In Between Times 9-8-2022
Media bias and the FBI, Endangered monarch butterflies, Turn an enemy into an ally, Conservatives on the Inflation Reduction Act, Plus more...
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AllSides - Media Bias Alert: FBI agent resigns, facing criticism for his handling of the Hunter Biden probe
It’s a story that hasn’t gotten much attention on the left and one that has gotten some significant attention on the right. Allsides breaks down how left and right covered the story of the resignation of Assistant Special Agent In Charge Tim Thibault from the Bureau.
Below is the type of analysis that serious consumers of news should seek. Who covered what? How was it covered if covered at all. Were parts of the story selectively used or omitted?
In the years ahead, those who want to be truly informed should use tools like AllSides.com to gain perspective amidst the 24/7 information (and misinformation) maelstrom.
(From AllSides)
What the Right Reported
Right-rated news outlets covered the accusations against Thibault prominently. Many selectively used quotes from Senator Grassley’s accusations against Thibault to frame him and the FBI as politically biased, without quoting anyone who disagrees.
The story about Thibault’s retirement appears to have been broken by The Washington Times (Lean Right)…
…What the Left Reported
Very few left-rated outlets have reported on Thibault leaving the FBI.
The CBS News (Lean Left) piece about the story extensively quoted Grassley and Director Wray, as well as Thibault’s counsel (using the same statement as the Washington Examiner.) This is contrary to sources on the right that only mentioned allegations that Thibault was forced out.
Why the most iconic butterfly in the U.S. will likely be officially endangered
The monarch butterfly is a beautiful thing. Living along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia these flying jewels migrate north to south and then south to north stopping off in the pastureland around us each year. They are amazing creatures and every time I see the first one of the summer my heart leaps just a bit.
It is sad to read however that these little flying works of art may be endangered.
We say “may be endangered” because in the attached article we see that there are those in the scientific community who are very concerned about monarch butterfly populations and there are some who are less concerned.
(From Mashable)
They are an astonishing and intrepid species in North America. But in some places, populations of the migratory monarch butterfly, an iconic subspecies of the monarch, has dwindled over the past few decades.
Recently, the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a conservation organization, put the traveling species on its infamous Red List, a grim catalog of species the group concludes are threatened or endangered. The IUCN says the migratory monarchs, whose populations in their winter breeding grounds have plummeted by between 22 and 72 percent, are endangered with extinction.
But this population census is based on “winter breeding ground” estimates.
Andy Davis, an animal ecologist at the University of Georgia considers the situation to be significantly less dire.
Davis’ recent study analyzed the trends in monarch populations in their breeding range during summer. The IUCN’s analysis, though, is based on the wintering colony size, explained Davis. It might be easy to count the monarchs when they are overwintering, he said, as they don’t move that much. But counting the number of butterflies when they make a return during spring, as Davis’ study did, gives the real picture of their population numbers, because that's when they breed, said Davis. "There's no evidence that the breeding range is shrinking," Davis argues.
Regardless, monarchs are a species worth paying special attention to if for no other reason than that other pollinators like bees have been hard hit in recent years. The impact of pesticides and herbicides (that kill milkweed - the monarch’s favorite food) deserves particular scrutiny.
How to turn an enemy into an ally – Bill Shireman
In this interview:
How you can avoid being “played” by the polarization and toxicity
Why your “enemy” may want the same things you want
How institutions and organizations use conflict and demonization to increase engagement and funding from the public
How to find purpose, mission, and power instead of feeling overpowered by organizations and institutions
How you can bridge the gap with someone who seemingly has different values
Click here to listen to the interview.
Perspective: How conservatives should view the climate provisions in the inflation act
Climate and the environment generally are areas where conservatives can not afford to be disengaged. And in fairness many have not been. There are plenty of conservative conservationists for instance. The American West is full of them. Hunters generally tend to be conservative, pro Second Amendment, and also like to have a place to hunt with ample game.
Too often however the environment is treated as a zero sum ideological battlefield. It is certainly not that. Almost no issue is. Win/win opportunities abound (on the environmental front), if only we keep an eye out for them.
The Inflation Reduction Act was filled with poison pills for Republicans (the broad increase of funding for the IRS being the biggest pill), but there are parts of the bill that some conservatives could likely support as our colleague Benji Backer explains.
(From Deseret.com)
The reckless government spending we’ve witnessed for decades also continues to be a serious concern of mine, especially during a time of inflation and an economic downturn. And after the Democrats’ (nearly) two-year partisan campaign to pass a more radical package — “Build Back Better” — conservative leadership was understandably skeptical to pass a 750-plus-page “compromise” that they weren’t involved with from the get-go.
However, despite the rhetoric that the act represents a Green New Deal “socialist wish list,” there are many common sense — and shockingly conservative — measures related to fighting climate change that will boost our nation’s economy, help to revitalize rural communities, lower energy prices and protect the landscapes we love.
The Fulcrum: New platforms help overcome biased news reporting
Three cheers, ten cheers, for these new news platforms.
At In Between Times we seek to promote the work of some of these outlets, of which The Fulcrum is one (AllSides is another). There are others and we are putting together a list that you will soon be able to access via our home website at In This Together. The work of these outlets is of vital importance in the current age of polarization and closed mindedness. That there are organizations that attempt to raise the bar of civility in the newsphere is of great benefit to the body politic. We should support them.
(From The Fulcrum)
Take, for example, Kamy Akhavan, a former CEO of ProCon who has dedicated much of his career to promoting civil communication and improving civic education. Akhavan formed ProCon to reflect his passions while delivering non-biased information through “beneficial confusion,” a technique that offered opposing viewpoints on a wide range of political, social and policy issues so readers could “engage in evaluative thinking to formulate their own views,” he explained…
…AllSides, led by CEO John Gable, has followed a similar approach, hoping to expose individuals to different ideas and information from all sides of the political spectrum to provide a fuller picture. They have also created the AllSides Media Bias Rating to help readers understand a news platform’s slant.
EVENT
September 10 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
Depolarizing Within
Location: Online
Polarization can be driven by how we talk with like-minded people about those on the other side. Too often, we stereotype, dismiss, or ridicule our fellow citizens who support the other political party, its leaders, and its policies.
This free 2.5 to 3 hour workshop is offered online over Zoom and teaches participants:
How to be more aware of their own “inner polarizer”
How to be critical without demonizing, dismissing or stereotyping large swaths of the population
How to constructively intervene in polarizing social conversations with like-minded people
Who can come? Anyone interested in examining their own inner polarization and learning strategies to disagree without condemning or ridiculing others.
Questions? Contact Mary Miller at mary@braverangels.org
This workshop is a free event brought to you by Braver Angels as part of our mission to depolarize America. Braver Angels is a 501c(3) non-profit. We invite you to consider a gift to Braver Angels; all donations are tax deductible. Your support will allow us to offer more workshops and debates with the ultimate goal of uniting America.