Hey, Qasim, Would you please give us the LINKS to the charts from Financial Times, so we can Share?
I agree that we may see different numbers if we had an updated graph from Media Matters.
As an informal student of Psychology, I think a lot about The Great Media Divide in this country--and solutions. And I believe we need more robust solutions (including legislative, but this country isn't ready for that yet), not just building infrastructure and subscribing to more left-leaning content creators. I believe that people only have so much time, and they don't want to read/listen to hours of left-wing media every day.
First, we have to invest time understanding the Cult mentality, whether it's Trump, Fox, Rogan, Musk, etc. (I show people to The Cult of Trump book by Dr. Steven Hassan.) Then we can plan solutions.
If I may respectfully disagree, the Kool-Aid drinkers can't be persuaded by MORE left-wing voices SCREAMING LOUDER. One, many never hear it. Two, many don't believe it, because Trump successfully discredited unbiased legacy media in 2016, by labeling it "Fake News." Three, you CANNOT PERSUADE them out of their point of view (seriously, have you tried?)--with opinion nor facts.
Now, having said that, I am out here writing too, because I am a writer and so I MUST WRITE. So I let this insight from Hassan guide me: Cultists need to see/hear something which causes them to experience Cognitive Dissonance between what they are seeing and what they believe. That creates the crack for more Truth to enter.
So, WHAT CAN WE DO? Amplify, amplify, AMPLIFY TRUTH, whether it is center- or left- or right-leaning.
* Share news reports, especially showing video/photos of horrific conditions in Ghaza, Ukraine, or ICE detention centers, as a photo is worth a thousand words.
* Don't be SILENT when a Trumper starts bashing immigrants or USAID; know your facts, and share what you know, without countering their position, like: I heard that non-citizen immigrants contribute $billions annually in tax dollars--including income taxes, or that USAID prevents the spread of diseases like Ebola in other countries, by providing tech resources to monitor outbreaks and limit citizen movement.
* PROTEST and then SHARE PHOTOS of protests, nationally and internationally; cultists may begin to wonder what protestors know that they don't.
* Share other people's personal ANECDOTES showing how Trump's policies affect them, as making someone FEEL something is the strongest way to influence their opinion.
* Politely DISCREDIT FOX et al. We can't let the lies stand, and people have to know what Fox ISN'T telling them too.
Note that RANTS are completely ineffective.
Does anyone have other ideas to add to this list?
(I wrote extensively about the Media Divide in my posts "Dear DNC, Stop asking us for more money," offering a novel solution...I would welcome feedback.)
Great piece. I fear with Section 230 on the chopping block -- with Democratic support, I might add -- this will only get worse. It's critical we fight back and assert our presence top combat this sole, radical, right-wing narrative.
So maybe it’s just me, but we don’t all need to have the same things: left leaning media outlets and right leaning media outlets. Especially when you notice the cultural differences.
For example folks on the right seem to value a centralized message, simple ideologies and top-down dissemination. Folks on the left, not all, but many, tend to value diverse viewpoints, contextual analysis and grassroots or community-based dissemination of information. I don’t think the left needs to compete with the right, because we value different things. In all of these conversations about media, it’s worth looking at what they are counting as media, because it’s a biased analysis from the start.
I can’t stand Rogan but my 42 year old son loves him says he is not a Republican!?!?! Says he has everyone on… get on his show and talk directly to independents……
Get on radio if you can find one that is not far right but in the middle and just do short and sweet…. Do we want all people to be respected in our society? Do we want earned benefits for vets and social security recipients to be left alone? Do we respect workers until proven they are not doing their job??? One a day for a week then go away a week come back. The car riders 4-7 pm listen to radio driving home from work…
Qasim, does the media have to pertain to politics or current events? I'm asking because I'm wondering whether I should restart a show I used to do about writing, or even something else non-political. I'm not sure I want to make the commitment (I did my podcast for seven years and it was exhausting), but if I truly believed it could help, I might do it.
