Why we need to bring news back to the dinner table
With hollowed out newsrooms, AI, misinformation and conspiracies running rife, an unwillingness to bring up anything in the news is becoming de rigueur for too many families going into the holiday season.
Chris Couchman, head of content at Readly, asks if our reluctance to discuss news at the dinner table could be making a bad problem worse - and depriving our kids of a valuable opportunity to learn about the world around them.
With hollowed out newsrooms, AI, misinformation and conspiracies running rife, an unwillingness to bring up anything in the news is becoming de riguer for too many families going into the holiday season. But could our reluctance to discuss news at the dinner table be making a bad problem worse and depriving our kids of a valuable opportunity to learn about the world around them?
Even without all the doom-and-gloom dominating global headlines, it’s become apparent that news participation is declining. A study by researchers based at Oxford University and the University of Zurich found that participation in news has drastically plummeted between 2015 and 2022 across 46 countries around the world. Countries with high political polarisation and those with low trust in news were the most likely to turn away from news participation including commenting on mainstream news stories.
Digital app Readly’s global surveys found the lack of participation in news is trickling down to our children as well. Despite the universally acknowledged advantages of reading, 62% of Americans did not read newspapers, magazines, or journalistic content to their children. In Australia that figure was a similar 60%, with 30% of parents and grandparents not reading to children at all.
Readly’s most recent Ipsos poll in the UK found that 32% of Britons ‘never have arguments or discussions during the holidays’. For those that do discuss controversial matters, politics was the topic that led to the most heated and destructive arguments at the table 30% of the time.
Yet the old adage ‘no politics at the dinner’ should not go unchallenged. 26% said they commonly discussed news or articles from newspapers and magazines at family gatherings. 1 in 10 said such discussions provided them with different perspectives and helped them understand diverse viewpoints, which is a small amount of respondents that needs to be increased. Only 14% believed family discussions, whether heated or constructive, helped strengthen family bonds through open communication.
Open communication is key when an elderly uncle seems vulnerable to conspiracy theories or a teenage cousin risks becoming radicalised through online misinformation. Being able to talk openly with your family even if you don’t agree leaves lines of communication open and shields them from falling prey to damaging lies.
Many children who often consume news via social media find the information they come across frightening, but lack the critical thinking skills to make sense of what they’re reading. In Australia Readly found that 42% of respondents believed it was essential that their children had access to verified journalistic content.
Yet meaningful family conversations at the dinner table are becoming increasingly rare – and this is only to our detriment. Our unwillingness to discuss important matters, gently probe a different point of view, and challenge untruths erodes our collective understanding of objective facts.
In Australia less than half of children and teens are confident in their ability to discern real news stories from fake. In the US only 38% of adults were taught how to analyse media messaging. 62% of US adults surveyed by Media Literacy Now said they never had the opportunity in high school to reflect on the way media affected their beliefs, feelings, or actions.
Journalism is the ultimate starting point for engaging, thought-provoking dinner table conversations, often sparked with a simple question: “Did you read about…?” It provides us with the chance to discuss matters which affect us all whether its which candidate will get elected or what issues are currently being debated by legislators.
Parents and grandparents are missing out on the chance to nurture children’s critical thinking skills, children on the other hand lose out on being able to ask questions and develop their critical thinking skills. As we collectively scroll through social media or binge on streaming services, the declining habit of sharing news and discussing societal issues robs us of our ability to understand the world around us.
Good journalism provides credible, well-researched stories that spark curiosity and conversation. The dinner table presents a unique opportunity for families to respectfully debate about current issues. Beyond fostering familial bonds, these discussions help cultivate a better understanding of current events and issues like climate change, technology, and global politics — topics vital to shaping informed citizens.
Young or old, we all benefit from re-engaging with verified journalism. At a time when political divisiveness and ignorance is capable of shattering families, being able to talk politics at dinner is something worth nurturing at all costs.
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