This is is important for many reasons. Obviously, it is important because of the existential crisis that is climate change. But more broadly, it is important because it directly challenges the ‘bothsidesism’ that permeates much of the current media — namely: the tendency to treat all policy debates as if the opposing sides present equally strong arguments.
Once upon a time, there was a justification for this model of journalistic pedagogy. Once upon a time, the bulk of televised arguments involved points/counterpoints. That boat sailed away a long time ago. When one side refuses to deal in empirical reality and, instead, resorts to ad hominem attacks and deliberate obfuscation of observable facts, there should NEVER be an equal weighting of the respective interlocutors.
The essence of Trump is the Incessant Lie. He does not seek to turn around people to his position via analytics. His only goal is to delegitimize ALL information systems other than himself.
Ask yourself a question: Is the world flat or round? Round, of course. BUT… can you provide an easy proof to a flat-earther? Maybe, after a bit of sleuthing, you would present the example of ships heights declining on the horizon or some such thing. But the essential point of epistemology is that the promulgation of knowledge is fundamentally a social activity. We ‘know’ the earth is round because we read it in reputable textbooks or hear it from reputable teachers. In other words, we derive the vast majority of our ‘knowledge’ from trusted social actors.
Why do we seek information from weekly news sources rather than discussions with the denizens of the local neighborhood bar? Duh. We instinctively seek knowledge from curated sources. We need trusted journalistic intermediaries to separate the wheat from the chaff. (the issue of ‘Is this trust warranted?’ is a whole new topic, which requires another diary...)
It is long past time that the televised news media recognizes that one of their most important and cherished missions is something quite simple.
Learn to say: “I call bullshit!”
addendum: The following podcast “Why is this Happening — by Chris Hayes’ also looks at this issue...— www.nbcnews.com/...