Why don’t you try telling the truth for once? Lying for so long , people finally realized your news is bullshit. Calling people names that you don’t like doesn’t mean you need to yell them louder, you need to change.
And the two biggest 'left' voices are apparently Trevor Noah (a decent liberal but no heavyweight), and TYT who have themselves drifted and lurched to the right on a number of issues and are pathologically unserious. But I think the question isn't just about the who, but the *how*? Our spaces are all bought and controlled, and the people who we need to reach are already buried under fear and denial. How do we a) construct the new village squares and b) draw the public into them? I'm hoping someone can evolve the ActivityPub protocol into a set of widgets that empower a resurgence of socially connected personal Web pages, but the architecture of such a project is beyond me.
The left social media influencers need to flood the platforms over and over with the strong message advising everyone of what they are losing under the Trump regime. Really spell it out in simple language. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Share with others. Meanwhile, the protests, the town hall meetings, the Defeat the Oligarch tour are all gaining momentum. If a fire is lit under more and more people, the people will win. Call the right out on their dirty tactics, but don’t roll around in the mud with them. They are fascists loving pigs; we are freedom loving, free-soaring eagles, mama bears, tigers and we shall overcome!
So happy to see push-back by you against the negative (most likely) trolls. It takes courage to publicly stand firm in the fight against the corrupting efforts of the fascist maga right. PS: There certainly is a value in only paid subscribers being allowed to comment; the Debbie Downers would have to resort to having their own ‘Stack to espouse their hate.
Hey, Qasim, Would you please give us the LINKS to the charts from Financial Times, so we can Share?
I agree that we may see different numbers if we had an updated graph from Media Matters.
As an informal student of Psychology, I think a lot about The Great Media Divide in this country--and solutions. And I believe we need more robust solutions (including legislative, but this country isn't ready for that yet), not just building infrastructure and subscribing to more left-leaning content creators. I believe that people only have so much time, and they don't want to read/listen to hours of left-wing media every day.
First, we have to invest time understanding the Cult mentality, whether it's Trump, Fox, Rogan, Musk, etc. (I show people to The Cult of Trump book by Dr. Steven Hassan.) Then we can plan solutions.
If I may respectfully disagree, the Kool-Aid drinkers can't be persuaded by MORE left-wing voices SCREAMING LOUDER. One, many never hear it. Two, many don't believe it, because Trump successfully discredited unbiased legacy media in 2016, by labeling it "Fake News." Three, you CANNOT PERSUADE them out of their point of view (seriously, have you tried?)--with opinion nor facts.
Now, having said that, I am out here writing too, because I am a writer and so I MUST WRITE. So I let this insight from Hassan guide me: Cultists need to see/hear something which causes them to experience Cognitive Dissonance between what they are seeing and what they believe. That creates the crack for more Truth to enter.
So, WHAT CAN WE DO? Amplify, amplify, AMPLIFY TRUTH, whether it is center- or left- or right-leaning.
* Share news reports, especially showing video/photos of horrific conditions in Ghaza, Ukraine, or ICE detention centers, as a photo is worth a thousand words.
* Don't be SILENT when a Trumper starts bashing immigrants or USAID; know your facts, and share what you know, without countering their position, like: I heard that non-citizen immigrants contribute $billions annually in tax dollars--including income taxes, or that USAID prevents the spread of diseases like Ebola in other countries, by providing tech resources to monitor outbreaks and limit citizen movement.
* PROTEST and then SHARE PHOTOS of protests, nationally and internationally; cultists may begin to wonder what protestors know that they don't.
* Share other people's personal ANECDOTES showing how Trump's policies affect them, as making someone FEEL something is the strongest way to influence their opinion.
* Politely DISCREDIT FOX et al. We can't let the lies stand, and people have to know what Fox ISN'T telling them too.
Note that RANTS are completely ineffective.
Does anyone have other ideas to add to this list?
