There is a crass, market-driven reality that lends itself to a (Marshall) McLuhanesque condition that in the media, attention itself has become the message. Media needs “hits,” “likes” and frankly, eyeballs to bring in the money. So what was once called “yellow journalism” is now your everyday read. 

Consequently, aspiring autocrats know that the more outrageous their lies, the more all mass media will give chase and the more attention the liars will garner. For example, we have been bombarded with countless stories motivated by how pundits are outraged about the lies pinned on legal immigrants from the town of Springfield, OH. The real story is NOT the expressed pundit outrage; rather it is the lying hate that is being spread because an ambitious someone wants a better chance at political power. 

I say call out the lies and hate and move the heck on to substantive campaign issues, such as health care, abortion, manufacturing, cost of living, et.al.; all of which lie well beyond anyone’s personal upset.  

The media should stop behaving like teenage boys looking through a peephole. Discuss the truth about Springfield and move on to the real policy issues of this campaign. Dwelling on outrageous lies makes them the substance of the discussion and crowds out a discussion of the policy alternatives of the candidates. That suits only the party that offers no policy beyond hate and their dystopian Project 2025.

Could it be that our sophisticated media pundits do not know what is obvious to preteen TikTok regulars? Those kids could tell the wonks: You are being trolled! Perhaps then the media would stop engaging in what has become Trump-era favorite behavior: take the outrage bait and feed the nonsense beast. 

Forgetting any campaign-issue reality, and spending countless words dwelling on nonsense: Does that make the commentator feel better—or perhaps superior? Here is a hot take: Most people know there are no space lasers that cause forest fires in CA, and neither can an unnamed “they” control the weather. What people do know less about is the Biden administration’s excellent work to settle the recent national dock strike, the $25 million reapproved for Biden’s student loan forgiveness efforts, the current robust state of the economy, etc. 

However boring to some, those are vital issues for all of us. Though it probably will never sell like a story about badly behaved flying pigs, some still call vital national developments important news. Americans need to know the truth—and “hits” be damned. Rise above the mess. We all can do better, media as well as media consumers.

John Pace lives in Honesdale, PA.