News reporting has taken a long, winding downward trajectory over the past two decades. Identifying what you’re reading or seeing is the first step towards improving critical thinking.
Great article! Most people don't understand how bad it has become. Most don't have the time to be informed. Im getting ready to be very busy and I'm concerned I won't be able to keep up with any of the news. Let alone be able to make sure im listening to the truth.
Literally the only mainstream news sources I trust anymore are the Associated Press and Reuters. I read substack more for entertainment than knowledge, but that's because I really don't trust anyone to provide the real story anymore. No offense to you and the other fine writers here. It's Monday morning, and I am marinated in Gen X cynicism as always 😂
As a well-marinated GenX’er I too am cynical. It’s inevitable. I source raw news usually from Reuters and AP as well. I’ve come to trust parts of The Economist, Financial Times of London, BBC, Channel 9 Australia, and an “it-depends” list of other sources, based on the topic. I am also constantly disappointed by the sanewashing the Wall Street Journal does, not to mention the NYT and WaPo. Those guys are in it for the cash, and I imagine there are plenty of writers who work for them that feel a little bit of their souls dying every day when they come home from work. It sucks.
Rick as a regular Times/BBC ‘digester’ even those two organs can be very variable these days! I wish I had an AI engine to filter my news, but of course it tends to do the opposite…he sighed
Hey, I’m vintage 1968, and for existential crises, I’m prepared: I was born on Feb 29th. So I skip around in 4 year increments, being simultaneously 57 and 15 birthdays old, so some part of me is still a hormonal teenager. Phlat! Goes my brain…
1965 too. I don't trust anybody. Not doctors, teachers, family. No one. Everything is laden with ideological agendas. All information is processed through multiple filters, including my own. There are still solid, cold, hard facts and I usually confirm sources before passing on info, but I've learned to have healthy scepticism the hard way. Trusting no one is exhausting, but forces me to be thorough with info sourcing.
This is the most valuable piece of informative writing about how unstable “the press” (all “news” media) has become and how to navigate that reality. Ironic, because I can’t think of another time we’ve desperately needed accurate reporting in America. I just subscribed as a free reader, but you went to the top of my list of ‘Substacks I’ll evaluate for paid subscriber investment’! Well done and thank you.
Since you asked, here are two big concerns I have with Substack (after about a year of actively using):
1) Where did the horizontal icon bar(?) reel(?) that used to be at the top of the home tab disappear to? The icons that used to make up that horizontal bar represented written articles by subscribed to authors, and it would update with recent pieces.
First, the icons were minimized in size, and then they disappeared. Now, the home tab is “notes”.. This appears to me to be an intentional effort minimize interaction with longer form content (which is (was) essential to Substack, IMO) and drive users to the more “social media” set-up of notes.
The forced home-tab format now mimics Twitter (X) and Bluesky. This forces the use of other tabs/taps to access long-form subscribed to articles. Not a deal-breaker, but I’m feeling a wee bit manipulated into engaging with notes.
2) You mention this, but I want to highlight it. The Tik-Tok posts have invaded and while they are, at times, interesting or relevant or fun, I understand that the purpose of the short-clip-style is to change my behavior: endlessly scroll instead of take the time to read the work of writers I like and trust. I worry that the Substack owners/board is quickly straying from its original intent and intends to create yet another algorithmic hell-hole to capture attention and harvest mind-share.
Sigh. If memory serves, the Substack owners have backgrounds to be wary of in terms of their motivations for Substack, long term.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the premise of Substack and it lets me round-out my news consumption while also dabbling in personal interests. I’d hate to see that lost, and be forced to abandon ship!
Sarah - GREAT comments. Especially #1 on the morphing user interface. I too noticed it. FWIW..., authors/writers do not get notice via any special channel or source for us about said changes. It’s infuriating to have stuff just disappear without a voice or vote in it - regardless of my role as a user or writer. Substack needs to listen to us.
We had a similar F-U thing happen a couple of months back when we were invaded by these damn fake posts from scams for Palestinian family “fundraising” - I’m not (NOT) saying Palestinian families don’t need our help, I’m saying these were emotional heart-tugging posts in ENTIRELY the wrong place (inside comment sections) that linked to GoFundMe sites that were also questionable at best.
I went on a tear after complaining to Substack and just started reporting ALL of them, saying “how hard is it for Substack to just filter OUT any post with the word “donate” in it? No comment should have that word in it!”. They must have done something, because after a couple hundred of these, the posts subsided (and are not altogether gone).
