Doomsday hysteria
Mainstream media and polling services haven’t apologized for their willful incompetence, so we won’t apologize for demanding more honest and accurate reporting. After the midterms, Democrats have a renewed sense of empowerment knowing what works to win. Palmer Report has declared a key part of the strategy for future elections will be holding mainstream media and polling services accountable.
Like many of you, after the November 8, 2016 “election” I stopped tuning in to television or radio news. The talking heads spin was unbearable. Instead, I read obsessively, triaging accurate reporting from sensationalism. Bill Palmer is the master of this. I can only imagine the amount of news sources he sorts through.
I confess, there are some things only spoken media can provide. For example, when the highly anticipated Mueller report was released, I finally listened to one of the talking heads, and realized that “Mueller” is pronounced with a short ‘u,’ leaving me mulling over what else I missed. Not much.
For the January 6th Committee Hearings, I hit record and waited at least an hour to watch. That way when Andrea Mitchell spewed spin prompted in her ear by the producers, I could fast forward. Producers know how to get viewers to react and repeat incendiary soundbites. Train your brain, take note of what triggers you, fast forward, or change the channel.
For written media, heed Palmer Report’s admonishments about leaks to the press. This is great insight into how the media is used to manipulates us. Palmer Report is also calling out the media in real time – for example, Trump’s big campaign “announcement” – demanding more accurate reporting. On that day, when I received a barrage of emails and texts from the media, I deleted them unopened, depriving digital media of its precious click-through rate.
Finally, discourage doomsday messaging. Push back against attacks on Merrick Garland’s DOJ, remind others of all it has done so far, and of all WE have done: We won 2018, 2020, 2021 in Georgia, and now 2022 midterms. Democrats are savvy consumers of information and will continue to demand better. Sorry, not sorry.
Chicago native Lorraine Evanoff earned her degree in French from DePaul University then became a Certified Financial Manager. She worked as a finance exec in film production for seven years in Paris, then in Silicon Valley during the dot-com era, and later for various Hollywood production companies, notably as CFO of National Lampoon. She is currently living in Los Angeles with her husband.