Is there a problem with how the media works today and is this connected to why our political system seems so blocked?
There is a problem at the heart of Journalism today. The News System is not designed to advance conversation.
Journalism instead feeds on “Conflict”. News is Conflict. And of course Conflict is news. But in many cases, the other side of the reported “Conflict” is phony.
Look at all the phony statements in the Immigration story that have been given credence by the media!
News as it is today is not designed to build knowledge but only to tell us what happened recently. Worse, Journalists position themselves as being above the conflict as the neutral arbiter between the poles. I call this “The View from Nowhere”. Of course good debates and worthwhile conversation demands moderation. Of course there is a role for a neutral broker. But the good moderator ensures that the quality of the questions is high.This is not what Journalism does today.
So it can be no surprise that our political system then feeds into this. If you want to be in the News, you play the poles. The “Real” is opposed often to the “Fake”. So in the case of climate change, the fake is still given legitimacy. In Immigration a legitimate question is “Do immigrants lower wages” but if there is an answer to that question that is true, the untrue answer may be given equal weight. No wonder people are emotionally aroused and unsure.
So this view of the world as being all about conflict, much of it illegitimate, and all about the extremes on either side of the conflict informs our political process. So our media and our politics tend toward entropy and ritualized conflict.
Journalists do not want to make helping the nation move to a solution part of their work. They see that as “politics” and avoid it. So we end up getting stuck and we lose trust in both our media and our political system.
So what would be a better way for us?
It will help if we can see that the “View from Nowhere” is a liability.
It is the Pontius Pilate position enabling the media to wash its hands from the ethical choice that confronts it.
The View from Nowhere was thought to build trust. In reality it destroys it.
To build trust, you have to tell us where you are coming from. Not who you voted for, or your personal ideology. But what brings you to this topic? What then are you trying to accomplish? What does success then look like to you? What is your goal?
Don’t be God or a Martian looking down upon us mere mortals. Be part of what is going on. Articulate where you are coming from and be clear about what you desire as an outcome.
So then Jay what is your advice for us at KETC?
This is how Jay opens his interview at KETC's Homeland Site - Our site on Immigration. He and Doc Searls and Euan Semple have been advising us as to how best to improve our work to offer up an alternative to the polarization of conventional media.
His advice as to what to do is on the site - please follow the link
