Thread by @AshlieinNC

Here’s a personal story of mine I felt the need to share. Abt #news, #fakenews & this era we're in.
Haven’t shared publicly, though we've spent time together, you’ve prob heard me on this soap box. After the last few months, I feel the need to share it broadly.
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I worked in PR for 10 years, 5 of them working on behalf of severely wounded troops coming back from OEF/OIF. This time has been and will likely always be the best days of my career. We were making a REAL difference! This work mattered! At the time, we were urging the media to

bring to light the issues/scandal with the VA and troops not getting the help they needed. (Before the TIME story broke, in which we provided several sources.)

This nonprofit was my main client but not the only 1. (I had clients that ran hair salons, opened restaurants, sponsored race teams, helped the elderly & made tech. At the time, news was taking its hardest hit, being reduced to skeleton-like staff.)

Anyway, part of my job was to pitch stories & interviews w/ troops to local & national news outlets. Several times I was on the phone with producers who outright asked me, ”What are his injuries? Are they visible?” 🤬🤯🤬🤯

Why did they ask? They wanted it to be a good shot. Not giving a damn about the invisible scars like PTSD that were killing troops & ripping families apart.

Here's the thing: producers are ppl too-who must feed families, pay bills, or fulfill a dream.They felt pressure to save their job for a bit longer. They weren’t thinking abt how an angle or their mindset was part a larger machine driven by money (ad dollars).

I stayed in the PR business a few more yrs. I wanted to help the troops, fix the problem at the VA. But after a couple (?) of more years & a few more outrageous things we experienced (from ABC News & GMA), I left PR. I couldn’t sleep AND be a part of the spin feeding the machine

So let's get to #fakenews - it isn’t a thing, unless you’re the Enquirer or s/t. IMO, sexy headlines (“if it bleeds, it leads”), ad dollars, monopolies, dwindling local news resources, viewership numbers, ratings & audiences w/ shortened attention spans ARE a problem.

Here's the thing imo: When it comes to mainstream media, it’s all about THE headline, THE shot. We live in a time where it’s all about how much attention you can get from 280 characters. We all see this playing out every day on social media.

I’ve watched stories break lately abt #COVID_19 and racial injustices & #BLM- and then get “spun” by our current #POTUS to fit a narrative that keeps his base satisfied. Then I watch as those folks inevitably nod, feeling validated, & go back to being content in an echo chamber.

So few people will read beyond the headline much less do the work to research a topic or even look at the source. Instead, they read what feels good/easy, not what’s factually accurate at the time. And I'm so over it.

But I don’t have an answer to this phenomenon.

I too am guilty for reacting / sharing content before I vet it. I remove it when I realize my mistake. In this Information Age, it’s imperative to understand fact v. opinion, what is credible & who to trust & how to decide for ourselves.

Remember: journalism is the “fourth pillar” of democracy. They’re a part of the system. We need them & they need us.

But we need more than opinions, pandering, and ways to measure beyond the ratings & $$$.

So for today, it’s on us to:
- choose the info we consume & where we absorb it
- look how media orgs are funded, content policies.
- read from sources w/ known bias unlike our
personal beliefs
- not have all the answers & be okay with that
- be ok w/ learning

I used to want to write a book about this. Or a blog. At the end of the day, I didn’t have the fight in me to sustain it or defend my very real experiences. So I’m sharing it here. Do with it what you will but I had get it off my chest.

We have to dig. We have to work for it. We have to be better. And we have to want to be better. #letsbebetter #trustbutverify