But what to write about? From the slap heard round the world, to the hostilities overseas, there's always something going on. Luckily, I've built up a diverse library of news sources so that I minimize the impact that the corporate press has in trying to influence what I think. Its interesting to see the same news story from different perspectives, and really points out how certain stories are slanted and spun in order to achieve a desired effect.
An "Anti-war Demonstrator" Here in America, might be referred to as a "Peace Activist" in Europe. Which one would you rather be called? I learned the art of framing from some old guys when I worked part-time at a newspaper. They showed me how what should have been a neutral news report could be twisted and molded to shape the mind of the reader. Even the photographs chosen were part of the grand game of subliminal deception, in the dark arts of yellow journalism.
At this point in my life I'm on the lookout for such mental land mines designed to favor one viewpoint over another. Like in the doc Leaving Neverland, if I start seeing only one side of an issue covered, I start looking for opposing views. I've also cast my news net wide, and thanks to the internet, we have a plethora of data available from all around the world.
Plane crash in Botswana? I can let the "paper of record" the NYTimes tell me, or source an on the ground report live from the scene. I really think it will benefit us all to become more discerning and aware about being spoon-fed an opinion that we absorb as our own. Just give me the facts, Jack, I don't some news model nudging me to think one way or another. We're all wise enough to figure things out on our own.