Rushing to judgment before all the facts have emerged is never a good idea if one’s intention is to provide accurate information to an audience. Too often, preliminary information turns out to be inaccurate or seen in a different light once the full picture is made available. It’s usually better to wait until a reasonable amount of information surfaces before weighing in.
But if one’s primary intention is not necessarily to accurately inform or make a good faith argument, but instead to prey on preexisting political narratives to score cheap clicks and engagement on social media, the rules of the game change. In the universe of hyper-partisan media, it’s actually in one’s interest to publish information — regardless of how thin the supporting evidence is — that fits neatly into the narrative.
If you’re ahead of your competitors in publishing, you’ll see a huge boost in engagement on social media. And if you end up being wrong, so what? Slap an update on the article and move on — the audience will either not notice or care the way they would if an established news org erred.
On Tuesday, we were offered two examples (see below) in which right-wing media pushed a preferred narrative that went viral on social platforms, only later to be undercut by the facts that emerged. (To be clear, this happens across partisan media, and is not unique to right-wing media, though the President consumes the latter camp’s messaging which makes it at the moment far more consequential.)
No, Shake Shack didn’t poison the NYPD
This B.S. continued into Tuesday night on right-wing websites like The Daily Wire, which blasted out a nightly newsletter with the headline about Shake Shack. All in all, it’s a good case study demonstrating that the incentives in hyper-partisan media reward stories that reinforce preexisting political views versus accurate reporting…
Man allegedly linked with “Boogaloo” movement charged
“It was all over Facebook,” Roose explained, “shared by right-wing pages with millions of followers. Among the top stories on the platform for days.” And it wasn’t just limited to online platforms — Underwood’s death was used to suggest violence at the demonstrations on talk radio and Fox News too.
No real consequences
When mainstream news organizations mess up, they correct their errors. If it’s a big mistake, disciplinary measures might be taken against the reporter or editor. In severe cases, people could lose their jobs and their careers might be forever tainted.
But, as I alluded to earlier, hyper-partisan media generally isn’t governed by the same rules. If these organizations or personalities make a mistake, no matter how egregious it may be, there are no real repercussions. The pundit or outlet often barely corrects or updates the post, before moving on to the next story that will advance the predetermined narrative. In fact, it can be argued that these hyper-partisan entities still benefit from pushing inaccurate information. If their post went viral on social media, for instance, they likely gained followers and added to their reach. The incentives in our current media environment are not aligned with disseminating accurate information.