Are Most Americans Even Paying Attention?

"It has been another week of unfettered moral depravity in the United States. Donald Trump held a Klan rally lightly disguised as a cabinet meeting where he railed against Somali immigrants. Pete Hegseth defended the cruel and illegal boat strikes that have murdered at least 83 civilians. Marco Rubio put forward a "peace plan" for Ukraine that amounts to giving Vladimir Putin everything he's ever wished for. And saddest of all? Most people probably don't even know any of it happened."

"One of the most disturbing stories I saw this disgusting week highlighted new research from Pew showing that news consumption is on the decline across all political parties and age groups. The report, which was focused on adults under 30, found that only 15 percent of people in that age group follow the news "all or most of the time." When they do, it should surprise no one, they consider the "news" to be whatever they come across on social media."

"I got sick over Thanksgiving, and during the uninterrupted days I spent lying in bed and praying for death, did I watch "the news"? No, I did not. I watched movies about space ( Apollo 13 is the best movie that inaccurately features no Black people ever made), and allowed myself to get enveloped in the Lane Kiffin coaching drama. I wasn't physically or mentally healthy enough to be informed about America for a week."

Donald Trump staged a provocative event framed as a cabinet meeting and attacked Somali immigrants while other conservative figures defended or proposed harmful policies, including lethal boat strikes and a Ukraine "peace plan" favorable to Putin. New Pew research finds declining news consumption across parties and ages, with only 15 percent of adults under 30 following news regularly and many relying on social media for information. Mainstream outlets prioritize appeasement over accountability and the opposition appears ineffective. Many people avoid news because it is emotionally overwhelming, which allows harmful rhetoric and policies to persist unchallenged.

Read at The Nation