News episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 21, 2017 · 24 MIN

News

from The Why Factor · host BBC World Service

News has a powerful pull. We spend so much of our time checking it, absorbing it and talking about it. And some of us even claim to be addicted to it. But why, asks David Baker, do we need news in the first place? So much of what goes on in the world is beyond our control and hearing about it can just make us more depressed. Would we be better off just disconnecting from the news? Or is it part of our civic duty to be informed? And is news really just another form of entertainment – a modern-day version of that basic human pleasure of swapping stories around the campfire?(Photo: Men sit with paper and phone, Credit: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock)

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 21, 2017

News has a powerful pull. We spend so much of our time checking it, absorbing it and talking about it. And some of us even claim to be addicted to it. But why, asks David Baker, do we need news in the first place? So much of what goes on in the world is beyond our control and hearing about it can just make us more depressed. Would we be better off just disconnecting from the news? Or is it part of our civic duty to be informed? And is news really just another form of entertainment – a modern-day version of that basic human pleasure of swapping stories around the campfire?(Photo: Men sit with paper and phone, Credit: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock)

PodParley-generated summary based on available episode metadata and transcript content.

NOW PLAYING

News

0:00 24:25

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Why Factor?

This episode is 24 minutes long.

When was this The Why Factor episode published?

This episode was published on August 21, 2017.

What is this episode about?

News has a powerful pull. We spend so much of our time checking it, absorbing it and talking about it. And some of us even claim to be addicted to it. But why, asks David Baker, do we need news in the first place? So much of what goes on in the...

Can I download this The Why Factor episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!