Mastodawn

Teri Kanefield Mar 9, 2024

Whew! I finished.

https://terikanefield.com/invented-narratives-and-the-outrage-industry/

Everything I promised: How to listen (or not listen) to legal pundits.

It's also about what is dangerous about the entire industry of punditry, speculation, and cable talk shows.

For years I was perplexed by what I was seeing on left-leaning Twitter, political blogs, and partisan reporting. I had the feeling that, in its way, what I was seeing was comparable to Fox: Lots of bad information and even unhinged conspiracy theories.

1/

Teri Kanefield Mar 9, 2024

Of course, if I suggested that, I was blasted for "both-sidesing."

Then I discovered an area of scholarship: Communications and the overlap between communications and political science.

I read these books and all the light bulbs went on.

I wrote a series last November called the Misinformation-Outrage-Cycle.

I thought I was finished, but like a book that I finish several times, I wasn't finished.

https://terikanefield.com/invented-narratives-and-the-outrage-industry/

This time, I think I am finished.

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Part 6: Invented Narratives and the Outrage Industry - Teri Kanefield

The Misinformation-Outrage Cycle This is Part 6. It’s generally best to follow the advice given to Alice and the White Rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: “Begin at the beginning, go on to the end, and then stop.” But if you must read out of order, here are all the links: Part 1: There are […]

Teri Kanefield

Teri Kanefield Mar 9, 2024

When I get it all connected, the blog post I just wrote will be Part 6.

The post I did earlier this week on the 14th Amendment Section 3 debacle will be Part 7.

I wrote a conclusion: What to Expect from the Rage Machine Going Forward.

I may do a short introduction including the information in this thread.

https://terikanefield.com/invented-narratives-and-the-outrage-industry/

If you read this blog post, and the two that follow (I have links at the bottom going to the next post) you will understand why I have been getting testy.

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Part 6: Invented Narratives and the Outrage Industry - Teri Kanefield

The Misinformation-Outrage Cycle This is Part 6. It’s generally best to follow the advice given to Alice and the White Rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: “Begin at the beginning, go on to the end, and then stop.” But if you must read out of order, here are all the links: Part 1: There are […]

Teri Kanefield

Teri Kanefield Mar 9, 2024

There is nothing wrong with outrage based on facts.

Outrage about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade will probably keep Biden in the White House.

But manufactured outrage to fuel a for-profit industry is not good for anyone.

It is not good for democracy.

It is not good for the victims.

It is not good for the people trying to put out forest fires of misinformation with a squirt gun of facts.

https://terikanefield.com/invented-narratives-and-the-outrage-industry/

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Part 6: Invented Narratives and the Outrage Industry - Teri Kanefield

The Misinformation-Outrage Cycle This is Part 6. It’s generally best to follow the advice given to Alice and the White Rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: “Begin at the beginning, go on to the end, and then stop.” But if you must read out of order, here are all the links: Part 1: There are […]

Teri Kanefield

The solution to a Firehose of Falsehood is not to try to debunk each bit of misinformation.

The fact checkers can never keep up.

The solution is to put raincoats on the populaton.

The same applies to the kind of misinformation that runs rampant in what I've been calling the CNN-MSNBC-left-leaning social media ecosystem.

It is super easy for pundits with cable platofrms or big social media accounts to toss out a rage-inducing simplification.

5/

Teri Kanefield Mar 9, 2024

Debunking each one is difficult and time consuming.

Think how easy it is to say "THE DOJ IS DOING NOTHING."

Now consider how much time went into putting together:
https://terikanefield.com/all-new-doj-investigation-faqs/

I believe the biggest threat to democracy is losing factuality and embracing lies.

Autocracy is based on lies. Democracy is based on the truth.

I wrote this series as I figured out what was going on: https://terikanefield.com/invented-narratives-and-the-outrage-industry/

I hope it helps others understand.

