The Daily Doomer: “Existential threats are getting worse: nuclear war, AI fears, climate change”
We are all going to die, Really Soon Now. Your dose of The Daily Doomer.
Media: “61% of Americans” live paycheck to paycheck
Every few months, the media tell us that – horrors! – 61% (or whatever) of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Left out of the breathless reporting is that this is pretty much where it always is, except during recessions when it goes up higher.
Media: An outstanding reporter – the late Jim McKay
One of the long ago greats in journalism, the late Jim McKay.
Media hype: “Death Valley Just Had The Hottest Midnight On Record”
Rather than stick with facts, logic and reasoned arguments, the media has gone full yellow journalism, using exaggeration and hyperbole to sell eyeballs to advertisers. They’ve dived so far into nonsense territory as to render their climate reporting pointless, resulting in their message being tuned out.
National Geographic lays off it’s remaining staff writers
National Geographic magazine lays off all remaining staffers. Will now hire freelancers on contract basis.
Who writes news stories? – Newsroom demographics
Women account for 55% of newsroom jobs, while men account for 45%. Since 2 out of 3 journalism grads are now women, this will over time shift further towards news positions staffed primarily by women, the opposite of 40 years ago.
Rent: Every year the media falls for this
Every year, an activist/lobbying group issues a report saying people earning minimum wage cannot afford to rent an apartment anywhere in the country. They play a sleight-of-hand trick by obfuscating (and not revealing) that they are saying such individuals cannot rent an apartment priced at the 40th percentile. Stated another way, this report finds – every year – that people earning minimum wage can not rent apartments priced in the top 60 percent of the market – yet obviously, lower earners likely rent at the bottom of the market, not the top. Every year, the media morons run the same story, never understanding what this report says.
Media and vague language: What is a “gas guzzler?”
“Gas guzzler” is emotive wording, intended and used to elicit a response from the reader. It is not neutral language – it is propaganda messaging. There is, surprisingly, no official definition of what “gas guzzler” even means.
Media: The manufacturing of news
For every reporter, there are 6.2 “public affairs”/public relations staff working behind the scenes to manufacture the news reports to fit their desires.
Media: Most individual weather events are not climate
Attribution studies attempt to connect individual weather events to climate change. But the ability to do that is so limited that the results are not meaningful. Repeated exaggeration and misreporting leads to skepticism – and serves no useful purpose.