The Importance of Independent Media


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Introduction:

Media and politics have become more intertwined than ever. Add some corporate greed to the mix and you have a three-headed apparatus that blends "news" and information, business and money, and political games all broadcast live into your living room at the flick of a switch. There is so much money and influence floating around in all mainstream media that it makes it impossible to fully trust anything you hear. Newer technologies, like social media and the internet as a whole, have only exasperated the problem. Media companies can tweet out an inflammatory headline, only to correct themselves in the replies and  leave the original, misleading post intact. This has made grassroots, independent media more important than ever before, especially for people that are pro-2nd amendment. I'm going to go a bit into some of the issues that I see with mainstream media corporations, some changes that you can make to negate these issues, and lastly, provide you some of my sources that I use to stay informed on all things, from 2A-related things to world news in general. 

Details:

The biggest mistake that I see people make while consuming mainstream media content is that they treat it as news. Of course there is some informative content in there, but the 'news' that you see on TV should be treated more like political propaganda rather than content meant to inform and educate you. For example, CNN's politics section is filled with content pointing out how weak Trump is doing in whatever poll they choose. They even have a selection on the top banner of the section called "Donald Trump" where I did not see anything even neutral on Trump. Now this sounds like CNN is just hating on Trump for hating on them, until you go the the Fox News website and go to the Joe Biden page of their politics section. 

Bias is part of being human. People cannot completely remove their own opinions from how they frame and report on current events. That's just part of being a reporter. News anchors on TV don't fit this bill though. Their stories do not report on the facts and don't give valuable analysis. Stories on TV are manufactured to sway you, the observer, into feeling or thinking a certain way. News organizations will coordinated with the political entities that suit their interests, and create stories to push you in a certain direction. Just look at any "Town Hall" event held by CNN or Fox News. They function as de-facto campaign rallies for whoever is answering the screened questions. These stations also run political ad commercials, and these commercials are often catered to your geographic location in order to be as effective as possible.

So far I've only been discussing the political warping done by mainstream media, but the corporate shilling is just as bad if not worse. Media companies, in being a mouthpiece for politicians, subsequently enact the will of their parent corporations. CNN is owned by AT&T, MSNBC by Comcast, and ABC by Disney. Fox is the outlier, but it has no shortage of big-business influence from the Murdoch family. All of this means that how you are influenced on a day to day basis is directed by corporations seeking to profit off of this influence. Now this doesn't mean that you watch the news and buy a product. It means that you watch the news and vote for their guy. By swaying the masses just right, they gain political favor at the highest levels of government. The scariest part, to me, is that people just eat it up. People watch their favorite news personalities like their favorite sitcom. People watching CNN think that it is the arbiter of truth, and those watching Fox News believe that what they're being told on national television is something that the political elite don't want them to know. 

So what can be done? The simple answer is to unplug. Stop watching the news or browsing for it on your phone. Start getting involved in your community or investing in yourself instead. But you may ask, how are you supposed to know what's going on in the world? Enter, independent media. In order to stay informed on particular issues, seek out organizations that advocate or work in the space you want to know about. For example, I get a lot of firearms-related news from the Firearms Policy Coalition. Although they want to garner donations, they provide information on and provide links to bills and proposed laws that can directly affect me and the 2nd Amendment. Next, utilize social media to get informed from people in the ground. Fox and CNN can try to tell you whatever story they want about the recent protests in the US, but by following and paying attention to citizen journalists on the ground, you can see for yourself the events that unfold and draw your own conclusions. Practice critical thinking. Be skeptical of the things you see, but keep an open mind. Do your best to know that there are many sides to every story, and nobody is going to be able to tell you everything that you could ever know about it. Make an effort to learn the context of whatever you're seeing in order to decide for yourself how you feel. Lastly, be empathetic for the people that are living the news you're watching unfold. People may be angry, loud, radical, or not well-spoken, but that's just humanity. The mother and children in the migrant caravan isn't looking to be a criminal alien, she is seeking a life for her children. The angry protestor who can't quite gather his thoughts isn't stupid, he is frustrated and tired from a day of marching. A little empathy can go a long way in understanding the people behind the images on your phone, computer, or TV. Independent Media is not without bias, but the bias is a thin veil over things as oppose to the large corporate and political influence in mainstream news. 

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https://www.popularfront.co/

Conclusion:

I know that this has been immensely dense, wordy, and not very firearm-related, but I think it is important. A lack of empathy, critical thinking, and analysis is how we wound up with a country that is so deeply divided. Finally, I want to give a few independent news sources that I use on a day-to-day basis for both keeping up with current events and learning about issues going on in the country and the world. 

Popular Front:

PF is run by freelance journalist Jake Hanrahan. He's done work for some major outlets, and just in the past couple years has created his own outlet focused on independent reporting. His podcast and content focus on conflict in a very detailed and nuanced way. He talks with subject-matter experts about various events and armed groups around the world. Its really interesting stuff, and really delves into the "niche and geeky details" of things. https://www.popularfront.co/

Atlas.News :

Atlas news is an Instagram page that does a great job at being on top of current events. Most of their stuff focuses on events in the US, but they also go worldwide with much of their reporting. 

FPC:

I like following the FPC on social media just for their 2nd Amendment news. They are apolitical, so they freely call out BS on both the left and the right, which I find to be refreshing. They can speak in tall platitudes at times, but overall, the information they provide is solid and relevant to me as a gun owner. A lot of conservative media tends to gloss over threats to gun rights, so the FPC is particularly useful for me. https://www.firearmspolicy.org/news

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