Nonfiction Research spent the past year studying Americans’ toxic relationship with the news and exploring what we can do about it. What you are about to read are excerpts from that story. Click the link in the top right-hand menu to download the full, uncensored report.
In our findings, you may see perspectives that hurt or anger you. Our intention as authors is not to present any view as right or wrong. What we are advocating for is an evolution in the way we engage with ideas. If you’re looking for a hidden political agenda, we’re sorry to disappoint you. We hope you read on with an open heart and mind.
Americans of all political persuasions are fed up with partisan news from both sides of the aisle.
With their relationships and their sanity at stake, Americans are begging for a new kind of journalism.
We have a tendency to envision Americans as divided, bloodthirsty partisans who only want news from inside their political “bubble.” But, that is only one side of the story.
‘Saving Americans from the News’ reveals another America, with people of all political persuasions united in their screaming frustration with bias coming from BOTH the left and the right—what this report calls ‘narrative warfare.’
50% of Americans are frustrated with bias coming from both the left and the right.
“Everyone is just so dishonest with their representation on both sides. I don’t even care to listen to any of it anymore.”
— SURVEY RESPONDENT, TO US
Narrative warfare is tearing at the fabric of our relationships and destroying our ability to see and hear each other.
“My best friend in the world watches CNN, MSNBC and gets her news from Facebook and Snapchat. We can no longer have a political discussion or social discussion… I am so sad as I miss her.”
— SURVEY RESPONDENT, TO US
But, our image of Americans as irrevocably divided is, at least in part, based on a mirage.
27%
of Americans admit they’ve secretly doubted a political or social stance they’ve taken publically.
29%
of Millennials admit they’ve posted on social media just so people wouldn’t think they were on the wrong side of a political or social issue.
“With BLM I was going to post a black square but then I saw something that if you post it you’re a racist. My group chat was scrambling to figure out if posting a black square meant you were racist or not. I’m just trying to not be seen as racist.”
“For instance, with the #SaveOurChildren movement…if I didn’t participate, I would be ridiculed as a pedo lover.”
— SURVEY RESPONDENTS, TO US
Most Americans want out of the narrative warfare.
And “just the facts” journalism will not save them, because in actuality, campaigns of narrative warfare are not over “facts” at all; they instead concern the meaning and interpretation of information. Narrative warfare rages on not because of a lack of truth, but a lack of trust.
So, how the the hell should Americans decide whom to trust?
Any earnest effort to earn trust must address the three hallmarks of narrative warfare.
CONTEXTLESS ARGUMENTS
46% of Americans are frustrated with the difficulty finding journalism that tells the good and bad of both sides of an issue.
DEMONIZATION OF THE OTHER
72% of Americans say they want a type of journalism that shows empathy for the personal experiences and feelings of those the author disagrees with.
PRESSURE TOWARD CERTAINTY
27% of Americans have felt pressure to take a stronger stance on a political/social issue than they really felt at the time
The Fair Play Test
Based on what we heard in our research we set out to design a simple test that would help inoculate Americans against narrative warfare.
Our hope is that this test serves as set of shared standards to hold old media, new media, friends on Facebook, our favorite podcast hosts, and ourselves more accountable in how we exchange ideas. Download the full report to learn what these principles really mean in the context of culture today.
1. Show Empathy for Those You Disagree With
Did you take the pain of everyone involved seriously?
2. Steelman Arguments
Did you present the strongest version of an argument — in a way someone who holds that belief would be satisfied with — before countering that argument?
3. Normalize Doubt
Did you make it feel safe for people to express doubt, ask questions, or change their mind?
Our hope is that the Fair Play Test inspires changes in four areas:
Publications — to inspire new experiments in how journalistic publications wrestle with ideas
Podcasts — to serve as a standard for a new wave of creators shaping the American mind: podcast hosts, YouTubers, and Clubhouse speakers
Public Schools — to educate children against the disastrous effects of narrative warfare
Parties — to compassionately hold ourselves and anyone we discuss ideas with at parties, family reunions, or online more accountable for the thoughts we’re sharing
We know our collective issues with the media won’t be reconciled by one report, publication, or person. But if there is one thing we can be confident in, it is that
Americans are begging us to try.
