{"id":45639,"date":"2025-01-15T06:34:06","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T06:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/?p=45639"},"modified":"2025-01-23T01:54:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T01:54:43","slug":"angry-at-news-media-reasons-to-cut-them-slack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/01\/15\/angry-at-news-media-reasons-to-cut-them-slack\/","title":{"rendered":"Angry at “the Media”? 4 Reasons To Cut Them Some Slack"},"content":{"rendered":"

Donald Trump will be inaugurated in a few days. In his second term, just as in his first, he’ll likely spark passionate disagreements about news media: what is \u201cfake news\u201d and what isn\u2019t; which media sources should be trusted or doubted.<\/p>\n

We know we have a media trust problem; trust in news media recently hit an all-time low<\/a>. It\u2019s important to see that this distrust isn\u2019t just about the quality of the news: it\u2019s related to our toxic political divides<\/a>. Many are frustrated with news outlets they associate with the \u201cother side,\u201d but it\u2019s not just that. People are also upset with media sources they largely agree with when they think those outlets aren\u2019t doing enough to fight for their side<\/a> or against their adversaries<\/a>. Our polarization leads to widespread frustration<\/a> \u2014 and \u201cthe media\u201d is caught in the middle of it.<\/p>\n

This raises an important question: Are we sometimes too angry at \u201cthe media\u201d? There\u2019s plenty to criticize modern news media for, and we must demand they do better. But there might be value in tempering our criticism with empathy and understanding.<\/p>\n

Here are three reasons to reconsider our outrage \u2014 and thoughts on how that might help heal our divides.<\/p>\n

Reason #1: “The media” is just people<\/strong><\/p>\n

One reason for anger at \u201cthe media\u201d is the perception it\u2019s a powerful, centralized institution pulling the strings of society. However, as media scholar Elizaveta Friesem points out<\/a>: \u201cMedia is just us; it\u2019s just people communicating with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Journalists are people like everyone else, navigating our confusing and stressful divides as well as a fractured and competitive information landscape<\/a>. Like us, they\u2019re dealing with conscious and unconscious biases<\/a>. And combatting our own biases is difficult \u2014 especially when we have such divergent political narratives.<\/p>\n

Reason #2: Bias is more likely than purposeful deception<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of our frustration with the news is due to us simply not understanding our political opponents<\/a>. As our narratives diverge more and more, our opponents\u2019 beliefs seem increasingly alien, inexplicable \u2014 even downright scary. This difficulty is what leads to so many people accusing the \u201cother side\u201d of being brainwashed<\/a>, of being in a cult<\/a>, of creating or believing propaganda<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Take a common conservative grievance: the perception that mainstream media unfairly interprets Trump\u2019s statements<\/a>. Many conservatives see this as part of a deliberate smear campaign. But there\u2019s another explanation: bias, not malice. It\u2019s just easy for people to arrive at very different stances<\/a>, especially for issues associated with our divides. People\u2019s views about Trump\u2019s statements can vary depending on how they interpret his words and intentions, or how they connect his words to what he\u2019s said in the past on the same issue. This kind of dynamic isn\u2019t unique to one side; it happens across all serious conflicts.<\/p>\n

Of course, some people do share information they know is false. The perceived high stakes of our divides lead to some people seeing the ends as justifying the means. But we should see that often bias is a much simpler explanation than deception. We aren\u2019t good at distinguishing true belief from deception; this means we\u2019ll often make mistakes<\/a> about the people around us.<\/p>\n

Reason #3: The \u201cGolden Age\u201d of journalism may be a mirage<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some talk nostalgically about the \u201cgolden age\u201d of journalism in the 20th century as if it was a time of high-quality reporting and strong consensus. But we should recognize our rosy perceptions of that time may be largely an illusion<\/a>, influenced by there being only a handful of powerful news outlets at that time. Some argue our current media fragmentation represents a return to a pre-golden-age environment<\/a> where a multitude of competing narratives were found across many small newspapers and pamphlets.<\/p>\n

Reason #4: Journalists have a hard job<\/strong><\/p>\n

We should recognize that our political divides create a stressful and often confusing environment. Just as you probably often feel conflicted on what information and interpretations to trust<\/a> and how to proceed in such an environment, journalists do, too. (Just as we doing this work sometimes do<\/a>, too.)<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the New York Times: they\u2019re accused by many of having a strong liberal bias<\/a> \u2014 but some on the left criticize it for \u201cenabling right-wing spin<\/a>\u201d, or even for being pro-Trump<\/a>. No matter your opinion of the New York Times, this helps us see that no matter how a news outlet operates, it will inevitably frustrate people across the political spectrum. Recognizing this can help us better understand the pressures journalists face in our polarized society.<\/p>\n

We can temper criticism with understanding<\/strong><\/p>\n

No matter how we got here, today\u2019s media reflects our society \u2014 its strengths, weaknesses, and divides. To reduce political toxicity, we need to hold news outlets accountable and demand they do better. But if we temper our criticisms with empathy and understanding, we\u2019ll be more persuasive \u2014 more likely to be heard and listened to. Perhaps, by doing so, we\u2019ll find our way to a new era of trusted and respected news.<\/p>\n

Want to help overcome our toxic divides? Sign up for our newsletter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Donald Trump will be inaugurated in a few days. In his second term, just as in his first, he’ll likely spark passionate disagreements about news media: what is \u201cfake news\u201d and what isn\u2019t; which media sources should be trusted or doubted. We know we have a media trust problem; trust in news media recently hit…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":45635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"collection_feed":[],"type_feed":[77],"class_list":["post-45639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAngry at "the Media"? 4 Reasons To Cut Them Some Slack - Builders<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/01\/15\/angry-at-news-media-reasons-to-cut-them-slack\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Angry at "the Media"? 4 Reasons To Cut Them Some Slack - Builders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Donald Trump will be inaugurated in a few days. 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