The Dinners for Democracy discussion guides covering each chapter of Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times highlight the main points of the chapter, offer questions for reflection and discussion, and reference actions you can take in your community.
In the second chapter of Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times, Democracy Forward CEO Skye Perryman encourages us to achieve information sobriety. Information sobriety is the responsible and self-aware media consumption needed to become a well-informed citizen.
The Need for Information SObriety
The free flow of information is necessary for democracy. An informed citizenry is the bedrock of self-governance, which is why it is critical that we both carefully consider our media intake and protect the freedom of the press.
With the internet we have more information available to us than at any other time in the history of the world. We have 24-hour news cycles, endless digital content at our fingertips, and worldwide, instant social media. Widespread, rapid information access has many benefits, but it is also challenging to wade through the firehose of information to determine what is accurate.
We are surrounded by misinformation and disinformation, and we know that both social and news media are profit-driven businesses. Trust in the press, particularly national news media, has diminished. Skye writes: “[the current media landscape] runs on sensationalism and outrage (two things that generate advertising revenues), and—more often than not—the number of clicks a story or post will likely get determines whether it will be published. This leaves important stories untold and voices unheard, and it creates a frenzy of news consumption for sensationalized topics” (p. 65).
We need to stay informed. We also need to think carefully about where our information comes from and who created it. A mindful approach to media intake will be more likely to leave us motivated to take action and participate in our democracy.
What is misinformation? Misinformation is inaccurate or false information that is not shared or spread with malicious intent (though its impacts are often still harmful).
What is disinformation? Disinformation is inaccurate or false information that is put into the world with the intention of misleading people.
Both misinformation and disinformation are concerning, and both are intensified by the expansion of digital media distribution platforms, the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content, and bots designed specifically to disseminate mis- and disinformation (p. 67)
Threats to the Free Press
The First Amendment to the Constitution establishes the freedom of the press. The free flow of information and ideas is essential to a functioning democracy and must be a foundational pillar of American life. Skye writes: “The ability to report facts, publish information, and express opinions, even criticism, without government restraint is a cornerstone of a democracy. Freedom of the press is critical to holding governments accountable, keeping those in power in check, maintaining an informed public, and preventing the spread of misinformation” (p. 67).
In contrast, censorship and state-run media are hallmarks of authoritarian regimes. We have seen authoritarians like Viktor Orban in Hungary consolidate the media market there in order to make sure most information is government propaganda. Skye reminds us, “The United States is not immune from threats to the free press” (p. 68). With the potential Paramount Skydance acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery, there could be as few as five major companies that control the vast majority of media production in the United States (Comcast, The Walt Disney Company, Paramount Skydance, Sony, and Amazon). Twelve states are currently suing to block this merger under antitrust laws. For comparison, 50 companies owned 90% of the U.S. media in 1983.
The consolidation of American media creates the potential for people in power to have undue influence on what information reaches the public and how it reaches us. The Trump-Vance administration has used the FCC to intimidate critical media outlets and to cut $9 billion in funding to public broadcasting. Trump has also directly sued media outlets critical of him. Since CBS was acquired by Paramount Skydance, we have seen venerable news programs like 60 Minutes edit their programs, create programming more favorable to the Trump administration, and fire correspondents for questioning those decisions.
The freedom of the press is also under threat from Big Tech companies and social media. The algorithms that feed us information, keep us engaged with content, and contribute to confirmation biases influence what content reaches us and further drive online partisanship. As with traditional media companies, social media ownership is limited to a few large companies such as Google, Meta, Apple, and Amazon. The companies have aligned themselves with the Trump administration and “have been rewarded with executive orders that increase their profits” (p. 72).
As you reflect on your personal media habits and current threats to the free press, consider the following table—adapted from Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times (pp. 73-84)—which offers six steps you can take to achieve information sobriety. Then consider, for reflection and discussion, the questions listed below.
Six Steps to Achieve Information SObriety
01. Take an Information Inventory (for more, see pp. 73-74)
Ask:
- Where/how do I get my news? Through which devices and mediums?
- What information do I want that I am not getting? What information am I getting that I do not want?
- How do I feel when I consume news?
- How long do I spend scrolling through social media? How many news stories or how much about current events do I see in my feeds?
02. Assess Your Information Inventory and Give Yourself Permission to Change Your Media Habits (for more, see p. 76)
Give yourself permission:
- It’s okay for me to change my media consumption.
- It’s okay for me to log off social media if I find it overwhelming.
- It’s okay for me to get overwhelmed by the sensationalist, 24-hour news cycle and find a source that works better for me.
03. Make a Plan for a Well-Balanced Media Diet (for more, see pp.76-79)
Find reliable:
- Independent media
- Local journalism
- Public broadcasts
- National media
- Investigative journalism
04. Plan When and Where to Get Your Information (for more, see pp. 80-81)
- Identify your daily and weekly information intake needs
- Identify news and social media blackout (phone-/information-free) times
- Mind your group chats and other social sources of information
- Get reliable information specific to issues that most concern and engage you
05. Be Curious and Explore (for more, see pp. 81-82)
- Be your own fact checker
- Check ordinarypeopleaction.com for more tools
06. Take Actions to Support a Healthier Media (for more, see pp. 82-84)
- Donate to a nonprofit newsroom
- Familiarize yourself with journalism organizations
- Write to thank a reporter or commentator whose work is helpful to you
- Learn more about how generative AI works so that you better understand how it poses challenges to a healthy media landscape
- Host a gathering with friends where you all share a favorite writer or journalist’s work
Questions for REflection and Discussion
- What makes you trust or distrust a piece of information?
- Describe the kind of information that you consume most often. How does that information inform the way you participate in your community?
- What changes do you want to make related to your media consumption?
- What role does freedom of the press have in a flourishing democracy?
- What is your assessment of your local media? Could you get to know local reporters or creators? How could you support a healthy and robust local media ecosystem?
- Is there an independent media outlet that you recommend or wish to explore? How can you support them?
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