How to fix trust in media
- The loss of trust in mainstream media (MSM) results from them abusing past trust to push political goals.
- Trust is like savings. They had trust; they spent it to buy political influence, and now they are broke.
- Here is a small sample of important fake stories by MSM outlets:
| # | Story | Media Outlet(s) | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trump-Russia Dossier | CNN, MSNBC, BuzzFeed | Fueled years of investigation; later shown to be unverified and politically sourced. |
| 2 | Covington Catholic Incident | CNN, Washington Post | Slandered teen behavior as racist at a protest; led to lawsuits and public backlash. |
| 3 | Jussie Smollett Attack | ABC, CBS, CNN | Initially reported as hate crime; later revealed to be staged. |
| 4 | Hunter Biden Laptop Suppression | NPR, NYT (initially), Twitter (platform suppression) | Dismissed as Russian disinfo; later verified as authentic. |
| 5 | Iraq WMDs (2003) | NYT, Washington Post | Justified war; later proven false, with massive geopolitical consequences. |
| 6 | Balloon Boy Hoax | CNN, MSNBC | Covered as real-time child endangerment; later exposed as a publicity stunt. |
| 7 | Rittenhouse Shooting Mischaracterization | MSNBC, CNN | Framed as racially motivated; legal outcome contradicted narrative. |
| 8 | Pope Endorses Trump (2016) | Shared by mainstream outlets before retraction | Viral misinformation during election season. |
| 9 | FBI Agent in Clinton Email Case Dies in Murder-Suicide | Multiple outlets | Completely fabricated story; widely circulated. |
| 10 | Paid Protesters at Trump Rally | Various mainstream and social media | False claim used to discredit dissent. |
- Here is a Gallup poll showing the loss of trust over the years.
- In response people have moved to alternative media sources. Niche websites, X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat.
- Many of these sources are less accurate and more biased that MSM, but people stick with them because their politics align.
- With widespread distrust, people seek comfort in sources that reinforce their beliefs.
- I believe trust can be restored.
- The free market of ideas is analogous to the free market of goods. Just as goods may be poor quality, "bait and switch," or even dangerous, the same applies to ideas and news.
- The solution in the goods market has largely been addressed through reputation and branding.
- Branding in media is even simpler than branding physical goods.
- By establishing an open protocol for identity verification and signing, along with a public registry for individuals to register their public IDs, trust can securely rebuilt.
- While we can't prove a video or photograph is accurate, we can prove who it come from if it is signed.
- Those who wish to build a trusted brand will work hard not to push fake images, video or statements.
- Signing it puts their repuation on the line. "Our brand believes this to be true".
- IDs can be anonymous to protect against coercion.
- Over time, these IDs evolve into trusted brands.
- Trust is then restored even stronger than before.