1: The general populace doesn't have the tools to critically engage with media
2: They also don't have enough *time* to critically engage with media
3: The media itself is in a constant rat race to pump out more low-brow content and can't stop to do actual investigative journalism or critically examine their sources
Problem 1 arises because of biology and can be addressed with better education.
Problems 2 and 3 arise because 'investigation' is a positive externality that a free market doesn't reward. The standard way to resolve positive externalities is by rewarding its creation with government subsidies. In this case that is not going to work since it would take way too much time and effort to track who provided how much insights (not to mention that this is kinda subjective and could let a government put their thumb on the scale). My solution is a UBI so that the people who want to investigate can actually afford to do so without starving.
You mention fact checkers as a good solution, but Chomsky would probably say it is a tactic of the media owners. I wonder if your article isn't also part of manufacturing consent. You do not like Trump and thus become an unpaid contributor of the main media narrative that Chomsky presents
As I see it the three biggest problems are:
1: The general populace doesn't have the tools to critically engage with media
2: They also don't have enough *time* to critically engage with media
3: The media itself is in a constant rat race to pump out more low-brow content and can't stop to do actual investigative journalism or critically examine their sources
Problem 1 arises because of biology and can be addressed with better education.
Problems 2 and 3 arise because 'investigation' is a positive externality that a free market doesn't reward. The standard way to resolve positive externalities is by rewarding its creation with government subsidies. In this case that is not going to work since it would take way too much time and effort to track who provided how much insights (not to mention that this is kinda subjective and could let a government put their thumb on the scale). My solution is a UBI so that the people who want to investigate can actually afford to do so without starving.
You mention fact checkers as a good solution, but Chomsky would probably say it is a tactic of the media owners. I wonder if your article isn't also part of manufacturing consent. You do not like Trump and thus become an unpaid contributor of the main media narrative that Chomsky presents