From political silos to positive bridges
Chapter One - Will Hannity’s vaccine advice prick viewers conscience?
Welcome to From Silos to Bridges. Depending on what your news diet consists of, you don’t just have a completely different viewpoint from that of your fellow citizen, you have a completely different reality.
Let me repeat this in a different way. When many people consume media nowadays, they do so the way grain is stored in silos. CNN viewers rarely watch Fox or Newsmax. Most Newmax viewers won’t watch CBS, ABC or NBC. Take a look at most people’s Twitter account and it reflects their interests. It is rare to find anyone who consumes a variety of media. Confirmation bias runs high these days and it has created polarized societies. Living next door to the USA gives me a unique perspective on these media silos.
Originally, silos were created on farms to store grain to avoid any contamination from spoilage or insects. The problem is that while it’s a good thing for grains to be separated, people and their ideas are a little more complex. When extreme ideas are kept in a media silo, problems can arise. A very toxic environment creates what you saw happen on January 6th at the Capitol. Believe it or not, there is an additional danger found in silos that serves as a phenomenal metaphor for what people are experiencing in media silos.
Silo gas is formed through the natural fermentation process when you place things like grains into a silo. This gas is odorless and colorless. The gas is very dangerous because it displaces the silo's oxygen. Should you have the misfortune of falling into a grain silo you will encounter this gas. Tragically, you will have little warning that you are about to be overcome.
Media silos create tunnel vision and poisonous information that leads to bad things happening - including death.
Take the vaccine crisis in the USA for example. Depending on what news you consume, you have been told for the last six months to not get vaccinated. This has caused a rise in the Delta variant because of low vaccination rates.
You can probably trace the number of new cases in places where people were consuming right wing or extreme right wing media to major hotspots. Breitbart, Fox, OAN and Newsmax seem to be the culprits in spreading this message.
But something strange happened on Monday, July 19 2021. Fox News star Sean Hannity told his three and half million viewers to consider taking the vaccine.
In fact, here’s exactly how he stated things:
“Just like we’ve been saying, please take COVID seriously. Enough people have died. We don’t need any more deaths. Research like crazy. Talk to your doctor. It absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated.”
I am sure this came as a shock to many viewers. For months, Hannity has been railing against Dr. Fauci and vaccines. He’s been telling everyone “don’t get vaccinated.” And yet, here we are, a complete turnaround.
While there are some who are intrigued about why there is this sudden shift, I am more interested in what this shift represents. While I strongly disagree with Sean Hannity and the network he works for, I applaud the effort to have a change of mind. Instead of building a silo of disinformation, Hannity’s words act like a bridge to understanding and hopefully action - including people rolling up their sleeves and getting vaccinated.
The answer to the problem of silos isn’t more silos. OAN and Newsmax only served to make Fox News more extreme. I strongly believe the answer lies in bridges. Specifically, bridges developed and promoted by the very silos themselves. Sean Hannity’s remarks will probably convince some people to get a vaccine right now. A lot more will resist, but a seed has been planted. It may unleash a torrent of pro vaccine info. Time will tell if other media outlets jump on the pro vaccine bandwagon.
I know it is extremely difficult for a media outlets like Fox or CNN to change the narrative. But it is vital because the silo gas is harming millions and threatening democracy.
This newsletter is about turning silos into bridges. If you encounter something that strikes you as bridge, let me know. I’d love to write about it.
In the meantime, tell your friends!