Talk Politics For Ten Seconds And I’ll Know Where You Get Your News
Whether the current furor over “fake news” fizzles or ends in state censorship, there is a legitimate issue beneath all the fear-mongering. Moreover, it’s a problem that has been known for a long time. In daily life, it shows up like this:
Have someone talk politics for just 10 seconds, and I can tell you with 80 percent accuracy where they get their news.
You’ve doubtless experienced the same thing. If certain phrases come up, I know that this person watches MSNCB and CNN, and that they read things like the Huffington Post. If they speak another way, I’ll know that they watch Fox News, listen to certain talk radio shows and read things like NewsMax.
In other words, people who consume news have become polarized, and badly so. This is a legitimate problem, though I’m certainly not endorsing state censorship to fix it… that’d be like cutting off your hand to fix hangnail.
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