Your point about the banner bar at the top with the favorite authors was/is a real thorn in my side. I’m trying to devise an effective strategy for campaigning to get it back (or reading if it’s a “settings change” I can bring back, which I haven’t gone on that mission yet).
I have same issue with top banner. It disappeared, then came back, past few days gone again. There doesn’t seem to be anything in Settings to fix it.
Having to search for “my people” is a bit of a nuisance.
I was confused by the recent change in the home page- thought I was on FB! Just a bunch of random posts, some newsworthy, others not so much. I do realize everyone has a story or is honing their writing skills…
Totally agree! When I first joined Substack, I did so to read longer form articles. Now it seems almost EVERYONE on Substack has jumped on the “live” talks because a. they appear first in the feed and b. doing Substack “lives” are much easier to do than actually WRITING articles. Some of my favorite Substack writers have gone almost completely “live” with few written articles, so I’ve stopped paying for subscriptions to them.
Thank you for your time and effort when putting this information together, as a student I read all the information I can and use these things as a tool for my education.
i know you asked rick, and i don’t have a list, but i do follow @Glenn Kirschner for more in depth analysis of legal issues. i’ve been following him since before covid and he’s quite solid. his opinion is based on experience as a federal prosecutor.
I realized this in the last week or two. I’m vacating most attention on the screen and I had vacated the printed news the first time trump ran for office. I will pray. For you and for everyone whether they believe they are involved here or not. If you breathe- you are involved
Glenn is an absolute gem of a resource for accuracy. He has integrity, INTEGRITY (twice for emphasis!) that just comes out of every pore in his reporting and explanations of legal concepts. I should have mentioned him as an excellent source right in the article. I’ve NEVER had a bad citation from him. Brian Tyler Cohen, who has been pushing rocks up a mountain for a long time, and yet keeps up the fight, is trying his damndest to report facts and embedded opinions that reflect reality. (In my article, I listed “tiers” of journalism, and he’s in the one (like me, but I’m at teeny-micro scale compared to him) that embeds opinion with reporting). Great comment! Thanks for posting.
So called mainstream media and the majority of the so called alternative/independent media are not in the business of factual news but instead are social engineers selling naratives/stories. Most consumers are not interested in the truth but instead they want stories that they can invest in, binary choices that keep them in a repeating, never ending loop that doesn't go anywhere apart from holding up the unreality of the world that they inhabit sadly.
This is one of the best articles I have ever read on journalistic malpractice. I will be a paid subscriber as soon as possible. Your substack has moved to the top of my “To be supported” list.
If you don’t know, they won’t tell you. This is why they’re cutting off funding for NPR and any other thing that’s going to get out the real news instead of their fake bullshit. Misinformation is how the donOLD has been able to stay out of prison.
I cringe my face off every time I watch Karoline Leavitt take the podium in the WH press briefing room. She is an apparently soulless individual who can lie like a seasoned sociopath (allegedly) and not blink. (PS: Notice her cross wasn't on her neck the last few ones. Maybe it burst into spontaneous flames and liquefied down her chest or something...?)
NPR has been a great source of information for me for decades. Cutting off funding seems tragic. I am hopeful that they will be able to continue through private donor support, but of course that comes with its own barrel of problems, too.
It all makes me feel like mindless, or schizophrenic or did I hear that right or who is telling the truth? I haven't been watching MSM for awhile now and I turned it on one night after a game. It was like wondering where I had been or were they in a different universe or had I just lost my mind. Everything was glossed over or not even mentioned. Stay away from MSM. Their big corporate bosses have bent the knee and totally fear DT. Don't waste your time and most of all, don't lose your mind.
Thank you, Rick for this post because sometimes, you think it’s just you. I couldn’t believe when TikTok videos started showing up in my feed here. And I’ve been pretty picky about who I subscribe to, but I’m still being inundated with people pretending to be news. And it’s kinda like the old saying, “opinions are like …., everyone has one.” If I have a reason to trust your opinion, then I don’t mind hearing it, but opinions are facts.
Thank you so much for breaking that down. I don’t watch main stream media anymore. I do follow Meidas Touch and Glenn Kirschner. I also watch Brian Tyler Cohen. It’s difficult to trust any other news media these days. I try to find reliable sources who, as you say, show their sources. Then I check out those sources also. Lots of work but better to be informed than not.
Great article! Most people don't understand how bad it has become. Most don't have the time to be informed. Im getting ready to be very busy and I'm concerned I won't be able to keep up with any of the news. Let alone be able to make sure im listening to the truth.