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DOJ Investigation into the January 6 attack FAQs - Teri Kanefield

I initially wrote this in March of 2022 and I have been periodically updating it since. The March 2022 version is here. For some reason, not all the links are showing up as a contrasting color. I stopped updating this after indictments were brought, but please read if you believe any of the following: The […]

Teri Kanefield

Hasani Hunter Mar 9, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield looks like your blog crashed. Getting a server 500 error

Teri Kanefield Mar 9, 2024

This happens when I first post something. I keep forgetting to try a new plug in. Techies tell me it's Mastodon's fault.

Try again in a few minutes and it should work.

Hasani Hunter Mar 9, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield yes it works! Thanks

zenkat Mar 9, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield I get a 500 error for your link:

https://terikanefield.com/invented-narratives-and-the-outrage-industry/

Part 6: Invented Narratives and the Outrage Industry - Teri Kanefield

The Misinformation-Outrage Cycle This is Part 6. It’s generally best to follow the advice given to Alice and the White Rabbit in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: “Begin at the beginning, go on to the end, and then stop.” But if you must read out of order, here are all the links: Part 1: There are […]

Teri Kanefield

Teri Kanefield Mar 9, 2024

This happens when I first post something. I keep forgetting to try a new plug in. Techies tell me it's Mastodon's fault.

Try again in a few minutes and it should work.

shorty60 🇺🇸Mar 9, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield my hope is you will keep working on your blog because without your knowledge I would be one of those people on the precipice of rage if not over the edge. I have in fact been calm about all this because of your work. I know I have said before but I don’t know that you can be told enough, thank you, you do make a difference.

Teri Kanefield Mar 9, 2024

I will keep working on my blog, but I will not be responding any more to the latest rage.

I will write weekly blog post about the law, legal history, and politics.

I hope you continue reading!

But anyone who continues following the rage merchants is on their own. I can't keep helping.

Cat West Mar 9, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield @shorty60 You can’t save a drowning man that won’t let go of the anchor. You’ve got all these postings (life preservers) out there. They are accessible. They are clear. It’s up to us to find them.

GB Mar 10, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield @shorty60 I appreciate your blog and your writing. You don’t have to keep trying to talk people off the ledge. They seem to Iike ledges. Just keep doing your blog. It’s the important part.

RDN Mar 9, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield
So the answer to these short hot takes that are at least oversimplified and at worst disinformation should be a prohibition on social media posts that are less than 2,000 words long, are not comprehensively cross-referenced, and are not highly engaging.

With those rules, you'd be the only one writing, Teri., And that's OK.

John Dunnicliffe Mar 10, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield Teri, thank you for your hard work.

Lunatech Mar 10, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield You really need to find an instance that will let you post more than 500 characters at a time. When you post a series of posts, I generally see one or two ot of ten.

Just so you know, infosec.exchange will let you post up to 11,000 characters at a time. Some otrher instances will also let you post more than the Mastodon default of 500 characters, though as far as I know there unfortunately is no list of instances ordered by maximum post length.

Teri Kanefield Mar 10, 2024

I think you need to learn how to click on a thread to see all of it.

I like short form.

Lunatech Mar 10, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield Oh. Okay then, well I am not willing to do that so I will just unfollow you.

EllenJS Mar 10, 2024

This explains how to see all posts in a thread, and in branches of a thread.

@Teri_Kanefield

https://mastodon.help/#ThreadsAndBranches

Mastodon Help - Guide

A thorough introduction to Mastodon

Lunatech Mar 10, 2024

@EllenJS @Teri_Kanefield Well that is clear as mud. The problem is that in a series of some number of posts, I only see some small subset of those posts, and often it's totally random, for example I might see just posts 3 and post 6 (just as an example). And sure, if I wanted to go clicking around I might be able to see the full thread, but if I don't know what the thread is about then I'm rarely motivated to do that. But also, every so often if you do that then you lose your place in the home timeline, and when you return you have to scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll scroll etc. to get back to where you were, if you can even remember the last post you read and then find it. Since that is SUPER annoying to me I just won't do it; my solution in such a case is to just stop following (or if necessary, mute or block) a person who persists in leaving short serial posts. I don't really feel like I am missing out when I do that, because Mastodon is such a firehose that on most days there are too many posts in my home timeline to begin with.

