I’ve been thinking a lot of late about how we’ve managed to get to a place where we’re so divided and so extreme in our political opinions. And I think I’ve come to a reasonable hypothesis.
There’s a lot to be said about cable news and their role in the division, and all I’ll say on that is that as it’s a subscription based service, there’s no real motivation to try to reach a wide audience. Narrow is good for them.
But most of us get our news on our phones. I read the Globe and Mail online. I read CBC and BBC online. I even deliberately and begrudgingly watch Ben Shapiro just to try to see how the other half lives.
But for the most part, reading and watching news is a wholly insular experience. Where in the past we’d watch the nightly news with our families or read a newspaper that needed to appeal to a relatively wide audience, now we can read our carefully curated echo chamber news and never venture outside – further entrenching our stances.
And so as far as education, I’m wondering how we can encourage or teach to venture outside one’s bubble. Do we dare show FOX news or Breitbart articles in class?
Hi Tyler,
Not long after reading your post I encountered this article, which I think provides some interesting background information to the divide in beliefs and opinions (https://www.currentaffairs.org/2020/08/the-truth-is-paywalled-but-the-lies-are-free).
Personally, I wouldn’t use FOX news or Breitbart in class, except perhaps in lessons about the myth of objectivity in journalism? It would definitely take very careful consideration.
What a great article!! Thanks so much for sharing. It covered a LOT of ground – and I loved the ride.
Also, I feel like the knowledge database idea would have been a great A3 assignment.