Sunrise of Local News!

New local news sites help citizens

The Omaha World Herald and Lincoln Journal Star have become more of a newsy Facebook page compared to anything else, feeding liberal news to liberal readers instead of providing a cosmopolitan view of the world.

Many years ago, people were upset with how the local press failed to cover local news and viewpoints. Francis Mendenhall had the Nebraska Observer. Joe Jordan tried a news outlet and now is part of News Channel Nebraska (https://metro.newschannelnebraska.com/) Members of the Ricketts family also tried making a news outlet. State Senator Mike Flood actually runs a communication company. I briefly ran a paper myself.

So there has always been a drive to help make news more informative and accessible as well as local. Now a new set of people have come online. There is the Flatwater Free Press (https://flatwaterfreepress.org/), and the Nebraska Examiner (https://nebraskaexaminer.com), both of which have former World Herald reporters.

Yet, the truly independent breakout is Nebraska Sunrise News (NSN). (https://www.nebraskasunrisenews.com/) Each of these outlets have their own philosophy and approach. The Nebraska Sunrise News, however, is subscriber based which I think will give it a long term edge. Also, NSN has a number of local people I am familiar with. So I will try to keep them inline! Just teasing the NSN group!

If all these people were in the same room and were asked what is wrong with the news media today, you would hear thousands of gripes. So what is the key ingredient? To me, the largest problem is national news media coverage which creates echo-chambers and buzzword-laden narratives to passive news consumers. The media talks of climate change but anyone who reads non-fiction books about the topic, knows the media is selling a story.

The Epoch Times (https://www.theepochtimes.com/) and Washington Examiner (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/) do great in covering national and international news and Townhall Media group provides Redstate.com and PJmedia.com and other outlets which provide more viewpoints. These organizations provide a counter-weight against AP and Reuters. In fact, Governor Ricketts has been interviewed by Epoch Times at length, more than once but few seem to know this. Yet conservatives tend to rely on Ben Shapiro, Tim Pool and David Rubin to carry the counter narrative online and let radio do the rest. Yes, there is Mark Levin, Joe Rogan, and Glenn Beck’s Blaze TV adding more commentary and news. Meanwhile, Project Veritas does serious journalism.

The problem with the national narratives is there is too much click-bait and propaganda. Who needs 37 emails saying the exact same thing about SCOTUS striking down Biden’s vaccine mandate? So my advice to these new journalists and readers like you, look for local stories. Find out about when government entities meet such as the Douglas County Health Board, OPPD, MUD or whatever an NRD actually is. What is coming on the market for breweries and what new trend is on the horizon? Beware of narratives and ask where the counter or missing viewpoint is.

Also, commit and schedule time to read non-fictions books. Keep a book with you at all times. I prefer contemporary politics and policy books but love history and biographies. I firmly believe if children and teenagers read more biographies, they would realize other people have their own trials and tribulations to go through. And, yes, seriously, carry a book with you and schedule time to read. Lots of people find themselves waiting without a book in hand. Also, scheduling some reading time makes certain you finish the book. Such reading will make you more able to debate and discern what information you receive from others and helps you write and read better.

Also, beware of severe exaggerators, scammers and liars, particularly when they are exploiting your emotions. Such people can be very good people or flat out paranoid but they are letting emotion selectively choose information and you are left to figure out what facts are relevant or missing or wrong. Do not be gullible or naive, but do not be paranoid. Skepticism is a good guard against bad information or lack of it.  Some of the biggest liars are non-profit organizations and advocacy groups. They often use statistics to push a viewpoint. There is a reason for the saying, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics”. I strongly advise reading books about the misuse of statistics and there are many good books to choose from.

Anyways, that is my take. Thanks for reading!