Literally the only mainstream news sources I trust anymore are the Associated Press and Reuters. I read substack more for entertainment than knowledge, but that's because I really don't trust anyone to provide the real story anymore. No offense to you and the other fine writers here. It's Monday morning, and I am marinated in Gen X cynicism as always 😂
As a well-marinated GenX’er I too am cynical. It’s inevitable. I source raw news usually from Reuters and AP as well. I’ve come to trust parts of The Economist, Financial Times of London, BBC, Channel 9 Australia, and an “it-depends” list of other sources, based on the topic. I am also constantly disappointed by the sanewashing the Wall Street Journal does, not to mention the NYT and WaPo. Those guys are in it for the cash, and I imagine there are plenty of writers who work for them that feel a little bit of their souls dying every day when they come home from work. It sucks.
Rick as a regular Times/BBC ‘digester’ even those two organs can be very variable these days! I wish I had an AI engine to filter my news, but of course it tends to do the opposite…he sighed
Elaine, I believe you may be my spirit animal. I'm a mean, old 1965 OG GenX'er with default resting bitch face.
1965 here too. 💖 Shalom
Hey, I’m vintage 1968, and for existential crises, I’m prepared: I was born on Feb 29th. So I skip around in 4 year increments, being simultaneously 57 and 15 birthdays old, so some part of me is still a hormonal teenager. Phlat! Goes my brain…
My ex is a Valentine baby from 68. I'm going to call you Lord Leap from now on 😂
1965 too. I don't trust anybody. Not doctors, teachers, family. No one. Everything is laden with ideological agendas. All information is processed through multiple filters, including my own. There are still solid, cold, hard facts and I usually confirm sources before passing on info, but I've learned to have healthy scepticism the hard way. Trusting no one is exhausting, but forces me to be thorough with info sourcing.
This is the most valuable piece of informative writing about how unstable “the press” (all “news” media) has become and how to navigate that reality. Ironic, because I can’t think of another time we’ve desperately needed accurate reporting in America. I just subscribed as a free reader, but you went to the top of my list of ‘Substacks I’ll evaluate for paid subscriber investment’! Well done and thank you.
Since you asked, here are two big concerns I have with Substack (after about a year of actively using):
1) Where did the horizontal icon bar(?) reel(?) that used to be at the top of the home tab disappear to? The icons that used to make up that horizontal bar represented written articles by subscribed to authors, and it would update with recent pieces.
First, the icons were minimized in size, and then they disappeared. Now, the home tab is “notes”.. This appears to me to be an intentional effort minimize interaction with longer form content (which is (was) essential to Substack, IMO) and drive users to the more “social media” set-up of notes.
The forced home-tab format now mimics Twitter (X) and Bluesky. This forces the use of other tabs/taps to access long-form subscribed to articles. Not a deal-breaker, but I’m feeling a wee bit manipulated into engaging with notes.
2) You mention this, but I want to highlight it. The Tik-Tok posts have invaded and while they are, at times, interesting or relevant or fun, I understand that the purpose of the short-clip-style is to change my behavior: endlessly scroll instead of take the time to read the work of writers I like and trust. I worry that the Substack owners/board is quickly straying from its original intent and intends to create yet another algorithmic hell-hole to capture attention and harvest mind-share.
Sigh. If memory serves, the Substack owners have backgrounds to be wary of in terms of their motivations for Substack, long term.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the premise of Substack and it lets me round-out my news consumption while also dabbling in personal interests. I’d hate to see that lost, and be forced to abandon ship!
Sarah - GREAT comments. Especially #1 on the morphing user interface. I too noticed it. FWIW..., authors/writers do not get notice via any special channel or source for us about said changes. It’s infuriating to have stuff just disappear without a voice or vote in it - regardless of my role as a user or writer. Substack needs to listen to us.
We had a similar F-U thing happen a couple of months back when we were invaded by these damn fake posts from scams for Palestinian family “fundraising” - I’m not (NOT) saying Palestinian families don’t need our help, I’m saying these were emotional heart-tugging posts in ENTIRELY the wrong place (inside comment sections) that linked to GoFundMe sites that were also questionable at best.
I went on a tear after complaining to Substack and just started reporting ALL of them, saying “how hard is it for Substack to just filter OUT any post with the word “donate” in it? No comment should have that word in it!”. They must have done something, because after a couple hundred of these, the posts subsided (and are not altogether gone).
Your point about the banner bar at the top with the favorite authors was/is a real thorn in my side. I’m trying to devise an effective strategy for campaigning to get it back (or reading if it’s a “settings change” I can bring back, which I haven’t gone on that mission yet).
I have same issue with top banner. It disappeared, then came back, past few days gone again. There doesn’t seem to be anything in Settings to fix it.
