How to Survive Mentally During Trump 2.0
A Veteran Insider's Guide on How to Consume the News Without Letting It Consume You
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Overview | Low Fat News Diet | Best Surveys | Your BS Meter | TickyTok News Sources | Big Bang Democracy
Overview
It’s time to take back control of your nerves. Here’s a way to stay informed yet no longer be a hostage to alarmist click-bait headlines and confusing information. No matter on which side of issues you stand you have long been targeted by special interest ‘journalism’ that pulls on your emotions, offers self serving ‘facts’ and triggers fear and anger. You might need a plan for using less emotional energy on news and views. Here’s one.
(1) The Low-Fat News Diet
Focus on fact based reporting. Make your first read each day The Associated Press and/or Reuters. These are long established news agencies that supply news copy to virtually every newspaper and tv operation in the world. If you look closely, a lot of publications will simply use AP or Reuters stories verbatim, as they come in on the feeds. Why? Because these news agencies, and there are few left anymore, are in the business of providing their clients (publications and broadcasters) with straight forward fact-based coverage.
Sure, some papers, and a lot of broadcasters, will use their agency feeds as first drafts (pie crusts) then add their own fillings. The agencies’ own rules are that if a publisher is using their copy verbatim, the agency must be credited. That credit is sometimes found at the top of a newspaper story, or at the bottom. The rule of thumb is that if you use a complete sentence, or even a phrase, exactly as it came in on the agency feed, that agency must be credited. In practice, tv and radio operations will often re-write or re-phrase AP or Reuters copy and present it on air or online as their own. No agency credit given. That’s why, for instance, a broadcaster who has never left New York can tell you all about what’s happening in a war zone in the Balkans.
My point is that while AP and Reuters are as close as it gets to straight fact reporting, even their copy can be altered without you knowing it, if it is not labeled as AP or Reuters. That is why I say: READ THE AP OR REUTERS DIRECT FROM THE SOURCE. How? Just click on those links above, or here: AP and Reuters. You may be asked to sign up. Do it. There is, so far, no pay wall. They will ask for a voluntary contribution and you can determine how much that is. It is the best bargain in global information.
Are the AP and Reuters perfect? Of course not. Some stories, by their very nature, will make someone look bad, or piss off one section of the public. But bear in mind that the AP and Reuters, to exist, need corporate subscribers on all sides of politics. Their unique value is that of serving as a fact based scaffolding, upon which their corporate clients can either (1) build their own narrative by editing the agency copy, or (2) save themselves from having to hire a lot of their own reporters by using agencies stories verbatim (and credited).
For you, the AP and Reuters are largely trustworthy friends, no matter who you vote for. They may not give you the facts you want, but they will be facts. And you can see those stories with a click.
None of this means you should’t indulge in your favorite media platform if you wish.
(2) Don’t Waste Time with Second Rate Opinion Polls
Go First Class. You only need a few reliable survey companies in your head. These are my favorites because they are transparent about their methodology.
(1) My first go-to is The Pew Research Center.
The Pew Research Center (also simply known as Pew) is a nonpartisanAmerican think tank based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world.[2] It also conducts public opinion polling, demographicresearch, random sample survey research, and panel based surveys,[4]media content analysis, and other empirical social science research.
The Pew Research Center states it does not take policy stances. It is a subsidiary of the Pew Charitable Trusts[5][6] and a charter member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research's Transparency Initiative. (Source: Wiki)
(2) Gallop: Focus on politics, economics, well being and world affairs. Trusted for decades-long history of conducting methodologically sound public opinion polls.
(3) Ipsos Public Affairs: Same sort of methods
(4). YouGov (UK): Consumer attitudes, cultural trends, and political opinions.
(5) Quinnipiac University Poll
(6) FiveThirtyEight Polling: Aggregates and weights polls for political predictions
(7). ABC News/Washington Post Poll: Combines the expertise of a major news outlet with survey specialists.
(8) The Harris Poll: Longstanding reputation and credibility in market and opinion research.
