The problem I see with the fake news narrative is that it deepens the divide on both sides. And that divide keeps us from seeing the red flags that actually matter.
Two Camps
People who believe the mainstream media is corrupt just lose more and more faith in it every time they try and push another hitlist.
While people who believe mainstream is gospel and alternative media is where all the crazies are hanging out mistrust opposing ideas even more when they hear fake news because it confirms what they want to believe, that none of that stuff over there could be real.
But here is the thing nobody wants to talk about. Both camps are ignoring red flags. Just different ones.
Use Your Discernment
There is value in taking in information from all sides and learning to use the engine of discernment within you. But ignoring information that reality serves up in your life is a dangerous path to walk. Your perception sees what serves it.
This is how we end up blindsided. We curate our information diet so carefully that we stop noticing the signals that contradict our chosen narrative. The red flags are there. We just train ourselves not to see them.
There is value in questioning all media and even in ignoring one or both sides altogether. No source has ever proven to give us 100 percent accurate and honest reporting all the time. With a certain lens, you could see all media as fake, and many people do.
Designed to Divide
Fake news is designed to further the divide in people. To make sure the line in the sand still exists, that the line rules the people, rather than encouraging any common ground.
All vantage points have validity. I hear some things in mainstream that make sense to me. I like a lot of the vantage points alternative media spins for me to contemplate.
The real red flag is not which news source is lying. The real red flag is when you stop being willing to question your own certainty. When your identity becomes so wrapped up in one perspective that you cannot tolerate information that challenges it.
Why We Get Triggered
It starts with learning why we get triggered. If we are triggered by something, there is a lesson there. When we are no longer triggered by information, we can more easily hold multiple vantage points and perspectives in mind at once.
We stop judging people and start learning more about why we perceive the world the way we do.
Preferences are delicious, but judgments come from a place of fear. It is more fun to be full of understanding and deeply curious.
The Inner Work
The red flags you ignore in the news are the same red flags you ignore in your relationships, your career, and your own behavior. We are pattern creatures. If we dismiss uncomfortable information in one area of life, we do it everywhere.
This is why inner work matters. When you learn to sit with discomfort, to question your own reactions, to wonder why certain information triggers you, you start seeing more clearly. Not just in media consumption but in every choice you make.
The goal is not to become a perfectly informed citizen consuming only the correct sources. The goal is to become someone who can tolerate the discomfort of uncertainty. Someone who does not need to be right in order to feel safe.
This is shadow work in action.
If you are ready to examine why certain information triggers you, explore the Shadow Work practices.