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Spurred by a fear that red and blue America were drifting irrevocably apart, I decided to venture out from my overwhelmingly Democratic neighborhood and engage Republicans where they live, work and pray. For an entire year, I embedded myself with the other side, standing in pit row at a NASCAR race, hanging out at Tea Party meetings and sitting in on Steve Bannon’s radio show. I found an America far different from the one depicted in the press and imagined by presidents (“cling to guns or religion”) and presidential candidates (“basket of deplorables”) alike.
…
It’s not that media is suppressing stories intentionally. It’s that these stories don’t reflect their interests and beliefs.
It’s why my new friends in Youngstown, Ohio, and Pikeville, Ky., see media as hopelessly disconnected from their lives, and it is how the media has opened the door to charges of bias.
…
Some of this loss of reputation stems from effective demagoguery from the right and the left, as well as from our demagogue-in-chief, but the attacks wouldn’t be so successful if our media institutions hadn’t failed us as well.
The underlined is the issue. The media opens itself up to attack by how they conduct their reporting.
IMO, the difference between mainstream read and blue America is that we are actually closer that it is made to believe. There are 10-15% of those who are extreme on the left and right... 70% of the population is probably pretty close with a few things that lean us left or right.
In the end, all it is is one identity politics group putting themselves against another identity politics group. Be wise nobody wants to talk about issues that universally affect everybody, meaning the fact that our jobs aren't coming back, nobody wants to talk about more manual labor being made obsolete, we are sicker than ever as a country. But no, let's talk about identity politics! Country boys vs city boys culture wars is the new culture wars because abortion and gay marriage are off the table now
I just saw the author on Tucker Carlson's show. If you didn't know he was a liberal Dem, you'd think he was Republican given his views on gun ownership. There seems to be a few open minded journalists who really want to understand what happened to average Americans so this is a glimmer of hope. I hope the Looneys don't get revenge or make him an outcast
I commend him for recognizing the bias of the media, despite being part of it. For doing what good journalism requires-leaving the Acela Belt to discover Mainstream America.
t’s why my new friends in Youngstown, Ohio, and Pikeville, Ky., see media as hopelessly disconnected from their lives, and it is how the media has opened the door to charges of bias.
As a native of Youngstown currently living 15 minutes from Hollywood I couldn't agree more.
It goes deeper though. There just isn't a feeling of disconnect from the media...there's actual hatred for it. I've said numerous times on this board how the media is a worse enemy than any singular government. That's how a lot of people doing the living and dying in so-called flyover country feel.
As a native of Youngstown currently living 15 minutes from Hollywood I couldn't agree more.
It goes deeper though. There just isn't a feeling of disconnect from the media...there's actual hatred for it. I've said numerous times on this board how the media is a worse enemy than any singular government. That's how a lot of people doing the living and dying in so-called flyover country feel.
Spurred by a fear that red and blue America were drifting irrevocably apart, I decided to venture out from my overwhelmingly Democratic neighborhood and engage Republicans where they live, work and pray. For an entire year, I embedded myself with the other side, standing in pit row at a NASCAR race, hanging out at Tea Party meetings and sitting in on Steve Bannon’s radio show. I found an America far different from the one depicted in the press and imagined by presidents (“cling to guns or religion”) and presidential candidates (“basket of deplorables”) alike.
…
It’s not that media is suppressing stories intentionally. It’s that these stories don’t reflect their interests and beliefs.
It’s why my new friends in Youngstown, Ohio, and Pikeville, Ky., see media as hopelessly disconnected from their lives, and it is how the media has opened the door to charges of bias.
…
Some of this loss of reputation stems from effective demagoguery from the right and the left, as well as from our demagogue-in-chief, but the attacks wouldn’t be so successful if our media institutions hadn’t failed us as well.
The underlined is the issue. The media opens itself up to attack by how they conduct their reporting.
IMO, the difference between mainstream read and blue America is that we are actually closer that it is made to believe. There are 10-15% of those who are extreme on the left and right... 70% of the population is probably pretty close with a few things that lean us left or right.
Excellent article… read the whole thing.
It's not the issue, but it is an issue.
And yes, we are far more similar than we are different.
And yes, we are far more similar than we are different.
The media is the one that pushes the narrative that we are much different than we really are. That's why it's a huge issue.
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Former NPR CEO Tours Red State America, Confronts Media Bias Issue