Teri said she likes making short form posts, but I hate reading them when there are several of them in a series even if they do all appear, which almost never happens. So, the obvious solution is for me to unfollow her. That way, neither of us are annoying each other. Most people who want to make long posts eventually seem to find an instance that allows them. Teri doesn't want to, and that's her right, but it's also my right not to have any of them appear in my home timeline.

🎓 Doc Freemo

🇳🇱Mar 10, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield

Ok and whats the solution that can be applied in an unbias way so when the same happens from the right we are equally protected from either side?

Gary Schulz Mar 9, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield
Teri, if you have named names and given examples of your complaint about the left-leaning ecosystem, please point me to the thread. Which left-leaning pundits do you consider the most culpable of pushing out misinformation?

Julian ♪🌻🥥🌴♫Mar 9, 2024

@GarySchulz The blog post is pretty explicit in naming people. (FWIW, I agree with most of those callouts.) @Teri_Kanefield

Chris AD Mar 10, 2024

@GarySchulz @Teri_Kanefield try this
https://terikanefield.com/the-outrage-machine-strikes-again-14th-amendment-section-3/

The Outrage Machine Strikes Again (14th Amendment, Section 3) - Teri Kanefield

In Part III of the Misinformation-Outrage Cycle, I laid out the history of the attacks on Merrick Garland. If you missed it, please start there. I concluded with this: People without intellectual humility rarely admit they were wrong. Moreover, the same pundits who spent 18 months misleading the public about Merrick Garland and the DOJ […]

Teri Kanefield

Michael Marek Mar 9, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield
I was traveling last week and the hotel had CNN (which I don't get at home).

The only people they interviewed in primetime about the news of the day were Republicans. Didn't push back very hard on false claims, either.

Teri Kanefield Mar 9, 2024

It's outrage.

Shaula Walko Mar 10, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield @mimarek
Ugh, of course! 🤦🏻‍♀️ Just realized I’m susceptible to feeling outrage for what they *don’t* say, too—and I’m talking about our local news channels, not even CNN or MSNBC. Got more work to do… Thank you so much for your insights.

Teri Kanefield Mar 10, 2024

@shaulawalko @mimarek

I never have watched news on TV. I am strictly a print person. I find it easier to skip over the opinions and hype in print.

I can quickly tell when I am not being given facts.

I know other people like to watch, but I suspect it will always more annoying.

Michael Marek Mar 10, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield @shaulawalko

I used to watch CNN in the morning while getting ready to go to work. Then we cut the cord and don't pay for any service that CNN comes with.

I was just responding the Teri's comment about "left-leaning CNN." I think that the current CNN owners are causing them to be less "left-leaning" they they used to be. And I think they really used to be relatively centrist.

Teri Kanefield Mar 10, 2024

@mimarek @shaulawalko

I don't watch. I only know what the legal pundits are saying from their social media accounts.

Some of the CNN legal pundits are every bit as bad as some of them on MSNBC.

It could be changing and I'm not keeping up, but it doesn't matter.

It's all junk.

Shaula Walko Mar 11, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield @mimarek
I consume both, but I do prefer print to TV because there is more detail and background available in the reporting. (Which is how I can tell when the TV news is leaving something out that I think seems kind of important.) However, going strictly print right now sounds like a good plan. Thanks 😊

Scott Matter Mar 9, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield

Have you come across the work the Reuters Institute has done on polarization?

Seeing you mention the “CNN-MSNBC-left-leaning” ecosystem reminded me of annual reports i had seen from them trying to measure polarization of audiences and publishers in different countries. (Back when I used to work as a strategic design / research person at a legacy media company here in Sydney).

This article includes a bit on their methodology (in case you hadn’t seen it before) https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2022/have-news-audiences-become-more-polarised-over-time

Have news audiences become more polarised over time?

This chapter explores whether news audiences have become more polarised in recent years examining the news consumption habits of people at various points on the political spectrum

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism

SatelliteOfLove Mar 10, 2024

@Teri_Kanefield

and say "oh there X goes lying again!" to hammer it home