Fake news about fake news; we have not started the year on a positive note | What's Left
While no media organization is immune to sensationalist headlines, it is hard to see how the current frenzy is sustainable or helping to build understanding – which is arguably the point of mainstream news media.
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Recently, the major stories have been the same for both blogs and the major dailies: Russia, fake news, hackers, artificial intelligence, and a new emboldened far-right seeing just how far it can take its ideology.
Liberal hand-wringers in the mainstream media have found their stride. Article after article lecture on how to deal with (or profit from) four years of Trump. Some have opted for appeasement and denial; others for history and consolation. The common theme is that the liberal elite must regroup and espouse (a revisionist) history about how economic liberalism brought so much wealth to the world in the previous century.
It is no wonder people have turned to social media. Unfortunately, social media is simply a vehicle to distribute mainstream news alongside even less deserving click-bait, and as such cannot be part of the solution.
What we all really need is some clear-headed reporting of what is happening backed by some actually thoughtful analysis based in reality. But, who can provide it?
While it is easy to dismiss all media as trash, there are still some media organizations made up of good people (or good people who somehow survive in terrible media organizations) who take the time to provide sensible, thought-out and reasonable analysis of important issues, the larger context, and their real impacts. What’s Left is going to scour the internet to find them and bring them to you. They are not without faults (some are quite large), but find sensible reading it is going to take a little trust and a little bit of critical thinking.
After all, it is news and analysis that we are after, not just editorial comment.
Here are some not so regular news sources:
Canada
• The Tyee’s national reporter Jeremy Nuttall
• Rabble.ca’s national reporter Karl Nerenberg.
United States
• Democracy Now!’s weekly column
International
• The Independent’s Patrick Cockburn
Economics
These are some good places to start for getting quality news as well as analysis that you may not have considered. There are also many researchers, analysts, and writers working for progressive organizations who do not publish often. We will be keeping our eyes open for these folks as well and bringing you their best.
Fake news is not a new thing, but the new obsession with it is probably not a good thing.
• WashPost Is Richly Rewarded for False News About Russia Threat While Public Is Deceived