Poynter’s Jon Greenberg remembers watching news reporters during the Vietnam War on television as a 12-year-old kid. He said when there were only three networks they had to appeal to a broader market with a more vague political consensus. Today, there are endless channels, publications and accounts to get information from, and it’s easy to consume news in a way that doesn’t challenge your beliefs — or to avoid consuming news altogether. In this episode, we look at today’s media landscape and consider how a lack of trust and fractured realities in media have sowed division.

Media echo chambers create competing realities

On Season 4 of Unsettled, we’ll dive into “The Great Divide.” According to the American Psychological Association, the majority of adults in America say that societal division is a significant source of stress in their lives. We’ll find out how we feel it on a personal level in our communities and families. The divide between rich and poor continues to expand. We’ll explore how the growing wealth gap is shaping our future. These days we don’t just disagree with each other, we’re living in separate realities — we'll find out how we got here. We’ll go to church, and find out where political influence and power intersects with faith. Then we’ll meet people who are building bridges and bringing people together in powerful and creative ways.

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Media echo chambers create competing realities

Media echo chambers create competing realities

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