Thanks for expressing so articulately concerns that have been rolling around in my head, too. It seems the established media you mention (NYT, WP, NPR) are caught in a trap (Elvis soundtrack building...). By veering from the old, standard, elusive goal of objectivity, they don't hesitate to call bull****, thus opening themselves to charges of fake news. If they stick with the facts, requiring more close reading and connecting the dots, no matter how obvious, they lose readers. The fact that so many lies and distractions are spewn by this administration only adds to the misinformation and confusion. Which leads me to another cynical alley: how will we be informed in the future? If this world of tweets and non-stop attention grabbing is the norm, where is the learning? The reflection? Does anybody even bother with reading different opinion columns to gain some perspective or help themselves to understand? Or are we stuck with 2-3 sentence catch phrases and clever marketing to drive public opinion? On the plus side, we have seen how quickly an idea or movement can gain traction and lead to change. But my wondering remains: I don't know how most people actually get their information these days, and if it is mostly social media, I find that scary. Signed, an old guy wrestling with new media.
Yes indeed. I fully understand the quandary they are in. You have to wonder how much better all of our lives would be if people - in general - didn't strive so hard to 'make bank'. Capitalism does not have to be so negative or so destructive. If only we still held corporations to ethical norms, and pulled their charters when they refused (repeatedly) to abide by them. Have I persuaded you to listen to American Elections: Wicked Game? I was listening to an episode referring to Nelson Rockefeller, who was considered to be a liberal Republican and toyed with running against Goldwater in the 1964 presidential primary, but he was considered liberal because he believed corporations had a duty to operate in the public's best interest. Shocking, I know.
Thanks for expressing so articulately concerns that have been rolling around in my head, too. It seems the established media you mention (NYT, WP, NPR) are caught in a trap (Elvis soundtrack building...). By veering from the old, standard, elusive goal of objectivity, they don't hesitate to call bull****, thus opening themselves to charges of fake news. If they stick with the facts, requiring more close reading and connecting the dots, no matter how obvious, they lose readers. The fact that so many lies and distractions are spewn by this administration only adds to the misinformation and confusion. Which leads me to another cynical alley: how will we be informed in the future? If this world of tweets and non-stop attention grabbing is the norm, where is the learning? The reflection? Does anybody even bother with reading different opinion columns to gain some perspective or help themselves to understand? Or are we stuck with 2-3 sentence catch phrases and clever marketing to drive public opinion? On the plus side, we have seen how quickly an idea or movement can gain traction and lead to change. But my wondering remains: I don't know how most people actually get their information these days, and if it is mostly social media, I find that scary. Signed, an old guy wrestling with new media.
Yes indeed. I fully understand the quandary they are in. You have to wonder how much better all of our lives would be if people - in general - didn't strive so hard to 'make bank'. Capitalism does not have to be so negative or so destructive. If only we still held corporations to ethical norms, and pulled their charters when they refused (repeatedly) to abide by them. Have I persuaded you to listen to American Elections: Wicked Game? I was listening to an episode referring to Nelson Rockefeller, who was considered to be a liberal Republican and toyed with running against Goldwater in the 1964 presidential primary, but he was considered liberal because he believed corporations had a duty to operate in the public's best interest. Shocking, I know.