel better than others by being more informed at worst.
- epolanski 4y ago
  > primarily vote based on their virtues, morals, and issues that they perceive to be important and correct. You wish. People have always voted with their guts and feelings, much less with their brain.
  - icelancer 4y ago
    Virtues are morals live not in the brain - they are not derived by reason - so we're in agreement.
  - amanaplanacanal 4y ago
    People do everything with their guts and feelings, then use their brains to rationalize their decisions afterward.
enumjorge 4y ago
Imagine a scenario where one the local officials you voted for is caught misusing city funds. I'd imagine you want to know this come election time. How else does democracy work, if voters don't know what happened? I'm not saying that what currently passes for news is a good solution, but I feel like a lot of people sort of throw the baby with the bathwater and justify completely detaching themselves from what's happening because news are heavily flawed. They are, and I don't blame anyone person from taking a break, but it doesn't scale. If a large percentage of the population does it it causes problems.
- blix 4y ago
  > Imagine a scenario where one the local officials you voted for is caught misusing city funds. When I was younger, two consecutive governors from opposite parties both ended up in prison for their activity as elected officials. The STOCK act was passed 10 years ago, but insider trading in congress remains rampant. We have different expecations.

by blix 4y ago

icelancer 4y ago

It's also generally not how people vote anyway. People primarily vote based on their virtues, morals, and issues that they perceive to be important and correct. The news certainly has an impact, but not that much after they're adults. At some point watching the news is purely entertainment at best, and a way to feel better than others by being more informed at worst.

epolanski 4y ago
> primarily vote based on their virtues, morals, and issues that they perceive to be important and correct. You wish. People have always voted with their guts and feelings, much less with their brain.
- icelancer 4y ago
  Virtues are morals live not in the brain - they are not derived by reason - so we're in agreement.
- amanaplanacanal 4y ago
  People do everything with their guts and feelings, then use their brains to rationalize their decisions afterward.

enumjorge 4y ago

Imagine a scenario where one the local officials you voted for is caught misusing city funds. I'd imagine you want to know this come election time. How else does democracy work, if voters don't know what happened? I'm not saying that what currently passes for news is a good solution, but I feel like a lot of people sort of throw the baby with the bathwater and justify completely detaching themselves from what's happening because news are heavily flawed. They are, and I don't blame anyone person from taking a break, but it doesn't scale. If a large percentage of the population does it it causes problems.

blix 4y ago
> Imagine a scenario where one the local officials you voted for is caught misusing city funds. When I was younger, two consecutive governors from opposite parties both ended up in prison for their activity as elected officials. The STOCK act was passed 10 years ago, but insider trading in congress remains rampant. We have different expecations.