I’d suggest that a key exception to this is for state-funded, independent broadcasters such as the BBC, Deutsche Welle, the Australian ABC, NPR etc.

Because they have a profit-motive removed, I find that the quality of their journalism can often be higher than commercial media. Not always true (and it’s becoming increasingly untrue) but it’s the most common form of journalism that is both free to consume and of a relatively high quality.

It depends on the group you join! I’m sure there are groups geared towards more casual gamers that have a shallower difficulty curve. I’m a fan of many-session tabletop RPGs (like DnD) and depending on who you have running the group, you can alter the rules to fit the skill set of the people playing. One time my mates and I were at the pub and played an impromptu game of DnD with no characters, spells, items etc - the guy running it just described what the situation was; we described what we wanted to do; and we then rolled a D20 with the guy running it deciding whether or not we were successful, or what unintended consequences happened as a result. It was tonnes of fun!