Great article, thank you.
Although it's nice to see credentialed people exposing specifics and tactics behind the partisan "fact checking" I don't believe an appeal to authority was ever really necessary.
Very early in the "fact checking" trend, I noticed that virtually every "check" I read was itself slanted, obfuscated, spun and at t…
Although it's nice to see credentialed people exposing specifics and tactics behind the partisan "fact checking" I don't believe an appeal to authority was ever really necessary.
Very early in the "fact checking" trend, I noticed that virtually every "check" I read was itself slanted, obfuscated, spun and at times, outright untruthful. And FAR too frequently, the only things "checked" were those uttered by Republicans (most notably Trump) and rarely those by Democrats.
It only took a modicum of critical thought to tell me that was piss on my leg, not rain.
Good for you and probably most of the subscribers to TK News; we've long been on to this fact checking BS. Bad for the country though because I am pretty sure most Americans are not critical thinkers and if the fact checker says it's rain, it is.
Exactly. That is the problem with a corrupt media. Most people have a pretty full life keeping the boss happy, the spouse mollified, and the kids under control. They come home exhausted and turn on CNN for some quiet time and that is their reality.
CNN is the lowest rate "news" org these days. More and more get their "news" from inconvenient outlets like Joe Rogan or Substack. The media world has turned upside down...it will never be the same. The current narrative shock is accelerating the disintegration. It's deleveraging as fast as newspapers. Remember when we used to get our news from the morning paper? Then came the internet...and now, the disintermediation of "traditional" news into splintered orgs. By the time MSNBC, FOX and CNN notice it, it's too late. Same goes for FB, Google, etc. The acceleration of web 3.0 and alternatives is already under way. "The gatekeepers" have lost control. Audience is leaving every quarter after quarter, year after year. The "majority" will become the minority. Facebook and Google are simply ad platforms and "small" players are eating into their pie already. It will take time...but it is happening. Their best hope is regulatory delay via "bans" of alternative media. And that will change at the mid terms. Just a guess here.
Let's hope the trend continues but only time will tell. There is still a lot of life in the MSM yet, I think.
But actually it is not the traditional MSM that is the larger threat these days: it is Big Tech. When you say "Facebook and Google are simply ad platforms" you are vastly understating their power. They have the ability to surveil you and to shape the narrative to a far greater degree than most people imagine. In fact, in going after the MSM most people like us are fighting the last war.
It is impossible to give you a sense of the dimensions of the problem in a comment post, so my recommendation is to watch Rogan's recent conversation with Dr. Robert Epstein. Epstein has made it his life's work to patrol Big Tech abuses, particularly Google. It is an eye opener.
Agreed. When I said they are just ad platforms I meant, that is the only purpose they serve. They accumulated vast #s of users and RESELL THE USERS OWN data in exchange for advertising revenue from those needing ad exposure. They are not creating life saving medicines, advances in clean power (e.g. nuclear fusion) or saving lives. No, a fireman, EMT or police officer with basic education does that. They make $ from advertising. That's it. Nothing special in the grand scheme of things. Doesn't advance human civilization AT ALL. But it does make your cellphone super powerful, so powerful in fact that you will walk into traffic or into an uncovered manhole and die, while staring at your phone to read the latest tweet/FB post or Google notification. So we got that going for us.
It’s even subtler than that. Big Tech is not a shadowy cabal of overlords who sit around and try to figure out what ‘narrative’ to push. (though they may sit around and do other things) The narratives people are fed on Facebook, Twitter, etc. are shaped by algorithms designed to maximize ad revenues; algorithms determine what articles, blog posts, or other bits of information appear in a person’s newsfeed. And those algorithms are designed to do one thing—maximize clicks, to maximize ad revenues. And what kind of information is more likely to generate clicks? Things that make you angry, paranoid, etc. Not stuff that engages higher-order thinking. So people end up getting wrapped up in these paranoid, custom-made universes, and lose the ability to agree on a common set of facts about reality. The bigger problem is not Big Tech per se, but the business model they are built on, I.e. “Here’s our platform for free, we’ll make our money selling your data to advertisers”
You are certainly right that algorithms maximized for involvement have a tendency to drive people into their own information silos. This is inherently divisive and it is certainly a big part of the problem.
But the 'its the algorithms' explanation lets Big Tech off the hook way too easily. These companies actively massage the algorithms to point people in certain directions. In the Rogan interview Epstein spends a lot of time explaining the very active way in which this is done and gives specific examples. I recommend it highly.
Yeah, I canceled my NYT subscription after many years...just couldn't take it anymore. But it is the documentarian for the Democratic party. That's 30%+ of the USA, give or take.
The sad part is, according to statistics, more and more people in America don't have a boss, a spouse, and/or children. I myself don't have ANY of those three things.
Great article, thank you.
