The People’s Guide to Reading the News in 2018
I’m in PR, which means I talk to journalists everyday and get to see how the media sausage is made. In today’s ultra-polarized media environment, when the news moves fast and social media moves even faster, there is no better time to share my “People’s Guide to Reading the News in 2018” with you.
Opinions Are Like…
Think about an opinion you hold. Here are a couple of mine for inspiration: I love pineapple on pizza (please withhold your judgment). I support universal healthcare.
Now, ask yourself how you arrived at that opinion. Which media outlets do you read? Which social media platforms do you frequent? What’s your favorite TV network? Here’s a tough question, and be honest: Do your preferred sources of information give you facts, or do they give you a point of view?
Our opinions are a distillation of the posts we read on Facebook, the people we talk to, the experiences we have, and the news we consume. Most of us have curated our sources of information to reflect our world views — after all, we spend at least three hours online per day, so we want our online spaces to feel comfortable and pleasant. Are you a Democrat who’s sick of reading your Republican uncle’s Facebook rages against “liberal snowflakes”? Or a Republican who’s just about had it with your Democratic cousin’s anti-Trump rhetoric? There’s an “unfriend” button made for that purpose. Clean up your online world, further entrench your opinions. What I’m describing is called an echo chamber — and we each have one.
Publish Now, Check Facts Later?
As PR professional Ryan Holiday suggests in his controversial book Trust Me, I’m Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator, in 2018, we’ve reached an interesting crossroads in which much of what we read is opinion disguised as news; while at the same time, the responsibility for fact-checking has fallen upon us, the everyday consumer.
According to Holiday, the rapid-fire news cycle has engendered a “publish now, check facts later” world, in which many journalists* must compete with each other to stay relevant — and sometimes that means speed at the expense of accuracy. Furthermore, journalists are no longer the exclusive gatekeepers to information — I can post an article to Medium right now and become a “journalist” in my own right, even if I have no idea what I’m doing.
This new type of news demands a new approach to reading it. Here are a few ground rules for reading the news in 2018:
Rule #1: Don’t believe everything you read.
This may seem self-evident, but again and again, I’ve seen respected friends and colleagues post a questionable article on their newsfeeds and proclaim it as the truth. And this isn’t limited to any one political party — people of all persuasions are doing it. Always question. As Holiday recommends in Trust Me, I’m Lying, you should especially question news that perpetuates your world view. That’s where you’re most likely to experience blind spots.
Rule #2: Always ask, ‘Who benefits from this article or post?’
As a PR person, I can tell you that behind the vast majority of articles is a PR person. We work hand-in-hand with journalists. We supply them with needed information and access to sources. Sometimes, our client benefits from the article. Sometimes, they’re hurt by it. Regardless of the outcome, there’s usually a communications professional giving journalists what they need and coaching our client on exactly what to say. If you see a company or person mentioned in an article, ask yourself, “Do they benefit from this? How does this article help or hurt their competitors or enemies?” If you’re able to answer these questions, you’ll come away with a more balanced view of what you’ve read. You’ll be smarter, more informed, and better able to engage in productive discourse.
Rule #3: Read the entire article —not just the headline.
We’ve all done it: skimmed a headline, moved on to the next thing without so much as clicking on it, then proclaimed, “I read about xyz today!” In his book, Holiday warns against reading headlines and forming opinions on their basis without exploring the nuances. (Here’s a shocker: Nuance is okay!) Headlines are often written to catch attention, not inform — after all, hundreds of websites are competing for your eyeballs, so the more provocative the headline, the more likely you are to click on one article instead of another. In many cases, the article itself contradicts or has nothing to do with the headline.
Rule #4: Add variety to your media diet.
Just like variety is important to your body’s nutrition, it’s also important to your world view. If you care about an issue, don’t base your opinion on a single news article. Read one in favor of your opinion, one opposed (I know, it’ll be painful — but so is eating Brussels sprouts), and one that’s neutral. It’s totally okay to read articles from sources of information that diverge from your world view. Balance is important!
Responsible News Consumption as a Civic Duty
Now more than ever, it has become a civic duty for average Americans to read, question, and share news in a responsible way. Journalists may do the heavy lifting of gathering information and reporting (which we should be grateful for!), but they can’t do all the work for us. Hopefully, the “People’s Guide to Reading the News in 2018” will serve as a quick and easy way for you to start exercising self-awareness with the information you consume.
Happy reading!
* This is not true for every journalist.
