How-To-Be-Your-Own-Reporter-Bob Davis Podcast 915

How-To-Be-Your-Own-Reporter-Bob Davis Podcast 915

How To Be Your Own Reporter

These days our minds are the new battleground. To fight back we have to be our own reporters. I’ll tell you how to do that in How-To-Be-Your-Own-Reporter-Bob Davis Podcast 915.

Politicians Lie

It’s especially relevant to point out politicians and so called leaders lie. If it’s Monday, they lie. If their lips are moving they are lying.

Start With Skepticism

Any decent reporter starts with being skeptical when it comes to those who wield power. From there it’s all about checking details and establishing fact. Why? Because we live in a world where the information channels are filled with crap. Moreover, it’s on purpose.

Investigate Sources

In addition most so called ‘news sources’ these days are thin on resources. Newspapers have cut their newsroom staffs. Television networks don’t always fact check. More importantly cable news is all about personalities and arguments.

We All Have Blind Spots

Most noteworthy are the biases we all come to the table with. We all have blind spots when it comes to the ‘leaders’ we think are ‘doing a good job’. That’s how they use us.

What We Want To Hear

Even more most of us want to hear what we agree with. We want to feel secure in our beliefs and conclusions. Consequently we gravitate to the sources, stories and personalities we agree with.

Get Rid Of The Blind Spots

Above all if you really want to understand what’s going on you have to work on getting rid of the blind spots.

How I Lost My Blind Spots

Certainly I’ll tell you how I lost my blind spots in How-To-Be-Your-Own-Reporter-Bob Davis Podcast 915.

Sources, Biases and Facts

Similarly I’ll give you some pointers on how to use your devices to run down sources, determine biases and establish facts.

I Do Not Advocate

Finally, it’s my policy and the policy of my podcasts not to advocate for or against issues. I don’t fight for politicians. I am not financed by political donors.

Conspiracy Theories, Horoscopes and Psychics

Furthermore the longer I do this the more I believe we have to work with the facts we know we can confirm. Conspiracy theories and opinions are fun. Horoscopes and psychics are for entertainment only, right?

Not Fighting To Convince You

In conclusion I’ve given up trying to convince listeners and subscribers. I don’t fight for or against a politician.

Some Stories And How To Do Your Homework

I’ll tell you some stories and help you become your own reporter in this extra extra podcast.

(Editor’s Note: I do this all the time, I talk about someone off the cuff, and get the name wrong. In this case I refer to a certain Doctor Redmond at the CDC. It’s Doctor Robert R. Redfield, recently in the news with the Coronavirus crsis response.)

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul and Reliafund Payment Processors

How-To-Be-Your-Own-Reporter-Bob Davis Podcast 915

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Ebola-Emergency-YouTube-Fearmongering-Bob Davis Podcast 851

Ebola-Emergency-YouTube-Fearmongering-Bob Davis Podcast 851

Something Terrible Is Going To Happen

These days it’s easy to get attention if you start out with “something terrible is going to happen“. Especially on YouTube. Even more if you’re talking about Ebola. We’ll get to the bottom of the story in Ebola-Emergency-YouTube-Fearmongering-Bob Davis Podcast 851.

YouTube Fearmongering

It’s especially relevant that most 18-49 adults in the United States watch YouTube every day. The video service is the world’s second largest search engine.

News?

Therefore, it’s not a surprise that YouTube is also a primary source for ‘news‘.

Propaganda

I have come to the conclusion most of what we see and hear today as News, is in fact actual propaganda. I couldn’t tell you whether it’s paid for by foreign governments or our own but it sure seems to sow fear and confusion when it comes to potentially serious topics.

End Of The World Predictions and The Deep State

Moreover I’ve done several podcasts over the years about the fearmongers on YouTube. End of The World predictions that never come true. So called experts on UFO’s. Political conspiracies. Fake information. The Deep State. You can find some of those podcasts here.

Enter Ebola

The latest is Ebola.

We’re all going to die of Ebola. At least that’s how the story goes.

Are These Real Investigations?

In Ebola-Emergency-YouTube-Fearmongering-Bob Davis Podcast 851 we’ll take a look at the journalistic requirements for making definitive statements. What’s the difference between a rewrite of an existing story and a real investigation? What about confirmation and multiple sources. These are good tools to have when it comes to evaluating whether you’re being manipulated.

Finally Ebola Is No Joke

There is a pandemic in Southwestern Africa. People want to know. Is it airborne? What about cases in the United States? What about Congolese immigrants detained at the US southern border? Is it an epidemic? What’s the difference? Is this the biggest Ebola pandemic yet?

No Port In The Information Storm

In conclusion with no objective source of information we don’t have a port in the storm. Every now and then I have to hose down the Amatuer content creators. Especially when bad information can be dangerous.

Sponsored by Lacroix Law and Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul

Ebola-Emergency-YouTube-Fearmongering-Bob Davis Podcast 851

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