A recent Washington Post article describes a real-world example of how detached from truth politics can be. It also reveals how financially successful that post truth politics can be.
WaPo interviewed Paris Wade and Ben Goldman, the founders of the post truth, pro-Trump website LibertyWritersNews.com. Wade and Goldman are recent university graduates who were unable to get jobs that paid more than low wages. On discovering that post truth journalism could be financially lucrative, they started their new careers. The following illustrate the cognitive power and appeal of post truth journalism as practiced by Wade and Goldman:
1. Before starting LibertyWritersNews (LWN), Wade's revelation about the power of false information came from an article he wrote in about 10 minutes claiming proof that North Korea was experimenting on humans. He backed his fake story up with what Wade called a “totally misleading” photograph of a fleshy mass. Wade published the story and it made $120. According to the WaPO article, Wade observed that “it was a revelation: You have to trick people into reading the news.” (That Wade referred to the fake story as news instead of a fabrication reflects disregard for that bit of nuance)
2. Wade commented on a LWN article titled “THE TRUTH IS OUT! The Media Doesn’t Want You To See What Hillary Did After Losing... .” Wade observed that “nothing in this article is anti-media, but I’ve used this headline a thousand times. Violence and chaos and aggressive wording is what people are attracted to.” Goldman added “our audience does not trust the mainstream media. It’s definitely easier to hook them with that.” Wade added that “there’s not a ton of thought put into it. Other than it frames the story so it gets a click.”
3. In response to LWN articles, readers respond with things like (i) “YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE I TRUST TO REPORT THE TRUTH” and (ii) “Arrest and hang him for war crimes” (in response to an old LWN article headline about George Soros, but with no connection to the article itself -- the old headline is reused because it keeps getting clicks). Wade and Goldman dismiss reader reactions like that. According to the WaPo article, “Goldman and Wade often tell each other they aren’t creating anything that’s not already there, that they’re simply fanning it, that readers know not to take their hyperbole and embellishments seriously. And even if the comments suggest otherwise, they try not to pay them too much attention.”
4. “There are times when Wade wonders what it would be like to write an article he truly believes in. ‘In a perfect world’, it would have nuance and balance and long paragraphs and take longer than 10 minutes to compose. It would make people think. But he never writes it, he says, because no one would click on it, so what would be the point?”
Indeed, why should any news or entertainment source bother with balance, nuance or any concern for truth in politics? What's the point? That's boring. And, it doesn't feel nearly as good as instantly responding to false realities that arouse irrational emotional responses. It require no conscious reason or effort but feels so very good.
Who knows? Maybe post truth politics is the ultimate in empty calories for the mind. It's just harmless brain candy, right?
B&B orig: 11/22/16
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