Obama worries about a “divided media” causing different realities.
Former President Obama: Divided Media is Keeping Me Up at Night
Former President Barack Obama recently spoke with CBS Mornings co-host Nate Burleson about the divided nature of media and how it translates to a divided America. Obama claimed that since he left the White House in January 2017, the divided media was the thing that truly kept him up at night.
Obama’s Concerns
- Obama is worried about the degree to which we now have a divided conversation, in part because we have a divided media.
- He referenced the time before cable news, the internet, and the 24-hour news cycle when most Americans got their news from three main networks and everyone could at least agree on what the facts were in any given situation.
- Today, because of the splintering of the media, we almost occupy different realities.
- Obama’s goal with regard to the Obama Foundation is to explore ways to bring the conversation back to where people could at least agree on a common set of facts as a jumping-off point.
During the same interview, the former president also addressed the topics of gun violence and mass shootings. He argued that the gun control argument had become more political than necessary and had become a proxy for arguments about our culture wars.
Instead of thinking about it in a very pragmatic way, we end up really arguing about identity, and emotion, and all kinds of stuff that does not have to do with keeping our children safe.
It’s time to come together and have a common conversation based on a common set of facts. Let’s put aside our differences and work towards a better future for all.
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