The Media Is a Hierarchy
Ryan Holiday realized that the media is a sort of “hierarchy” or “chain.” At the bottom of this chain are small blogs that will publish pretty much anything in order to get web and social media traffic. The information published by small blogs – even if it’s patently false – may be interesting enough or possible enough to catch the attention of a mid-level media outlet or blogger, who writes about the rumor or wonders aloud if it’s true. Because these mid-level media outlets have larger, more trusting audiences, the information, true or not, gains attention and traction from the wider public.
If a story sticks around long enough and gets enough attention – true or not – it will eventually catch the eye of a mega media outlet like Fox News or CNN, who will then feature a story about the rumor or wonder aloud if it is simply a rumor, perhaps calling in experts to debunk or support the information. The original story may have been nothing more than conjecture or rumor, but because it gets attention from people (which means ad revenue for those featuring the information) they will talk about the story nonetheless.
Information Moves Fast
Today, information moves fast, so journalism is no longer primarily about “pounding the pavement,” with reporters going out looking for stories. Social media and the internet allow information to travel whether or not it is being carried by media outlets.
Ryan Holiday created fake stories to see what would happen if he released his made-up “sources” to media outlets, and these made-up stories turned into front page news. This happened first because traffic equals money; it doesn’t matter if information is credible as long as it sells. Second, people have confirmation bias. They want to run with stories that support their worldviews and beliefs, even if those stories aren’t demonstrably true.
Ryan Holiday says that both advertisers and media outlets aren’t as much concerned with the quality of information being published. Rather, what will gain the most attention?
How do blogs and media outlets gain larger audiences and, therefore, more ad revenue? Ryan Holiday lists three ways: (1) asking untrue rhetorical questions; (2) publishing an article without fact-checking, then keeping the story going by fact-checking after objections arise; (3) gossiping, speculating, or straightaway making up stories.
You Get What You Pay for
Shouldn’t we desire news that is accurate and true? As the old adage goes, you get what you pay for. “If you’re not paying for it, you’re not the customer. You’re the product.” Today, advertisers are often the customer, and readers and listeners are often the product. And what is being monetized? The public’s attention, interest, time, and social media shares.
It’s important to remember that after purposely creating false information, Ryan Holiday went on to be interviewed by Epipheo and to write and publish a book about his experiences – he made plenty of money and built up his reputation.
Strategies for Evaluating Information
If you’re not ready to quit consuming media altogether, here are a few strategies and questions to ask for evaluating the information you find.
- Is the source of the information credible? If so, on what basis are you deciding whether or not the source is credible? Clearly just having resources, attention, and reach doesn’t automatically make anyone a credible source!
- Is the information itself credible, or are there obvious factual inaccuracies?
- Everyone has preconceived notions and a worldview. To the best of your ability, determine the biases of the source or author in question. Is the author clearly biased, hiding a bias, or trying to be objective to the best of their ability?
- Is the information accurate in simpler facts, such as dates and times or names of people and places? Are there any glaring untruths or inaccuracies that may discredit the source or author?
- Does the information cite sources to prove or support its claims? Are the sources credible?
- Is the information generous and even-handed toward other or differing viewpoints, or is the information volatile or antagonistic in a way that seems to be seeking a quick judgment or emotional reaction from readers/listeners?
- Is the information composed in a way that suggests academic or journalistic discipline, or does it seem sloppily thrown-together to market and sell as quickly as possible?
The next time you read or watch a news story and think it is too crazy to be true, you are probably right!
Article for this topic by Daniel Martin.