(I wrote extensively about the Media Divide in my posts "Dear DNC, Stop asking us for more money," offering a novel solution...I would welcome feedback.)
Thanks for all you do!
OMG!
Great piece. I fear with Section 230 on the chopping block -- with Democratic support, I might add -- this will only get worse. It's critical we fight back and assert our presence top combat this sole, radical, right-wing narrative.
Agreed. And yeah, corporate democrats again happy to partner with MAGA extremists to destroy our democracy. Shameful.
So maybe it’s just me, but we don’t all need to have the same things: left leaning media outlets and right leaning media outlets. Especially when you notice the cultural differences.
For example folks on the right seem to value a centralized message, simple ideologies and top-down dissemination. Folks on the left, not all, but many, tend to value diverse viewpoints, contextual analysis and grassroots or community-based dissemination of information. I don’t think the left needs to compete with the right, because we value different things. In all of these conversations about media, it’s worth looking at what they are counting as media, because it’s a biased analysis from the start.
Thank you again for your words of sanity amidst the barrage of bullshit emanating from the trump cesspool of hell!
I can’t stand Rogan but my 42 year old son loves him says he is not a Republican!?!?! Says he has everyone on… get on his show and talk directly to independents……
Get on radio if you can find one that is not far right but in the middle and just do short and sweet…. Do we want all people to be respected in our society? Do we want earned benefits for vets and social security recipients to be left alone? Do we respect workers until proven they are not doing their job??? One a day for a week then go away a week come back. The car riders 4-7 pm listen to radio driving home from work…
Qasim, does the media have to pertain to politics or current events? I'm asking because I'm wondering whether I should restart a show I used to do about writing, or even something else non-political. I'm not sure I want to make the commitment (I did my podcast for seven years and it was exhausting), but if I truly believed it could help, I might do it.
Build your platform. The more that do the better, in our work to uphold justice.
I'm a little confused. If it doesn't have to do with politics, how does it help?
Wow! That’s depressing. Thanks for the data though.
Why don’t you try telling the truth for once? Lying for so long , people finally realized your news is bullshit. Calling people names that you don’t like doesn’t mean you need to yell them louder, you need to change.
Surely not a fix, but can you not use "Twitter" when you mean "X" ? Twitter does not exist anymore.
It’ll always be Twitter in my book.
Absolutely correct.
❤️✊🏽
And the two biggest 'left' voices are apparently Trevor Noah (a decent liberal but no heavyweight), and TYT who have themselves drifted and lurched to the right on a number of issues and are pathologically unserious. But I think the question isn't just about the who, but the *how*? Our spaces are all bought and controlled, and the people who we need to reach are already buried under fear and denial. How do we a) construct the new village squares and b) draw the public into them? I'm hoping someone can evolve the ActivityPub protocol into a set of widgets that empower a resurgence of socially connected personal Web pages, but the architecture of such a project is beyond me.
You forgot Bernie and AOC! I think they are doing a great job!
The left social media influencers need to flood the platforms over and over with the strong message advising everyone of what they are losing under the Trump regime. Really spell it out in simple language. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Share with others. Meanwhile, the protests, the town hall meetings, the Defeat the Oligarch tour are all gaining momentum. If a fire is lit under more and more people, the people will win. Call the right out on their dirty tactics, but don’t roll around in the mud with them. They are fascists loving pigs; we are freedom loving, free-soaring eagles, mama bears, tigers and we shall overcome!
Doing what I can. It's why I don't believe in necessarily ceding digital space. Sometimes we have to be present to meet people where they are.
So happy to see push-back by you against the negative (most likely) trolls. It takes courage to publicly stand firm in the fight against the corrupting efforts of the fascist maga right. PS: There certainly is a value in only paid subscribers being allowed to comment; the Debbie Downers would have to resort to having their own ‘Stack to espouse their hate.
Thank you for your support, Gaily. ❤️✊🏽
More important than ever to support progressive media. Thank you for your dedication, compassion and high standards in your work.
Grateful for your trust and support, Lynn.