NowThis News was recently caught modifying the quote of a radical leftist interview subject to protect her from looking like a Holocaust denier.
Last week, a CNN political analyst and former Clinton administration staffer confessed to making up news and sharing it on social media. And, of course, we just passed the anniversary of the great Covington Media Meltdown of 2019, where the media sought to smear a group of children for the crime of wearing a red Trump hat while smiling.
Bad news sells faster than good news, and we can’t really fault the media for pushing outrage to the front of the news cycle when legitimately outrageous things occur. But why on Earth would they fabricate outrage?
Some might suggest that this is a unique time in the history of news. But there are obvious similarities between today’s media landscape and the yellow journalism of the late 19th and early 20th century. Back then, William Randolph Hearst’s New York Journal competed with Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World to see who could publish the most sensational, and least accurate, stories.
But while the yellow journalists of the late 19th century helped incite an unnecessary war between the United States and Spain, today’s yellow journalists have helped incite a culture war of opposing political tribes. Each day, the public consumes its “news” of choice in order to see if it scored points on the other side, or if its “enemies” did anything outrageous. Many of these stories are blatantly false, but confirmation bias prevents the tribe members from that realization.
And today’s yellow journalism is far more dangerous than that of a century ago because seemingly everything in our culture is now politicized. Sporting events, award shows, social media, and even fast-food restaurants are now opportunities for people to virtue-signal to their preferred tribe. The hyperpartisan media naturally seize upon this by stoking the flames of outrage whenever possible.
The problem is further compounded by the fact that our culture is now more fragmented than ever. Previously, leftists and conservatives might disagree on politics but could bond over the love of the same movies, music, or television. But in the age of streaming music and streaming television, we all have our own favorite shows, films, and albums. Even on a good night, the highest-rated prime-time TV show will garner ratings that would have easily gotten it canceled a generation ago.
The end result is two warring political tribes that have seemingly nothing in common and will fight anywhere, anytime, about anything.
It’s undeniable that today’s reporters and columnists bear significant responsibility for causing our society to devolve into warring, vitriolic tribes. Are those clicks really worth it?
All of us, regardless of ideology, should be outraged over fake news and yellow journalism. The outrage flames stoked by the media are dividing workplaces, ending friendships, and damaging families. It’s ironic that the media loved hyping the stories of Russian President Vladimir Putin attempting to turn Americans against each other when they have done a far better job than Putin ever could have.
We should all stand against political tribalism. You don’t need to define yourself by what outrages you. And any time you support 100% of the positions of a politician, it’s time for a little reflection. Focus on embracing principles rather than politicians. Politicians will betray you, but principles stand the test of time.
Furthermore, we should hold ourselves responsible for sharing fake news stories and for allowing ourselves to be manipulated by reporters and columnists.
And if CNN and the New York Times truly are the modern-day yellow journalists, we should pray that President Trump doesn’t become their William McKinley, even if we didn’t vote for him.
Adam Guillette is the president of Accuracy in Media, www.aim.org.
