Language is a tool for processing the world around us, but it can also be a catalyst for action - from the books that define an ideology to speeches that spark social movements to legislation that enacts real changes in the way people live, work, and love. 

The news media builds the day-to-day narratives that shape our thoughts, points of view, and choices we make about society, politics, education, and more. In the age of social media and RussiaGate, this often takes the form of special interest groups creating pages on Facebook and Twitter to cultivate fear among their perfectly-honed demographic base. As we saw in 2016, users then spread disinformation to their friends and family, inflaming their own fervor while sending opponents into a frenzy of fact-checking.

One of the problems is that social media is tailored to your interests; people end up not just ignoring, but never encountering sources that don’t say what they want to hear. Then, when face-to-face with friends, coworkers, or relatives with opposing views, we can’t comprehend how they can possibly believe this or that rumor, story, or scandal, when the “truth” seems so obvious to us.

To get through these confrontations (both interpersonal and electoral) without them becoming volatile, it can help to know what all sides are thinking, not just one or even two. Don’t fall into the trap of following only the news outlets that reflect your political leanings; if scroll you must, use a newsstand app rather than socials. 

You’ll find sometimes contradictory or sensationalized but informative pieces in The HIll and RT just as you will in the Washington Post and the New York Times, along with Salon, TIME, the Rolling Stone, Heritage, and Christian Science Monitor, even on-the-verge publications like Zero Hedge and literally hundreds more. 

Feel free to toggle “stop showing” any known tabloid, fluff, or clickbait sources as they come up, but make it a point not to eliminate renowned publications out of automatic prejudice, and check out the “full coverage” on major stories. The truth lies somewhere in between the swirling diatribes and must be elicited rather than taken at face value. With a little effort, you’ll have a well-rounded news feed, insulated from comments and other distractions until you’ve had a chance to think or choose to share it yourself. 

 

In a perfect world, the media would take a certain amount of responsibility for how it presents information. Instead, the news itself is the news, in the sense that the way it’s reported shapes the way events, policies, and political figures are perceived by the American public. 

The only way to break the cycle is to break out of your own labels and build up your tolerance for contradiction and ambiguity. This may actually require some work - seeking out and analyzing news stories yourself - but that’s how we build an election process based on political efficacy, good citizenship, and meaningful dialogue .