Media spin, should you read it?

Let's go for a spin. In this issue I'll be talking about media spin when covering the news. The good, the bad and why spin may be 'in' for years to come.

Everything you read here can be found in the newsletter plus a collection of curated news segments meant to help you break echo chambers and improve your media literacy.

To spin, or not to spin, that is the question.

Most people I've talked to about media bias have agreed on one point. They're tired of media spin when covering the news.

It makes sense; when reading the news we generally want honest facts and not opinions or spin. I created this newsletter because I wanted to give readers a less biased approach to the news. But I didn't create it to be unbiased.

Let me explain.

One huge motivator for the newsletter was to help people become less polarized politically. I don't believe this is done by getting the "straight facts" but rather by reading the other perspective on the news.

This is hard to do because much of the news is politically charged and meant to invoke strong emotions; it's spun in a way that you either have to agree or disagree with it. It's intentionally provocative and divisive because your attention is valuable and limited.

178,000 people died yesterday

Did that get your attention?

That is the number of people who die on average each day according to the Kennedy Institute of ethics. But you wouldn't know that unless you read that last sentence because the headline was used out of context.

Media outlets use shocking headlines like the one I used to put the juicy bits of stories on display. It's a marketing trick as old as marketing itself. Everyone is always selling you something. And the news is no different. It's not fair, but like many other industries things get competitive and stories need to be exciting, and sometimes the truth can be dull.

If it bleeds, it leads.

There is a fine line that every news outlet rides between making their stories factual and making them enjoyable. I should know because that's what I'm trying to do right now. I'm trying to hold your attention while still providing education about this issue.

How am I doing? Are you bored yet?

You may have heard of Tristan Harris. If not he's the co-founder/President of the Center for Humane Technology and one of my inspirations for this newsletter.

Tristan often refers to the attention economy which is a broad term referring to the general state of attention online. If you think about it our attention is an economy.

We have a supply of it, which is limited, and the demand for it far outweighs that limit. That is why in 2019 the marketing industry was estimated at 1.7 Trillion.

I say all of this to help you understand that the problem is in part due to how our attention is easily lost and that strategies like this have been proven to work.

It's not fair journalism; it's a marketing strategy to spin the news in such a way that it resonates with our established beliefs. Because media outlets, in part, know their readers and what might keep them reading.

You might say, "Why not just vote with my attention?". While this makes sense on the surface it creates another issue. While you might not agree with the information you're missing, you're still missing that information.

Meanwhile, someone else who disagrees with your sources is getting their scoop from the source you aren't reading. And as different as these sources can be in both content and tone this causes an information divide.

The result is we end up speaking different languages when we debate political topics and we prioritize things differently. Then we form opinions about supposed perceptions that the "other side" has about us.

Long story short, we can end up in echo chambers.

And because readers are leaving mainstream media many of them still want the news but don't know where to get it. This creates a media vacuum that quickly gets filled with alternative news sources who oftentimes spread disinformation.

These news sources know their audiences and quickly spread false stories simply because they know those are the types of stories their readers want. This creates a news industry reliant on pandering to readership over truth.

All this forms a vicious cycle.

Because now the mainstream sources have to double down on polarizing news because that's what is selling. In the short term ignoring biased news might work but it can have far-reaching consequences.

I don't say any of this in defense of media spin or bias. I don't like it either, but unfortunately, it seems to be here to stay. And just like us, Media giants have a right to free speech. The analysis they give of the news can be illuminating even when steeped in speculation.

I'm not saying we should all read spun news 24/7 but we need to remember that they too have agendas and readers to please. Being aware of their bias and our own helps us separate the facts from the feelings.

So try the 1/3 rule as a start. Read 1 biased source for every two centrists (more objective) sources you read. If you don't know which ones are which use All sides media ratings.

Challenge yourself by making that 3rd source one that you wouldn't normally agree with. This way we can get a fuller picture of the news and hopefully bridge political divides and polarization.

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