Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised His disciples, “Never eat very palatable foodstuff. Never talk these village talks.” Ordinary novel, literature, newspaper, He forbade.

Fortunately, in our Society there is no newspaper. You may be surprised that “How is that, in modern age, especially these Europeans and Americans, they do not take any interest in newspaper?” In their country, if one does not get newspaper, it is horrible. It is horrible. Newspaper is so popular in the Western countries. There are so many newspapers, and each newspaper is publishing three, four times editions. But they are selling. But you’ll find that these boys, these Americans boys who have come to Krsna consciousness, they have kicked out newspaper. No more newspaper. Because there is no krsna-katha, they don’t like to read it. This is called bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [SB 11.2.42].

This is the test. We do not know what is the happening daily. It is…, it does not matter, newspaper. It is a waste of time. Better that time read some literature like Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita. You’ll be benefited. Why you should waste the valuable time of your life?

Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.12 – November 12, 1974, Bombay