2w ago

YSK: For-Profit News companies are willing to create the world you want, so they can get your clicks.

This is a general warning to most people, always focus on the accuracy rather than the advocacy part.

Don't read or share an article just because it aligns with your world view.

News organizations in general are the "middle man" between you and events happening in the world.

Don't let the middle man shape your view on reality, focus on accuracy and hopefully you will get a balanced world view.

19 comments

This sounds so obvious but I've seen "news" articles on Lemmy with titles that are on par with Fox news when it comes to playing into what people want to hear.
- I’ve seen lefty people on the lemmyverse actually share the New York Post unironically because they happen to like a headline.
  (The New York Post is a tabloid on par with Fox, in fact they’re owned by the same company as Fox News).
  
  Rupert Murdoch owns the New York Post, Fox News and the Wall Street Journal. In Britain, he owns The Sun. In Australia, he owns 90% of newspapers and Sky News Australia.
  He uses his media empire to push his own political views. He encouraged Tony Blair to invade Irak. His newspaper The Sun encouraged British people to leave the European Union by claiming the Queen supported Brexit:
  
  Rupert Murdoch has been publically accused by several world leaders of attempting to blackmail them.
  John Major, former British Prime Minister:
  https://www.channel4.com/news/major-denies-sun-editor-abused-him-after-black-wednesday
  Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister:
  https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/apr/26/gordon-brown-criminal-complaint-rupert-murdoch-news-group-newspapers
  Malcom Turnbull, former Australia Prime Minister:
  https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-mornings/malcolm-turnbull-on-rupert-murdoch/102888774
  Kevin Rudd, former Australia Prime Minister:
  https://startsat60.com/media/news/politics/kevin-rudd-slams-rupert-murdoch-speech-labor-national-conference
  Rupert Murdoch is a real bastard. He was regularly invited by Ronald Reagan to the White House. He came with his lawyer, Roy Cohn.
  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/President_Reagan_shakes_hands_with_Roy_Cohn_in_the_Oval_Office_Jan_18%2C_1983.jpg
  He is so powerful because there are millions of people who swallow the crap from his media.
  Donald Trump praises him.
  “Rupert Murdoch is in a class by himself, he’s an amazing guy” President Trump said of the conservative media magnate, who sat smiling in the Oval Office this week
  https://thehill.com/media/5133600-trump-murdoch-relation/
  
  They’re both horrible but the NY Post is far more tabloid-y than Fox News proper.
- There are posters here on lemmy who see what's popular on here and then rehash the same shit on their site and submit it to multiple communities across multiple instances.

Trump's polling has hit a new low! Surely these low opinion polls are the final straw. /s
- The one way Bernie could still win the Dem nomination in 2016.

I'm a strong believer in non-profit news. I regularly donate money to The Guardian because it's a great non-profit newspaper.
https://www.theguardian.com/about
Many for profit news organizations are absolute garbage. But please don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Not all for-profit news organizations are clickbait propaganda. It depends on their business model and their owner.
The New Yorker depends on subscriptions. They employ some of the best writers in the english speaking world.
The Information depends on subscriptions. It's (very) expensive but they have the best coverage of Silicon Valley.
- It's one of the best, but it's not free from controversy. Look at their board of directors and where they've worked (scroll down).
  https://sh.itjust.works/comment/12192946

I mean, yes, but no. I hate (and I mean really, really hate) to admit it, but the success of all the right-wing propaganda as of late has made it undeniable that perception is very capable of creating reality.
- Inventing Reality by Michael Parenti covers this topic quite well. (Or so I am told I have not gotten around to reading it yet)

I think they're mostly creating the world their owners want. I've seen articles buried, where you have to have the exact headline to access it.
To go along with what you're saying, the headline people are usually the biggest problem.

Share the archived version if you really want to.

Don't read or share an article just because it aligns with your world view.
My guy, this is actually impossible for the average Lemmy user. Unrealistic expectations, sheesh.

It's as important what they don't report on. Or the heading placements and wether the story gets burried after half a day. News organizations and politics are heavily connected. In my country it's very common to go from journalist to member of parliment or PR staff.

I recognize that news outlets have bills to pay, and I am generally willing to pay for something when it is worth it to me. But they all need to realize that not all of them can get away with a $10-$20 a month subscription fee. That is as unsustainable as the current advertising in every square inch of free space and data broker model.
A far more healthy for the entire news ecosystem would be accounts linked to your online IDP services of choice (Google, Apple, Microsoft, whoever else has one they want to support) and things like Google Pay/Apple Pay. Then you pay some small usage fee like power/water/toll roads. Then how much you give any given outlet depends on how much of their stuff you use.
That would refocus news on being things people want to read and less on advertising influence as well as cut back on the rampant consolidation that is and will continue to come of the current models.

19 comments