91% of US news about Covid topics was negative – even when reporting on positive vaccine developments or low case counts in schools. The media learned that consumers demand negativity – I postulate this is because consumers who are suffering from hysteria and anxiety seek out news that confirms their anxiety, and that being anxious is okay.
New York will investigate social media companies related to Buffalo mass shooting. The suspect was previously involuntarily hospitalized by the state police for a psychiatric evaluation; they found nothing. But social media companies should be able to evaluate you from your online postings? Hmmmm.
A Russian athlete appears at a sports competition wearing the “Z” symbol and flaunts it in front of a Ukrainian athlete. While many of us want to believe Russia’s cruel invasion of Ukraine is due to Putin alone, this behavior implies the Russian people themselves are awful. Behaviors like this have long term repercussions. It will be years – decades – if ever – for Russia to restore the rest of the world’s perspective to where it had been just weeks ago.
RT America is shutting down. RT was a Russian government funded television propaganda operation. I feel uncomfortable that I had occasionally watched their programming years ago. I have also unfollowed all Russia-based social media content creators – how can I know they were not part of an elaborate propaganda campaign to encourage us to view the violent Putin regime in a positive light?
An Arizona school district is accused of maintaining extensive dossiers on 47 parents – and their children – for having merely spoken out against district policies. The data was kept in a private but shared Google Drive folder and is said to have included names, photos, personal information, vehicle license plates, photos of children, screen captures of social media posts, and copies of legal documents such as mortgage and divorce papers.