(3) Trust Yourself
Your own bullshit meter is as good as any other. Trust what you see, not what a broadcaster, ‘influencer’ or newspaper tells you what it means. For instance: Elon Musk recently gave a Hilter style salute to a Trump rally. Most of us have probably seen the photo. Yet the Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, said it "drew scrutiny" and was "embraced by right-wing extremists regardless of what he meant." The closest the Post came, in that first report, to acknowledging what you saw with your own eyes was to say the gesture was interpreted by some as a Nazi salute, while others, including the Anti-Defamation League, considered it an awkward gesture made in a moment of enthusiasm. Well, Elon made that awkward gesture at least twice that night. The Post couldn’t even summon up the courage to straight-out call it a Nazi style salute: which it was, even if you buy into the awkward enthusiasm bit. As for why the Post is so timid, I’ll address that elephant in the room during the section called ‘Big Bang Democracy.’.
Trust yourself to also relax and disregard half-assed predictions and warnings. Virtually all main stream media, from time to time, use the following kinds of crutch words:
“Could be…”, “Might be…”; “Up to…” ; ”As much as …” ; “Threatens to be…”; etc.
Those vague hedge words are designed to (A) avoid precise facts, which could change five minutes later, (B) make us worry that something really horrible is just around the corner; (C) that we better stay glued to their coverage or we might be caught off guard; and (D) to cover the publication or broadcaster’s backside when those implied predictions never materialize (“it was never a promise’).
Hedge words might make it seem like a reporter is on top of developments, thus so are you, but unless it’s clearly labeled as speculation it is basically lazy journalism. Don’t burn your brain on speculation. Don’t bite unless they put meat on the table.
(4) News Influencers
According to a Pew Research report, about one-in-five U.S. adults (21%) say they regularly get news from news influencers on social media. About three-quarters of news influencers (77%) have no past or present affiliation with a news media organization, while 23% have been employed in the news industry in some way. X (f-Twitter) and TikTok are the most watched. Sixty three % of influencers are men, compared with 30% who are women. Overall, more news influencers explicitly present a politically right-leaning orientation than a left-leaning one (27% vs. 21%). About half of influencers do not express any clear political orientation. (Report Source: Pew)
So, there is a clear eyeball drain away from the so-called ‘mainstream’ news media to social media personalities, many of whom are charismatic but most of whom are not news reporters.
Who do you choose when looking for fact based reporting? In your circle, who do the kids and young adults choose?
(5) Big Bang Democracy
Maybe you are fed up with Jeff Bezos’ Washington Post for seemingly (my crutch word) kowtowing to Donald Trump. Or perhaps you hate CNN for its liberalism. Let’s assume there are millions of disaffected readers or viewers on the left and right. What can one person do? Stop reading and watching? Yes. No big deal, but no one will notice. True. This has always been why big companies, including news organizations are usually insulated against public anger. Case in point: Prior to her car crash death in Paris on August 31, 1997, the late Diana, Princess of Wales had been widely ridiculed in the British media, with allegations in the papers of attention seeking, mental instability and more. That was rich coming from newspapers; she was a goldmine for them. Newspaper customers could’t get enough news about her, the murkier the better. The morning after her death I was doing live shots at the gates of Kensington Place for ABC’s Good Morning America. In between takes, Brits came up to me, raging about us in the media, and how we ‘hounded her to her grave.’ Each time I asked who they blamed. One of the most common newspapers mentioned was The Sun. Whenever I asked which paper they read, most said “The Sun.” Therein lies the power dynamic between big media, or for that matter big business, and us little consumers. As individuals we struggle to (A) believe we could ever make a difference, (B) fail to connect our individual loyalty to a product or brand with any harm being done to our country or our principles, and (C) don’t know how or where to make change happen.
This is How You Can Do it
Start with your friends. Club together to withdraw your support or subscription to media outlets you believe are irresponsible. The same goes for large businesses. Referring back to the Diana Princess of Wales story, if 50 percent of readers of the Sun had stopped reading the paper because of its treatment of Diana, that tabloid would have either closed down within weeks, maybe even days, or would have revised its reporting
But it takes a group awareness. It can begin done in fives or tens. Then each one of your five or ten friends reaches out to ten more. Give it a name and slogan. Lobby local politicians and news organizations. Create merch. Become a spreading virus. Scientists say the Universe began as small as a pinhead then, after pressure built up, expanded into the Big Bang. Look at it this way, only 10 percent off of the subscription or sale ledger of a major company is a huge wake up call.
Based on the historical lack of grass roots movements against big players, this is a steep climb. It’s either considered by a lot of people to be worth it or not. But Democracy, which is now the focus of so much anxiety, still allows us little ones to spend, or not to spend, our dollars as we wish. Worth a mention, in case someone out there runs with it.
Great advice --- Thanks!
A GREAT ARTICLE! Thank you. Spot on.