Having to search for “my people” is a bit of a nuisance.
I was confused by the recent change in the home page- thought I was on FB! Just a bunch of random posts, some newsworthy, others not so much. I do realize everyone has a story or is honing their writing skills…
and so here we are…
Totally agree! When I first joined Substack, I did so to read longer form articles. Now it seems almost EVERYONE on Substack has jumped on the “live” talks because a. they appear first in the feed and b. doing Substack “lives” are much easier to do than actually WRITING articles. Some of my favorite Substack writers have gone almost completely “live” with few written articles, so I’ve stopped paying for subscriptions to them.
Thank you for your time and effort when putting this information together, as a student I read all the information I can and use these things as a tool for my education.
A lot of good information today.
Would appreciate a list of sources you trust but I understand if you don’t want to do that for whatever reason.
i know you asked rick, and i don’t have a list, but i do follow @Glenn Kirschner for more in depth analysis of legal issues. i’ve been following him since before covid and he’s quite solid. his opinion is based on experience as a federal prosecutor.
I realized this in the last week or two. I’m vacating most attention on the screen and I had vacated the printed news the first time trump ran for office. I will pray. For you and for everyone whether they believe they are involved here or not. If you breathe- you are involved
excellent article. really excellent.
i also have folks i go to for more specifics in particular situations.
the best example is that i follow @Glenn Kirschner for more in depth analysis of legal issues. i’ve been doing so since before covid and he’s solid.
Glenn is an absolute gem of a resource for accuracy. He has integrity, INTEGRITY (twice for emphasis!) that just comes out of every pore in his reporting and explanations of legal concepts. I should have mentioned him as an excellent source right in the article. I’ve NEVER had a bad citation from him. Brian Tyler Cohen, who has been pushing rocks up a mountain for a long time, and yet keeps up the fight, is trying his damndest to report facts and embedded opinions that reflect reality. (In my article, I listed “tiers” of journalism, and he’s in the one (like me, but I’m at teeny-micro scale compared to him) that embeds opinion with reporting). Great comment! Thanks for posting.
So called mainstream media and the majority of the so called alternative/independent media are not in the business of factual news but instead are social engineers selling naratives/stories. Most consumers are not interested in the truth but instead they want stories that they can invest in, binary choices that keep them in a repeating, never ending loop that doesn't go anywhere apart from holding up the unreality of the world that they inhabit sadly.
This is one of the best articles I have ever read on journalistic malpractice. I will be a paid subscriber as soon as possible. Your substack has moved to the top of my “To be supported” list.
Thank you! I'm grateful for your support!
If you don’t know, they won’t tell you. This is why they’re cutting off funding for NPR and any other thing that’s going to get out the real news instead of their fake bullshit. Misinformation is how the donOLD has been able to stay out of prison.
I cringe my face off every time I watch Karoline Leavitt take the podium in the WH press briefing room. She is an apparently soulless individual who can lie like a seasoned sociopath (allegedly) and not blink. (PS: Notice her cross wasn't on her neck the last few ones. Maybe it burst into spontaneous flames and liquefied down her chest or something...?)
NPR has been a great source of information for me for decades. Cutting off funding seems tragic. I am hopeful that they will be able to continue through private donor support, but of course that comes with its own barrel of problems, too.
It all makes me feel like mindless, or schizophrenic or did I hear that right or who is telling the truth? I haven't been watching MSM for awhile now and I turned it on one night after a game. It was like wondering where I had been or were they in a different universe or had I just lost my mind. Everything was glossed over or not even mentioned. Stay away from MSM. Their big corporate bosses have bent the knee and totally fear DT. Don't waste your time and most of all, don't lose your mind.
She lies all the time and doesn’t take questions---- she RUNS AWAY!!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Thank you, Rick for this post because sometimes, you think it’s just you. I couldn’t believe when TikTok videos started showing up in my feed here. And I’ve been pretty picky about who I subscribe to, but I’m still being inundated with people pretending to be news. And it’s kinda like the old saying, “opinions are like …., everyone has one.” If I have a reason to trust your opinion, then I don’t mind hearing it, but opinions are facts.
Thank you so much for breaking that down. I don’t watch main stream media anymore. I do follow Meidas Touch and Glenn Kirschner. I also watch Brian Tyler Cohen. It’s difficult to trust any other news media these days. I try to find reliable sources who, as you say, show their sources. Then I check out those sources also. Lots of work but better to be informed than not.
Excellent article, Rick. Thank you.
Love, love, love this in depth article about the failures of mainstream media! You broke it down, wonderfully, Rick! Bravo!