Quick thread on the Capitol siege and media culpability (it's not what you might expect) incoming.

Recently, we've heard A LOT about media culpability for platforming and laundering the ideologies of white supremacists like Richard Spencer. All fair.

I won't rehash the other list of grievances.

But there's another issue that's older: the death of print media and paywalls.

Contemporary media rests on two foundations:

1) access
2) profit

Obviously, the need for each corrupts the entire enterprise. But their convergence raises an urgent problem we need to address ASAP.

If you want an informed citizenry that isn't susceptible to "fake news" and conspiracy - GUESS WHAT:

Don't limit access to well-sourced, credible info through paywalls and subscriptions.

Disinfo, conspiracy BS, and propaganda of all stripes are readily available for... FREE.

How not to solve the problem in one image - courtesy of @washingtonpost :

In sum: it’s nice to call for teaching “digital literacy” to ensure an “informed citizenry,” but:

Unless you get rid of paywalls at credible media outlets...

You’re operating on pre-Gutenberg logic - and blaming the peasants for a failure to be born as the clerical elites.

The media ecosystem won’t reform itself; it’s on all of us. It won’t be easy, but it’s far from a crisis with no solution.

I want to wrap up for tonight by offering a bit of hope.

95% of why I use Twitter: I believe education should be free and accessible to all who want it.

This here Bird App can be a vicious swamp - BUT:

There are way more people willing to do the hard work of examining their biases and go through the discomfort of learning than you’d think.

Don’t believe me? Scroll to the end of that Shamima Begum thread. Read the replies.

Here’s a random selection - when I’m feeling cynical, I make reread them as a reminder: I don’t give people enough credit for being willing to challenge their own views. These replies shocked the hell out of me.

It’s not easy - but, damn — it is possible. It is.

Goodnight.