Is switching off dangerous? War, disaster, constitutional crisis: we are all subjected all the time to a barrage of bad news. Some would just rather stop paying attention.
The best answer to bad news overload
Bombarded: In 2024, 96% of UK adults said they consumed the news in some form — but people are turning away from newspapers and towards social media. Glossary
Venice - A seaport in Italy. It is built on many small islands.
Frisson - A sudden and strong feeling of excitement or fear.
Heresy - A belief that contradicts the accepted (usually religious) view.
Anne Boleyn - The second wife (of six) of England's King Henry VIII. She was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 before she was beheaded.
White House - The official residence of the US president, in Washington DC. Burnt by British troops in 1814, it was rebuilt and painted white to hide the smoke stains.
Medieval - Relating to the Middle Ages.
Authoritarian - Enforcing strict obedience to authority.
Persecution - Ill treatment and oppression, especially due to a person's beliefs or race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or other factors.
Dictatorship - A form of government in which one person possesses all the power without any limits.
Democracy - A system of government based on the idea of rule by the people.
Joseph Stalin - Dictator of the Soviet Union. Stalin has been accused of numerous human rights abuses, including sentencing around a million political opponents to death and prison.
Demagogues - A leader who takes power by whipping up the people against the elites, usually in a cynical and self-serving way.
Populists - Populism is a political approach whereby a politician tries to appeal to ordinary people who feel that they have been let down by elite groups.