America, remember Ralph Nader!
You know I never know what I’m going to write about from week to week. I trust the inner whispers of my gut, the zeitgeist, and my obsessive-compulsive information gathering to guide me. What I am most concerned about this week is the almost complete disintegration of trusted sources of information and news as we head into this election year. Even though I am “retired” from the media biz, I still follow the news about it thanks to Patrick Phillips who curates a daily roundup of media business news called Media Star. I highly recommend it. However, it’s like watching a thousand vehicles pile up in a fiery bloody crash on a foggy icy highway in slow motion.
The headlines? Network television viewership is crashing to new lows, the “new media” darlings of the recent past (Vice, Buzzfeed) are selling themselves for parts, and the old darlings (Facebook and Google) are even laying off lots of people, the billionaires and venture capitalists who thought they could save iconic brands (Time, Newsweek, Fortune, Washington Post) and turn them around are learning the saying I have heard many times from Charlie Melcher of Melcher Media…”How do you make a small fortune in publishing? Start with a large one.” Twitter is relying on AI-generated porn of Taylor Swift to get traffic (I am 100% betting on Taylor to resolve this one). All the old media companies of record (NYT, Hearst, Conde Nast) are now unionized. All the local newspapers have been devoured by venture capitalists and either been gutted or shut town. And all the kids and people who are on TikTok, Instagram, or other socials are getting a confusing mix of propaganda, real-time citizen journalism that could also be fake, and lots of crazy theories about aliens, astrology, and WWIII. And even the sources that seemed trustworthy in the past, like NPR or the BBC on the regular show their white blind spots, no matter how hard they try not to.
The time for complaining about social media is past. It is here and it’s what we have to work with. The bad news is that it has destroyed all the prior media sources by stealing content and giving it away for free (thinking that advertising would carry the day. Ha. I tried to warn them.) The good news is that social media shows us things around the world that we wouldn’t otherwise ever see and allows us to see different perspectives IF we seek them out and don’t just wallow in our usual crack houses, whatever they may be.
Speaking of crack houses, one of the most addicting and destructive tendencies is for people and the media to rely on outrage to get clicks and viewers. Whether a media source wants to make you clutch your pearls or grab a gun is a sure sign that it may be fake news. Sadly, most of the truly outraged people I have known from the original Facebook era have passed from cancer. Outrage is bad for your health! Probably worse than smoking or eating any demon foods (whatever you think the demon is). But this is not just a right-wing problem — the left-wing can get just as outraged by things. There is a time for outrage, but make sure to use it wisely and when it’s most needed. Lest you think I am a cold, unfeeling person, I too am outraged by what I see happening in the middle east. But I also know from all my research and investigations that my outrage is not going to solve this ancient, deeply imbedded, cultural feuding. And violence against innocent women and children is not new. In fact, the Bible and other religious texts often condone it. This is why I am happy that more people than ever identify as “nones” when it comes to religion. I am in that group.
So, what’s the solution?
First, rely on more than one source. I like Heather Cox Richardson and read her every day. But when I share her posts with friends from other countries, they point out different and worthwhile perspectives. So make sure you are looking at news sources from other countries and the people who actually live there as well as your usual sources. Try to look at both sides of any issue and listen to divergent voices, whether they be political, racial, or cultural. In fact, on Threads right now there are a lot of people who actually live on the Mexico border who are attesting to the fact that there is no major problem there. I do know (from multiple sources) that there is a bi-partisan plan to solve it but a few rogue republicans, fueled by Trump wanting to keep the border as a campaign issue, are blocking it from passing. Another great curated newsletter is done by Howard Polskin, who used to work for the Magazine Publishers of America (RIP). It’s called TheRighting, and it reviews all the right wing media so that we can be informed of what their issues and beliefs are.
Second, look at multiple sources of data. Data can be easily manipulated to tell any story. So do the extra work to look at multiple data points and dig deeper into them. Look at the data both horizontally and vertically. Also, make sure to check who funded the research, which is often buried. We now know, for instance, that the push to recycle plastics was manufactured by the plastic industry and is mostly bullshit. So now we are all drinking plastic bits every day and even the clouds are raining down plastic. The data may not lie, but people do and people can pick and choose which data to show you — especially if profits are at stake.
Third, look with your own eyes. See for yourself. Talk with people who have different views than yours. Go places where you feel uncomfortable. For example, I find the people who are most afraid of New York City are the people who have never been there and are afraid to even go. I’m afraid of things too, all the time. But when I overcome my fear I am rewarded with first-hand information. By overcoming my fear of snorkeling in the ocean, I can see for myself that the reefs really are dying from the ocean’s heating up, sunscreen use, and plastic pollution. By going into intimidating super luxury places (whether I spend money there or not) I can see for myself that money doesn’t buy happiness. This week I went to a farmers market where I was the only white person. I learned so much! It was wonderful. By working the polls during elections, I can see the whole range of the community I live in and see them as valued human beings, despite our differences.
