Can we trust the media?

Its been a slow slide into the swamp

George Pillari
August 15, 2024

Read time 1m35s

Trusting the media sounds like a bad idea, and it is. That’s why its one of the Seven Deadly Stupidities.

Let’s start with how news was delivered in the good old days before the internet. Think of pre-internet media as three broadcast television channels (ABC, CBS, and NBC) plus The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.

AI image created by author

The following is from Suzanne Daley, a reporter who rose through the ranks to make it to an editorial position and it provides a sense of the intensity and scrutiny that went into page-one decision-making back in the day.

The front-page meeting was a place where the newsroom’s best minds would choose the day’s most important stories. But it was also a place where careers were made and sidelined.

It would take me years to get into that room, at first just to watch the prodding and questioning that went on, often with humiliating consequences for the editor who offered a story that was not deemed ready for publication.

It was hard not to be impressed by the intellectual firepower in the room. But it was also daunting to see gray-haired adults literally hiding their hands under the table so no one could see that they were shaking as they talked.

Suzanne Daley, New York Times editor

Well, times (and the Times) have changed. Today, we get more than half our news from social media and recent polls indicate that we don’t believe 80% of it. Not surprising since anybody with a phone can say anything they want, whenever they want, and say it to the whole world.

There are no more front-page meetings — there are no more meetings period. No fact checks, no objectivity, nothing,

Which leads us the to following chart that is, at a minimum, disturbing:

Key Takeaways

Other than sports scores, believe nothing you hear, read, or see in the media. AI only amplifies the problem.
Use facts you acquire as a starting point to triangulate to an answer from non-overlapping sources.
Challenge anybody who throws a news story at you to prove his point. You will be able to overturn the facts most of the time.

Trusting the Media is one of the Seven Deadly Stupidities.

One of my favorite newsletters: Refind

Brain food, delivered daily

Every day, Refind analyzes thousands of articles and sends only the best, tailored to your interests. Customize your daily or weekly feed. Loved by 500,000+ curious minds.