Check It Out: Suggestions for news consumption
By Joan Janzen
The cartoon has one turkey saying to another, “Dude, I have a lot of people following me online and they’re all inviting me to dinner!”
While it’s easy to find a joke about social media, jokes about mainstream media appear to be omitted. The majority of our society obtains their daily news consumption from mainstream media, including legacy media and network news media which is consumed every morning and/or evening. Although it’s been happening for decades, the daily consumption of news has become more of a challenge.
As president of Canada Family Action, Doug Sharp’s objective is to inform citizens of Canada. In that regard he made three suggestions for those who are daily consumers of mainstream news.
The first suggestion is to brace yourself to receive something that is intended to influence you. Just by acknowledging that you are being influenced to see things a certain way, will give you the advantage to view your daily intake in a more analytical way.
While listening to each story, consumers should pay attention to the language being used, and the inferences being made about a position or an opposing position. Brace yourself knowing that it’s designed to alter your perception or change your mind.
This has become apparent as many have followed the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse in the US. Rittenhouse was found not guilty on all counts by the jury, after he fatally shot two men and wounded another during three confrontations at Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 25, 2020.
Immediately after that date the media aired comments voiced by various individuals, including the US president, who said Kyle was a white supremicist mass shooter. Others labeled Kyle as a school shooter, a 17-year-old vigilante, a domestic terrorist who murdered a couple of people, and a deeply racist 17-year-old radicalized by Trumpism who became a killer with the intent to shoot people. He was reported to have crossed state lines with illegal firearms, which was not true, and the riot was called a “mostly peaceful protest” in spite of fires and shooting.
You’re always going to be seeing political views being expressed in legacy and network news media; it will be inseparable from daily news. When you are receiving daily information, be aware that it is being constructed very carefully, every single word in its place, designed to move you down a path of believing and seeing things a certain way.
Be aware that the anchors behind the desk have very carefully scripted language tracts that they are using, and they are walking you towards an understanding that is from their perspective.
For example, Rittenhouse’s attorney said he regularly watches CNN, who wrongly reported that Kyle had shot his gun 60 times. “They can’t take the time to get the basic facts correct because it didn’t fit into the story they wanted to tell,” he noted, which illustrates the relevance of the second suggestion for media consumers.
The second suggestion is to actively seek out balancing views which give another perspective on the issue. If you’re going to accept the information that’s been presented, try to obtain a balance by seeking out an additional perspective.
The third suggestion was to pursue issues and topics that are not presented that might be of interest to you. Many things are not being reported, or are misrepresented or omitted, which is of even greater concern.
In the case of the August, 2020 incident with Rittenhouse, nothing was mentioned about his motive to be at the riot to give medical aid and assist people. Neither was anything mentioned about Rittenhouse being chased and threatened by men who had criminal records. This proves to be a disadvantage for those who only receive information from one source.
In Canada, we are repeatedly told that the inflation we’re experiencing is transitory. We’re told it’s a minor set of circumstances taking place, resulting from people coming out of lock downs, spending more on goods and services which is driving up demand. Since there isn’t enough supply to meet the demand, the inflationary trend is driving up the price of goods. Although it’s an encouraging narrative, it gives the false impression that inflation is temporary, when in fact we’ll be experiencing it in the future at increasing levels.
In the case of the aftermath of the Rittenhouse trial, even after the jury delivered the not guilty verdict, the media delivered an alternative perspective. A headline by MSNBC stated, “The Kyle Rittenhouse trial was designed to protect white conservatives who kill”. The US president noted the verdict needed to be accepted, but added that he was angry. And on the Canadian front, the NDP leader described the verdict as painful, and “feels like another failure by a broken system”.
As we digest news in 2021 and beyond, we realize the days of anchormen like Walter Cronkite are gone. He served as anchorman for the CBS evening news for 19 years, and was often called “the most trusted man in America”.