Fourth, give money to the sources you trust because money is how people get paid to do the hard work and survive and feed their families. Resist the urge to give money to the grifters — whether they are politicians, NGOs, or churches. Check where your money goes and confirm it is something you can trust. Personally, I pay for subscriptions to New Scientist and Nautilus, because getting science info is important to me. Not everything they report on is right, but it’s interesting. I also pay for subscriptions to newsletters on Substack and Patreon written by people I trust, who are also not always right. Non profit investigative journalism groups like ProPublica are also important. I also support my local non-profit news sources. By having a wide net of information and supporting the reliable ones financially, I can glean the patterns and things that seem true to me while enabling their continuation.
Fifth, understand the difference between News and Editorials/Opinions. News is fact-based. It’s the 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where and Why). Editorials are opinions. For example, this newsletter that you are reading now is technically considered an editorial or opinion. I’m trying my best to give you trustworthy information, but you should not rely on me to get the full story. I am just one source. Real news is rare these days. It used to be the purview of the local newspapers. Maybe in this dearth of real news, someone will think of a new model that works. It will have to be advertising free and you will have to pay for it for it to be real news. You are probably paying for entertainment, so why wouldn’t you pay for critical and important news? The truth is we all have some sort of ax to grind. Even me. But real news takes time, consistency and research. I am thinking specifically of a local reporter where I live, Paul Willistein. He shows up to all the local meetings and reports on them. And often, he provides valuable information that could only come from someone paying attention over a long period of time. That’s important!
Lastly, don’t make fun of people, ask them why instead. I was actually disappointed to see that John Stewart was returning to host the Daily Show. I actually put a lot of the responsibility of where we are today on people like him who use humor to shame and ridicule conservatives. Too many people were using that as their primary news source, not realizing the anger that it created in those who were the brunt of the laughs. NO ONE likes to be bullied. I love humor. Humor is essential. But hurtful humor does more harm than good. Trust me. I grew up in a home where teasing and humor was the only safe way to say hard things and it caused trauma I am still recovering from.
But here is my opinion, based on tons of research and lived experience: This election year is probably (it’s still too early to say for sure) going to be a choice between two old men, one of whose goal is to dismantle our democracy and refuses to fight fairly, the other whose goal is to preserve our democracy and probably tries too hard to fight fairly. The anti-democratic forces in the world (Russia, China, North Korea, Hungary, and the Middle East) are going to try to destabilize us and convince us to go with dismantling democracy. After all, it’s more profitable to the oligarchs and protective of criminal enterprises and corruption. The democratic forces, many of whom are also under attack or trying to pick the right side of a battle where there are no right sides, are trying to do the right thing in a world that they no longer understand and that doesn’t play by the same rules anymore. In 2024 there are no rules. And maybe that’s okay. Meanwhile, the earth IS getting hotter (fact). The oceans are getting hotter (fact). And the time to solve those problems seems to be getting more dire (opinion and fact combined).
The perfect candidate does not exist — male or female, and if you don’t like it then run for office. But also, remember Ralph Nader. He ran against Al Gore and Bush as the “radical” Green party candidate and siphoned off just enough votes from disenfranchised people to hand Bush the Presidency by the slimest electoral college illegal maneuverings possible. Even though Gore won the popular vote by over 500,000. Can you imagine where we would be on Global Warming and Climate Change if Al Gore would have been President? It would be a whole different planet. A better one.
I don’t know what the future of the news and media business will be, but I know it won’t be invented by my generation. Humans are a species starving for information and connection, so I’m sure someone will crack the new code. Meanwhile, make your choices this year based on a wide range of information. Then trust your gut to make the right decision for you.
Thank you Maria! Such wise words for these times.
Maria, your insights are deep.
Regardless of the political affiliation,
both sides are focused on hatred of the other. Even if a great solution is presented, if it comes from the other side, it is wrong.
Like stagnant water, don't drink the propaganda. Yet those wells run deep within people.
Somehow, people need to see each other as people, not enemies. Deep down inside"
We are all humans.
We want the same things:
A safe life for our children,
To be able to see and accept the differences in others,
And celebrate the commonalities with them.
All religions and spiritualities teach
Love thy Neighbor.
They don't say except.
Perhaps that should be the campaign.
Love thy neighboe,no matter what.