NYT Frank Bruni on 'Media in the Age of Misinformation'

Frank Bruni
Frank Bruni
Courtesy of Soo-Jeong Kang

New York Times opinion columnist Frank Bruni says the limitless variety of media options is allowing Americans to live in a "customized cocoon" of news and this is a threat to our democracy. President Trump is attempting to de-legitimize all media. He does so in the hopes it will allow him to create whatever narrative he likes around a situation, regardless of the facts, said Bruni.

Bruni said President Trump, his campaign, and his staff, do this in various ways but the most shocking is the use of phrases like "fake news" and "alternative facts."

The only reasons these phrases can flourish as legitimate viewpoints in the minds of Americans is because modern technology has allowed us to edit down every one of our experiences to just the parts we want to see and hear, Bruni said.

There have been amazing breakthroughs in communication and information gathering but instead of taking advantage of the variety, we use it to collapse our worlds and tune out everything that contradicts what we we already know, Bruni said. We can't see the validity in somebody else's perspective.

Bruni is the author of "Ambling Into History," "Born Round," and "Where You Go is Not Who You'll Be." He spoke March 21, 2017 at the Westminster Town Hall Forum in downtown Minneapolis.

To listen to the speech, click the audio player above.

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