Although it's nice to see credentialed people exposing specifics and tactics behind the partisan "fact checking" I don't believe an appeal to authority was ever really necessary.
Very early in the "fact checking" trend, I noticed that virtually every "check" I read was itself slanted, obfuscated, spun and at times, outright untruthful. And FAR too frequently, the only things "checked" were those uttered by Republicans (most notably Trump) and rarely those by Democrats.
It only took a modicum of critical thought to tell me that was piss on my leg, not rain.
Good for you and probably most of the subscribers to TK News; we've long been on to this fact checking BS. Bad for the country though because I am pretty sure most Americans are not critical thinkers and if the fact checker says it's rain, it is.
"Fact" is such a powerful word. So many of us fall for it...it's so seductive, that word. Needed this dive into the backstory.
Exactly. That is the problem with a corrupt media. Most people have a pretty full life keeping the boss happy, the spouse mollified, and the kids under control. They come home exhausted and turn on CNN for some quiet time and that is their reality.
CNN is the lowest rate "news" org these days. More and more get their "news" from inconvenient outlets like Joe Rogan or Substack. The media world has turned upside down...it will never be the same. The current narrative shock is accelerating the disintegration. It's deleveraging as fast as newspapers. Remember when we used to get our news from the morning paper? Then came the internet...and now, the disintermediation of "traditional" news into splintered orgs. By the time MSNBC, FOX and CNN notice it, it's too late. Same goes for FB, Google, etc. The acceleration of web 3.0 and alternatives is already under way. "The gatekeepers" have lost control. Audience is leaving every quarter after quarter, year after year. The "majority" will become the minority. Facebook and Google are simply ad platforms and "small" players are eating into their pie already. It will take time...but it is happening. Their best hope is regulatory delay via "bans" of alternative media. And that will change at the mid terms. Just a guess here.
Let's hope the trend continues but only time will tell. There is still a lot of life in the MSM yet, I think.
But actually it is not the traditional MSM that is the larger threat these days: it is Big Tech. When you say "Facebook and Google are simply ad platforms" you are vastly understating their power. They have the ability to surveil you and to shape the narrative to a far greater degree than most people imagine. In fact, in going after the MSM most people like us are fighting the last war.
It is impossible to give you a sense of the dimensions of the problem in a comment post, so my recommendation is to watch Rogan's recent conversation with Dr. Robert Epstein. Epstein has made it his life's work to patrol Big Tech abuses, particularly Google. It is an eye opener.
Agreed. When I said they are just ad platforms I meant, that is the only purpose they serve. They accumulated vast #s of users and RESELL THE USERS OWN data in exchange for advertising revenue from those needing ad exposure. They are not creating life saving medicines, advances in clean power (e.g. nuclear fusion) or saving lives. No, a fireman, EMT or police officer with basic education does that. They make $ from advertising. That's it. Nothing special in the grand scheme of things. Doesn't advance human civilization AT ALL. But it does make your cellphone super powerful, so powerful in fact that you will walk into traffic or into an uncovered manhole and die, while staring at your phone to read the latest tweet/FB post or Google notification. So we got that going for us.
It’s even subtler than that. Big Tech is not a shadowy cabal of overlords who sit around and try to figure out what ‘narrative’ to push. (though they may sit around and do other things) The narratives people are fed on Facebook, Twitter, etc. are shaped by algorithms designed to maximize ad revenues; algorithms determine what articles, blog posts, or other bits of information appear in a person’s newsfeed. And those algorithms are designed to do one thing—maximize clicks, to maximize ad revenues. And what kind of information is more likely to generate clicks? Things that make you angry, paranoid, etc. Not stuff that engages higher-order thinking. So people end up getting wrapped up in these paranoid, custom-made universes, and lose the ability to agree on a common set of facts about reality. The bigger problem is not Big Tech per se, but the business model they are built on, I.e. “Here’s our platform for free, we’ll make our money selling your data to advertisers”
You are certainly right that algorithms maximized for involvement have a tendency to drive people into their own information silos. This is inherently divisive and it is certainly a big part of the problem.
But the 'its the algorithms' explanation lets Big Tech off the hook way too easily. These companies actively massage the algorithms to point people in certain directions. In the Rogan interview Epstein spends a lot of time explaining the very active way in which this is done and gives specific examples. I recommend it highly.
The WSJ reported this morning that the NYT just topped 10M subscribers.
I'm not so sure "the gatekeepers" have lost control.
10M is a low number for a single Rogan podcast.
Yeah, I canceled my NYT subscription after many years...just couldn't take it anymore. But it is the documentarian for the Democratic party. That's 30%+ of the USA, give or take.
"rated" not rate...as in ratings/audience.
The sad part is, according to statistics, more and more people in America don't have a boss, a spouse, and/or children. I myself don't have ANY of those three things.