Thread by @RANDCorporation

Americans are placing less faith in institutions that were once trusted sources of information—including the media.

That's one of the key trends that characterizes #TruthDecay—defined as the diminishing role of facts and analysis in American public life.
bit.ly/2V798qG

Tonight, RAND leaders and media experts are gathering at our Santa Monica HQ to discuss the role the media plays in exacerbating #TruthDecay—and the role it can play in fighting the phenomenon.

We'll have live updates on this thread.

We're joined by panelists
🔹@michaeldrich, RAND president and CEO
🔹@jekavanagh, leader of our Countering #TruthDecay initiative
🔹@WendyMcMahon7, president, ABC Owned Television Stations
🔹@NPearlstine, executive editor, @latimes

and moderator @Willow_Bay, dean of @USCAnnenberg

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg First, some background. RAND research defines #TruthDecay as a set of 4 related trends:

1️⃣ growing disagreement about facts
2️⃣ blurring of the line between opinion and fact
3️⃣ rising volume of opinion and personal experience over fact
4️⃣ declining trust in respected sources

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg Together, these trends pose a threat to American democracy by contributing to:

🔸erosion of civil discourse
🔸political paralysis at the federal & state level
🔸individual disengagement from political & civic life
🔸uncertainty in national policy

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg What's causing this phenomenon? We identified 4 drivers:

🔹cognitive bias
🔹changes in the information system (24-hour news, social media)
🔹demands on the education system that make it hard to keep up with these changes
🔹polarization in politics, society, and the economy

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg This graphic shows how the entire #TruthDecay system works.

You can also read about this phenomenon in more depth in the full report: bit.ly/3bVb0ck

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg #TruthDecay is "the most serious problem democracies face," says @michaeldrich.

Unless this trend is reversed, it will be difficult or impossible tackle society's wider problems.

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg @Willow_Bay asks how @jekavanagh would characterize the media's role in the phenomenon of #TruthDecay.

RAND research suggests that it's a two-way street, she says. There's a way in which media exacerbates the problem, and there are demands audiences make on the media.

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg "It's a self-perpetuating cycle." — @jekavanagh

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg Smartphones have made the current media environment, said @WendyMcMahon7. People went from checking in once a day to looking at their phones 150x/day.

In response to that rapid and expansive change, and in the quest to drive traffic and drive referrals, newsrooms were reactive.

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg @NPearlstine also pointed out the deterioration of the media business model as an important factor.

That has impacted the media's ability to do the types of journalism that audiences appreciate the most.

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg How do Americans perceive changes in the reliability of the news? Results from our recent survey:

➡️44% said the news is as reliable now as it was in the past.
⬇️41% said the news has become *less* reliable.
⬆️15% said the news is now *more* reliable.

rand.org/pubs/research_…

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg That 15% (who rated the news as more reliable) were more likely to be women & minorities, noted @jekavanagh.

One way to interpret that is that these groups now see themselves reflected in the news. While the fractured media environment can be difficult, there are benefits, too.

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg Building and maintaining trust in local news has a lot to do with relevance, @WendyMcMahon7 explained.

"When stories are coming out of a newsroom, not a neighborhood, then we are not relevant. And that's when trust and brand is sacrificed."

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg This is an extraordinary era of investigative journalism, juxtaposed with a time where we trust the facts less, noted @Willow_Bay. Could this help restore the trust and credibility of factual information?

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg Several of the historical periods of #TruthDecay (Gilded Age, Roaring 20s/Great Depression, Vietnam War) have ended with the rise of investigative journalism, said @michaeldrich.

But some of the forces working in the other direction are still very strong. rand.org/pubs/research_…

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg "People will read if it's something they really care about. If it's something that *I* care about and I'm trying to sell you what I have rather than what you want, we're going to have a lot of trouble." — @NPearlstine

@michaeldrich @jekavanagh @WendyMcMahon7 @NPearlstine @latimes @Willow_Bay @USCAnnenberg Thanks for following along.

Want to learn more about the connection between #TruthDecay and the changing media landscape? You can find all the reports that are part of our Countering Truth Decay initiative here: rand.org/research/proje…