Trust in American media is collapsing. In this episode of Common Ground, Shane, Amandalynne, and Logan unpack why only 31% of Americans trust the media—and why that number drops to just 8% among Republicans. But this isn’t just about partisan media bias or bad headlines. It’s about how the 24-hour news cycle turned information into entertainment, how foreign adversaries like Russia exploit our fractured media landscape, and why Americans are left unsure of who—or what—to believe.
We dive into the emotional and psychological reasons people believe certain narratives over others, the rise of deepfakes and AI-generated propaganda, and how disinformation campaigns now operate across generations, not just election cycles. Most importantly, we offer listeners a path forward: how to recognize your own biases, how to assess information critically, and how to protect yourself from narrative manipulation—without giving up on the truth entirely.
Topics Covered:
Gallup stats on trust in media by party and age
The profit model of 24/7 news and the shift from reporting to entertainment
First-hand stories of how media bias plays out in real time
Russian disinformation campaigns, including AI-crafted propaganda
The emotional appeal of echo chambers and “news that feels good”
How to recognize and check your personal bias
Why trust must be earned—and how to build it again
Whether you're a die-hard news junkie or completely checked out, this episode will challenge how you consume information—and who’s benefiting from your trust (or lack of it).
Photo by Connor Danylenko: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-reading-newspaper-inside-room-2538121/
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